By Phil Keren

Correspondent

A season-ending loss always stings.

While the Garfield G-Men felt the pain of a 45-0 defeat to top-seeded Perry in the Division V, Region 17 Regional Semifinal on Friday, their leader reminded them to take pride in a successful 11-1 season.

“Ultimately, it ends this way for everybody but one,” Garfield head coach Mike Moser said. “It doesn’t make it any easier tonight, but that’s because these guys care. We celebrated together a lot of times and tonight we’re hurt together, but credit goes to Perry. That’s a heck of a football team.”

Moser shared lofty praise for a Pirates team that excelled in all three phases of the game.

Perry’s defense bottled up Garfield’s prolific running game, which totaled more than 4,000 yards on the season, throughout the evening.

It was most especially a noticeable in a tone-setting first half, when the G-Men were held to just 32 yards of offense and one first down.

“This may have been the best defense we’ve gone against in my 14 years as a head coach,” Moser said. “The speed, the secondary, the guys up (front), they got it all. They whooped us in every phase and there was no place to go find yards against those guys.”

The Pirates took the lead right away when senior wide receiver Chase Sivan returned the opening kickoff 86 yards for a touchdown.

After logging a three-and-out, Perry put together a five-play, 76-yard scoring drive that culminated with a 9-yard touchdown run by senior running back Carter Hopkins. The scoring march was kickstarted by a 38-yard pass completion from senior quarterback Nate Trefzger to senior wide receiver Brody Krantz.

On the other side, the G-Men struggled to move the ball throughout the first half.

Perry defenders were in the backfield quickly and hitting Garfield running backs before they could reach a second gear.

Meanwhile, the Pirates’ third score also came on a big play.

Junior wide receiver Traxton Richards took the handoff, ran to the outside, broke a tackle as he turned the corner and then sprinted into the end zone for a 36-yard touchdown and a 21-0 lead at 2:23 of the first quarter.

Perry’s defense didn’t allow Garfield to gain a yard on its next possession.

The Pirates got the ball back on their own 35-yard line and drove 65 yards in seven plays to extend their lead to 28-0.

On that scoring march, Trefzger completed four of five passes for 58 yards, including a 19-yard scoring strike to Krantz on a crossing route. With that touchdown, Perry led 28-0 early in the second quarter.

The Pirates closed out the first half with a 20-yard field goal from junior kicker Colton Crissinger and a 10-yard touchdown run courtesy of Hopkins.

With Perry leading 38-0, the second half was played with a running clock per Ohio High School Athletic Association rules. The lone score in the second half came on a 1-yard sneak by Trefzger.

Although the season didn’t end the way the G-Men wanted it to, Moser noted there were plenty of reasons to celebrate the accomplishments of the 2026 edition of the G-Men.

Notably and admirably, they proved that they were a resilient group.

Injuries to Devin Bates (Week 2) and Sam Strahan (Week 9) meant other players had to step forward and take on a larger role.

“We lost a lot of guys, and we stepped in and we ran the table and won another league title and won a playoff game,” Moser said. “Ultimately, our goal was to get through this week, to keep playing, but we accomplished a lot and it may not feel like it tonight, but when you look at it later, it will.”

The end of a season is also bittersweet because it means the coaching staff bids farewell to another group of seniors.

“These seniors have had a heck of a ride and they won a lot of football games,” Moser said afterward. “(They’re) great leaders and (they’re) the backbone of our program. It hurts to lose those guys.”

The senior class finished their careers with an overall record of 42-7, captured three league titles and won five playoff games.