Garfield senior Collin McGranahan finds a seam in the trenches to burst free during a first-half run on Friday in Mantua.
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By Tom Nader

Publisher and Editor

On a night like Friday, it is hard to remember that only nine months ago, Collin McGranahan’s football season was ended in abrupt fashion.

In the Garfield G-Men’s final game of 2025, a Division V playoff loss to Cardinal Mooney, McGranahan exited the field with a broken collarbone.

That was Nov. 14, 2025.

Garfield junior running back Ryder Cain pulls away from Crestwood defenders during a 65-yard first-quarter run that nearly turned into a touchdown.
Paisley Nader/Portage Sports

Fast forward to the start of the 2026 football season and the senior standout has emerged as not only a team lead, but one of the area’s most prolific players.

If McGranahan’s three touchdowns in an opening-night win over Warren JFK was not enough early evidence, he expanded in Friday’s dominant 48-13 road victory over Crestwood.

The 5-foot-11, 160-pound senior scored four rushing touchdowns and threw for another to account for five of Garfield’s eight touchdowns on the night.

In total, McGranahan rushed for 81 yards on just six carries and he completed his only throw, which resulted in a 71-yard score to Nate Baczkowksi.

After scoring four touchdowns all of last year, McGranahan is now up to seven touchdowns this season.

“Collin is a really good football players, and we are really proud of him,” Garfield head coach Mike Moser said. “Collin is someone who has played every spot in our backfield during his career, and I think that has helped him understand everything we do that much more.”

While McGranahan had his spotlight moments on Friday, in familiar fashion for Garfield’s offense, he was far from alone in making things happen.

Junior Ryder Cain had 131 yards on the ground (on only eight carries) and scored a touchdown, while Devin Bates (3 carries, 31 yards), Sam Strahan (4 carries, 53 yards) and Nate Baczkowski (1 carry, 21 yards and 1 reception, 71 yards) all had game-breaking moments for the G-Men (2-0).

“To have just one player who runs the ball 25-30 times, that is probably never going to be us,” Moser said. “We like to have our guys in the 15 to 17 carries because that is a lot in our offense when you add in the fact that our guys are blocking the other 30 plays.”

In total, the G-Men ran just 26 offensive plays — in comparison to 50 for Crestwood.

Nate Baczkowski returns a kickoff for the G-Men.
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So the time of possession statistic titled toward the Red Devils (0-2), but only because of the game-breaking ability that Garfield displayed throughout the game.

The G-Men averaged 15.2 yards per play and had 14 first downs.

Garfield’s big plays helped establish a 14-6 lead after the first quarter and a 35-6 halftime lead.

McGranahan got the G-Men on the board first on a 54-yard run at 8:58 in the first quarter. It was followed by another running score by McGranahan, this one from 2 yards out following a 65-yard burst by Cain, who nearly scored by was tripped up just short of the goal line.

The next big play belonged to Crestwood.

Sophomore Nick Hess took an inside hand-off and broke through the center of the line, untouched, for a 63-yard score. The Devils’ 2-point conversion run was stuffed, but Garfield’s lead had been nearly cut in half at 14-6.

Three quick scores by Garfield in the second quarter, though, bursted the game back open.

McGranahan scored his third touchdown of the night on a 14-yard run at 11:23, then Sam Strahan broke free for a 32-yard scamper at 9:22 and Baczkowski raced in his 71-yard reception on McGranahan’s pass at 6:48.

Hannah Timmons booted successful extra points on all three scores and the G-Men took a comfortable lead into halftime.

Sam Strahan celebrates a touchdown on Friday for the G-Men.
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A touchdown in third quarter (27-yard run by Cain) and fourth quarter (4-yard run by McGranahan) completed Garfield’s scoring.

Crestwood’s final touchdown came with 1:09 left in the fourth quarter, when Chris Mory pushed into the end zone from 8 yards out.

Hess led Crestwood’s offense with 93 yards rushing on eight carries, while Mory had 62 yards on the ground and Michael Kalista had 48 yards rushing and added a first-quarter interception defensively.