A gorgeous sunset blanks JAG Stadium during the first half of Friday’s game in Garrettsville.
Tom Nader/Portage Sports

By Tom Nader

Publisher and Editor

Garfield never settled into any kind of recognizable rhythm on Friday night, but rhythms don’t win football games.

The lack of rhythm was only because of the team’s ability to break big plays, take advantage of short fields and score defensive touchdowns.

The result was a resounding one.

The G-Men rolled to a 56-14 Mahoning Valley Athletic Conference victory over the Campbell Memorial Red Devils on their home field at JAG Stadium in Garrettsville.

The game was put out of a reach by a dominant first half, which Garfield (6-1, 4-0 MVAC) used to establish a 49-0 lead and outgain the Devils (1-6, 0-4) 270 to 42 in the game’s first 24 minutes.

The second half featured a running clock for the entirety.

“Tonight’s game seemed a little bit choppy, but we took advantage of big plays and short fields,” Garfield head coach Mike Moser said. “Our guys played hard, though, and we did some good stuff tonight.”

The good stuff happened almost immediately.

After the Devils received the kickoff and went three-and-out, the G-Men needed just four plays to travel 61 yards and score the opening touchdown.

Jesse Grace rumbled 34 yards, then Vinnie Grandizio bursted for another 23 and after a play that went backwards, Eric Geddes ran around the right end for a 10-yard touchdown to start the scoring avalanche at the 9:27 mark.

Garfield running back Jesse Grace runs toward the left end on his 21-yard touchdown run during Friday’s first quarter.
Tom Nader/Portage Sports

On the ensuing kickoff, Ethan Bittence booted the ball 58 yards on a diagonal to the left side of the field. The Campbell Memorial returner seemed to think the ball would bounce out of bounds for a 15-yard Garfield penalty, but the ball bounced back into the field of play and when the returner reacted slowly to get the ball, Garfield’s Carter Bates, who had been racing down the left sideline, scooped the ball up to gain possession for the G-Men at the 10-yard line.

Two plays later, Grandizio plunged across the goal line for a 1-yard score and a 14-0 lead for the G-Men that was created through just six plays and a little over a minute and a half.

“Recovering that kick was a big momentum swing for us,” Moser said. “Having just scored, then to get the ball back and punch in a second score that quickly was a big boost to our team.”

Jesse Grace pushed the lead to 21-0 before the end of the first quarter on a 21-yard run.

Garfield scored four more touchdowns in the second quarter, starting with a 74-yard interception return by Deacon Sommer.

Sommer jumped a route from his safety position and blistered up the right seam through a collection of players to somehow make it to the end zone nearly untouched with 8:04 showing on the second-quarter clock.

Less than a minute later, at 7:07, Sommer was back in the end zone, but this time offensively on a 40-yard pass from Geddes.

With the score now 35-0, it was Keegan Sell’s turn to score back-to-back touchdowns.

His first came on a 33-yard run over the left side at 4:16, then less than a minute later (3:17), he raced in front of a Devils receiver along the right sideline to rip an interception and return it 40 yards for a score.

Garfield’s defense, which has been one of the best in the region this season, had been missing one component through the first six weeks of the season: Turnovers.

That changed on Friday, with three interceptions and a fumble recovery.

“Coach Lewis and Coach Cardinal have done a fantastic job with our defense,” Moser said. “They come into games well prepared and they put in the work to be ready. We have been impressed with our ability to get to the ball and hit, but we had not had many turnovers, so we talked to the team about getting in there and getting the ball out.”

Garfield’s lone touchdown in the second half came on a 53-yard run by sophomore Aiden Hill, who added the extra point after his own score. It was Hill’s first varsity touchdown of his career.