By Phil Keren

Correspondent

A powerhouse running game and sound defense were the key components in Garfield’s 43-14 victory over previously undefeated Liberty in a MVAC Gray Division showdown on Friday evening.

The Garfield G-Men storm onto the field before the start of Friday’s Homecoming game against Liberty.
Phil Keren/Portage Sports

Garfield (7-0) head coach Mike Moser and his staff knew it was important for his team to start strong in the second half following a first half that was a bit of a roller-coaster ride.

On Homecoming night in Garrettsville, the G-Men had jumped out to a 21-0 lead in the first half, but the Leopards trimmed that advantage to seven by halftime. Liberty (6-1) was beginning to seize the momentum and then the Garfield squad was hit with some tough news: They would be playing the second half without senior quarterback and defensive back Collin McGranahan (injury).

As the G-Men prepared to come out of the locker room, Moser said he urged them to replicate the way they played in the first quarter.

“The message at halftime was we had them on the mat and we let them off,” Moser said. “… The message at halftime was get a stop. We felt like if we played clean like we did in the first quarter that we could have some success. It kind of seemed like we stopped ourselves through the second quarter.”

Junior running back Ryder Cain said the message discussed among coaches and players in the locker room was, “We can’t let off. In weeks past, we’ve gotten up and we’ve let off and we give them hope.”

With McGranahan out, it meant that the G-Men would call on its offensive line to keep the running game humming by opening holes for Cain, along with junior Nate Baczkowski, senior

Sam Strahan, junior Logan Shirkey and freshman Cam Kleinhen.

“The message is it falls to the guys upfront and we’re going to sink or swim with you guys and they did an outstanding job in the second half blocking,” Moser said.

The Garfield offense prepares to snap the ball against the Liberty defense during the first half of Friday’s game in Garrettsville.
Phil Keren/Portage Sports

The halftime talk clearly resonated with the team as Garfield coaches and players on the sideline were energized and shouting words of encouragement to the players taking the field at the start of the second .

The second half started with an excellent display of complementary football by the G-Men.

First, the defense got a stop and the offense took over at the Garfield 49-yard line. The offensive line then went to work opening running lanes for Cain, Strahan and Baczkowski on an 11-play, 51-yard scoring drive that was topped off by another 3-yard touchdown run from Cain.

After Cain crossed the goal-line to record a two-point conversion, Garfield led 29-14.

Following another stand by the Garfield D, Cain rumbled through the holes created by his line for a 34-yard score. The extra point by senior Hannah Timmons put the G-Men up by a 36-`14 margin.

The Garfield players and coaches were likely both happy and relieved when Cain scored on that breakaway run. A short time before that, Cain left the game for a few plays after appearing to injure his right knee.

The defense made sure that Liberty was unable to capitalize following a turnover. A Garfield pass was intercepted by Liberty junior Kavon Slocum. The G-Men “D” recorded a three-and-out, and forced the Leopards to punt.

Garfield added one more touchdown to its ledger when Shirkey scored on an 11-yard cutback run.

Moser praised the running backs who helped Cain carry the load after McGranahan was injured and didn’t return in the second half.

“Sam (Strahan) jumped in there and did a great job,” Moser said. “(Nate) Bazckowski went back in the backfield. (Logan) Shirkey hit a couple nice runs and Cam Kleinhen came in there and ran the ball. We put these guys in as many situations as we can during the week, but it’s different out here, it’s different on a Friday night, so I’m real proud of the way they responded.”

While noting he is hoping to hear good news about McGranahan, Cain said his teammates stepped in and played well.

“It’s a big loss with Collin being out. I hope we get good news tonight or tomorrow. Nate stepped up a lot, Shirkey, Sam, everyone filled in for him,” Cain said.

On the other side of the line of scrimmage, Moser praised his defense for putting the clamps on the Liberty offensive attack.

“I thought the defense was outstanding all night long.” Moser said. “We missed one early and then I put them in a bad situation in the second quarter. When you lose Collin, that’s a two-way guy, that’s a guy that runs your secondary back there, so there was a lot of shuffling going on there, but everybody came in to play. They all did a great job.”

A strong running game and an opportunistic defense helped Garfield build a 21-0 lead in the first half. Cain scored on a 2-yard run late in the first quarter to cap an eight-play, 60 yard drive.

Garfield head coach Mike Moser speaks to his team following their Mahoning Valley Athletic Conference victory over Liberty on Friday.
Phil Keren/Portage Sports

Cain then ran the ball for a two-point conversion to give his team an 8-0 lead.

On the next possession, G-Men junior defensive lineman Jack Timmons recovered a Liberty fumble at the Liberty 15-yard line. Four plays later, Cain scored on a 3-yard run through the middle of the Leopards defense at the beginning of the second quarter.

The Garfield offense didn’t have much time to celebrate the touchdown. A short time later, they were back on the field after Garfield senior defensive lineman Henry Veccia corralled a second fumble by Liberty at the G-Men 49-yard line.

Runs by Cain, McGranahn and Baczkowski, along with a pass interference penalty on Liberty move the ball to the Liberty 14-yard line. From there, McGranahan burst through the center of the line, cut to his right and sped away from Liberty defenders for a 14-yard scoring run and a 21-0 lead with 8:43 left in the first half.

Liberty senior quarterback/defensive back Dawaun Moody then decided to put his stamp on the game: On his team’s first play from scrimmage after McGranahan’s touchdown, Moody ran a keeper to his left, beat the G-Men defenders to the outside, turned the corner and raced down the sideline for an 85-yard touchdown.

On the eighth play of Garfield’s next drive, McGranahan’s pass was intercepted by Moody at the Garfield 38-yard line and returned 20 yards to the G-Men 18-yard line. Two plays laters,

Moody found the end zone on a 10-yard scamper to narrow Garfield’s lead to 21-14 shortly before halftime.