The Garfield G-Men football team would not let a long road trip be the end of their season.. Garfield continued its season, pummeling Harrison Central 56-35 in the Ohio High School Athletic Association Division V Region 17 quarterfinal last Friday night at Wagner Field in Cadiz.
“That was awesome,” said Coach Mike Moser. “That’s a road trip you do not get to do very often. We talked about it with the kids, and we knew that was going to be a challenge, being focused when we got there and being able to start fast. I thought the kids responded great to that.”
Garfield (12-0, 7-0) will compete against the first seeded Perry in the Division V Region 17 semifinal at Maple Heights Stadium in Maple Heights on Friday at 7 p.m.
“There are a lot of teams in the state that have not made it to a regional semifinal, so we are really happy to be playing in week 13 and have a great opponent on deck,” said the 11th-year coach. “We have a team that has been ranked one or two in the state all year long and is undefeated as well, so it is going to be the ultimate test.”
It is only the third time since Moser took over the program that Garfield has appeared in a regional semifinal.
The G-Men set the tone in the first quarter, going ahead 14-0 on a 32-yard rushing touchdown by senior tailback/linebacker Keegan Sell and a 59-yard touchdown reception by senior tailback/defensive back Leo Grandizio.
“We started fast,” Moser said. “They are experienced and mature kids that know the challenges in front of them and have goals. They were not going to let a two-hour road trip stand in front of those goals.”
The Huskies responded when senior quarterback/defensive back Hayden Cassidy delivered a 57-yard touchdown strike to junior wide receiver/defensive back Cam McAfree, trimming Garfield’s lead to 14-7, but the G-Men answered with a 9-yard touchdown reception by Grandizio, extending the lead to 21-7.
For once, it was the passing attack that ignited the G-Men’s offense.
“We came out and hit a couple of big ones right out of the gate,” added Moser. “Eric put the ball right on the numbers and Leo was open and went and got it and that is always a big part of our game.”
In the second quarter, the Huskies capitalized on a fumble recovery at midfield, scoring on a 12-yard touchdown pass from Cassidy to senior wide receiver/defensive end Clayton Vermillion, cutting Garfield’s advantage to 21-13.
After the turnover, the G-Men outscored Harrison Central by a 14-0 margin, paced by a 1-yard touchdown run by the 6-foot Sell and a 4-yard rushing touchdown by senior quarterback/running back/defensive back Eric Geddes to take a 35-13 lead into the half.
“We let them off the hook a little bit with a turnover deep in our territory,” acknowledged Moser. “I thought we were in position to take total control of the game and gave them a short field. Those kids were going to make plays too and, in the playoffs, it is a prize fight. You are going to land some and get hit a couple of times and must get off the canvas and keep making plays.”
The G-Men’s offense went stagnant in the third quarter and the Huskies cut the lead to 35-19 on a 68-yard touchdown reception by senior wide receiver/linebacker Parker Hutton.
According to Moser, self-inflicted wounds were to blame for Garfield’s scoreless third quarter.
“They made 3 third-and-long plays to continue some drives,” he added. “We could not get off the field and when we turned it around and once again got nine yards on a first down we had another mess up in the backfield and had a fumble that put us right behind the chains.”
Garfield turned the tide in the fourth quarter, going on a 14-0 run fueled by a 4-yard rushing touchdown by Sell and the 5-foor-11 Grandizio catching his third touchdown pass of the night from Geddes, this one on a 54-yard strike, pushing the G-Men ahead 49-19.
Despite some turbulent play, Garfield’s defense stifled the Huskies’ rushing game, allowing only 61 yards on 25 attempts, and shut down star senior tailback/defensive end Mykel Quito.
“They did great against the run,” Moser said. “That was our one thing coming in. They had a 1500-yard running back, Mykel Quito and we did a nice job. We got after him, we hit him and contained him.”
The Huskies relied on their passing game to stay withing striking distance, but Garfield’s defense turned Harrison Central’s offense into a one-dimensional attack while its offense stayed balanced, recording 270 rushing yards and 155 passing yards.
