Action from the game between the Wildcats and the G-Men
In this week's Cleveland Browns High School Game of the Week presented by Ohio Cat and in association with Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM), the Mogadore Wildcats defeated previously undefeated Garfield G-Men on the road.
Garfield was 7-0 for the first time since 1989. In the last seven games, they put up nearly 300 points, having two games with scores of 50+ points. Three-time state champion Mogadore knew that they would have to play a complete game offensively, defensively, and special teams wise in order to defeat the G-Men.
That's exactly what the Wildcats brought to the table on Friday night in their 39-21 victory over the G-Men.Â
After a scoreless first quarter, Mogadore struck first on a five-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Nathan Stephenson from quarterback Will Popa. The Wildcats would not trail the rest of the game.Â
The G-Men would go toe-to-toe with the Wildcats for the rest of the first half, converting on two fourth downs tie the game at seven with 7:32 left in the second quarter. Both teams would trade scores on their next possessions.Â
The turning point in the game was the Wildcats final possession of the first half. The Wildcats received the ball inside of their own 20-yard line with less than a minute in the first half and drove the length of the field in 50 seconds to take a 20-14 lead going into the half via Tave Constantine's nine yard touchdown reception.
Mogadore's offense proved to be too much as they would pull away late in the second half. The Wildcats scored first in the third quarter bringing the score to 26-14. The Wildcats were looking to put the game away on their next possession, but the G-Men would force a fumble inside the Wildcats territory to keep the game alive. The G-Men scored on the next play, an 11-yard touchdown by senior running back Connor Hrubik to make it a 26-21 game with 2:02 left in third quarter.Â
The Wildcats would ground and pound the rest of the way. The ground game was led by Week 8 High School Game of the Week MVP sophomore Tyler Knight. Knight almost exclusively carried the ball in the fourth quarter, picking up first down after first down. The Wildcats would eventually put the game away with a 52-yard scamper by Knight.Â
Mogadore (7-1) will finish the regular season against Ravenna and Crestwood. Garfield (7-1) will end their regular season with games against Crestwood and Youngstown Valley Christian.
No game is complete without outstanding volunteers. We would like to recognize the entire ticket booth crew who does an outstanding job each week! They are all community members and volunteers - Denise Bly, Jim Mc Bride, Faye Wokman, Kim Curry and Allison Rose. Thank you! #give10