By Tom Nader

Publisher and Editor

Paisley Nader/Portage Sports

It took Garfield only 13 seconds to flip Friday’s game upside down.

In that blink of an eye, the G-Men went from being in a battle with league opponent Southeast to taking full control of the game and never looking back.

Leading just 13-7 after the Pirates scored on a 35-yard run by Joe Sharish late in the second quarter, Garfield answered with a 31-yard run by Brandyn Bogucki with only 43 seconds left before halftime. After the score, G-Men quarterback Jack Neikirk threw a ball into the back of the end zone to teammate Colton Miller for the 2-point conversion to give the G-Men a 21-7 lead.

It was a key score considering that the G-Men also would receive the second-half kickoff.

There was still more for Garfield before halftime, though.

On the ensuing kickoff by Sam Strahan, Garfield’s Nate Baczkowski, in a pile of bodies, ripped the ball out of the hands of the Southeast kick returner around the 25-yard line, then scooped up the bouncing ball around the 22-yard line and ran it all the way back for the defensive score just 13 seconds after the previous score by the G-Men.

Hannah Timmons booted the extra point and suddenly it was 28-7 Garfield with only 32 seconds before halftime.

Paisley Nader/Portage Sports

The series of plays robbed the Pirates of any momentum they once had and it never shifted back.

In fact, the G-Men continued their rush with a touchdown to open the third quarter.

Ryder Cain scored on a 1-yard plunge just a little 3 minutes into the second half to push Garfield’s lead to 34-7 in what would eventually materialize into a 48-10 Mahoning Valley Athletic Conference victory for the G-Men on Homecoming weekend.

“The way that first half ended was big for us,” Garfield head coach Mike Moser said. “It was a one-score game and you have to credit Southeast for having it that way. They had a good game plan to slow the game down.”

The win was No. 100 for Moser in his career.

Paisley Nader/Portage Sports

In his 13th season, Moser became the 13th coach in Portage County history to reach the milestone. Entering the 2025 season, Moser’s teams have averaged 7.9 wins per season.

“I have been blessed with a lot of great assistant coaches and assistant coaches who have been with me a long time to create continuity in the program,” Moser said. “I think it all starts there, then you factor in that we have been blessed with great kids every single year. When you have all of those things, eventually things like this will happen, but because of that, this is not about me. This speaks to the entire program and it really is an accomplishment for the entire program to celebrate.”

And they did.

In the moments following Friday’s game, members of the G-Men coaching staff handed out T-shirts commemorating Moser’s 100th win to players and coaches before a group photo in front of the scoreboard and Victory Bell to put a ribbon on the night.

Paisley Nader/Portage Sports

Offensively, Garfield rushed for 318 yards and had six touchdowns on the ground.

Brandyn Bogucki led the way despite totaling only four carries. In those limited touches, he rushed for 105 yards and a score.

Ryder Cain had 65 yards rushing and two touchdowns, while Devin Bates had 59 yards rushing, Sam Strahan had 41 and Jack Neikirk another 33, along with a score. The other ground-game TDs were scored by Collin McGranahan and Jace Vanek.

Meanwhile, Garfield’s defense held the Pirates (2-4, 1-2 MVAC) to only 105 total yards (63 rushing, 42 passing).