Marysville’s Tommy Rush (27) finishes a play against Olentangy Liberty on Friday. The Monarchs will travel to Grove City this week.
(Journal-Tribune photo by Chad Williamson)
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If there is one underlying message that Marysville High School head football coach Brent Johnson has, it’s don’t underestimate Grove City.
The Greyhounds, who will host the Monarchs (1-2) on Friday, may be winless so far during the 2017 campaign, but Johnson said that 0-3 record is mighty deceiving.
“They played two good teams – Hilliard Davidson and Olentangy – to start the season,” said Johnson. “They lost a shootout (49-48) against Central Crossing last week.”
The Greyhounds will operate out of the spread offense and look to first establish their running game.
They are led by two “bowling-ball” type of runners in 5-11, 225-pounder Devin Dukes and 6-0, 190-pounder D.J. Gatewood. They run behind what Johnson describes as a big, physical offensive line.
Dukes is the main man when the Hounds keep the ball on the ground.
“We’ve got to get him going sideways,” said Johnson. “When he gets vertical, he’s pretty good.
“Both of their running backs are very athletic in the open field,” he said. “If they get loose, they’re going to be tough to bring down.”
Grove City has thrown the ball at times. When that happens, the top target for QB Austin Sigler is Patrick Eanes.
“Our linebackers will need to run quickly to the football,” said Johnson. “We’ve got to fill in the gaps and not over-run plays.”
The Greyhounds will employ a 3-4 defense that brings a lot of pressure with its linebackers.
Mark Bowman, a 6-0, 225-pound linebacker, is the leader of the unit.
“All four of their linebackers get to the ball well,” said Johnson.
“Our offensive unit is going to have to play with its eyes and pick up Grove City’s pressure,” he said. “We’ve got to put a body on each of their linebackers if our offense is to go.
“However, I think we can run the ball on them and not just because it’s Grove City,” said the Monarch coach. “We can’t have any turnovers and we’ve got to get off to a fast start.
“This is going to be a four-quarter game, so we have to get the ‘dirty yards’ when we need to and get the big play when it’s available.”