Marysville’s Tommy Rush goes in for a fourth-quarter touchdown at Grove City. The Monarchs won, 23-14.
(Journal-Tribune photo by Chad Williamson)
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For three weeks Marysville has been playing energized football and coach Brent Johnson was worried about running out of gas.
That power dump came Friday night at Grove City but fortunately only lasted two quarters as the Monarchs were able to put up a pair of scores in the fourth quarter to pull out a 23-14 win.
“I loved how we came out,” Johnson said of the first quarter. “But we sure lost our edge.”
Friday’s game was a textbook momentum game as the Monarchs scored the first 10 points, the Greyhounds the next 14 and Marysville the final 13.
“I like our kids right now,” Johnson said. “We are battling.”
After watching a lead evaporate in the fourth quarter last week against Olentangy Liberty, Johnson said his team used that memory to refocus themselves at the start of the final 12 minutes Friday. He said the players said that good teams “get it done” in the fourth quarter.
“That’s growth,” Johnson said.
Marysville came out in the first quarter and smashed the Greyhounds in the teeth and the game looked like it might be headed toward being a blowout.
The Monarchs opened the game with a 72-yard drive, culminated with a 25-yard touchdown by Thomas Rush on a counter. Thomas Wolfe hit the point after for a 7-0 lead five minutes into the quarter.
Three Grove City plays netted negative three yards and the Greyhounds punted. Those would be the only Grove City offensive plays of the quarter.
The Monarchs took the ball back with under six minutes left and mounted an easy drive, as the local squad’s running game was in control of the contest. As the quarter expired quarterback Walker Heard moved the chains on fourth-and-one at the GC 4.
The next three plays, however, lost yards and the Monarchs settled for a 26-yard field goal from Wolfe and a 10-0 lead with 10:41 left in the half.
Apparently the defensive stand jumpstarted the Greyhounds as they picked up a quick first downs before a holding penalty derailed their drive.
Marysville took the ball back on a punt but found the Grove City defense had found its footing and forced a three-and-out.
Grove City’s offense behind, bruising running by Devin Dukes and a lateral passing attack, softened up the MHS D and started to push it around. Dukes eventually hit paydirt on a 17-yard rumble around the right end. The point after put the score at 10-7 with about two minutes left in the half.
Johnson said his squad was prepared for Dukes and for the Greyhound short tunnel screen passes, but what it was not ready for were the legs of quarterback Austin Sigler. Johnson said the senior signal caller had done more direct handoffs in the first three games of the season.
Friday the Greyhounds employed more of a read option attack, where Sigler would put the ball in Dukes’ belly, but would sometimes pull it back out and run himself based on how the defense reacted. Sigler carried the ball nine times on the night, one going for 14 yards.
While not lighting the stat sheet on fire, the threat of Sigler running slowed down the Monarch defense and allowed time for the blocks to materialize.
Late in the half, Monarch Brayden Lewis took a counter 27 yards to the GC 36. Wolfe tried a 46-yard field goal with under 10 seconds left, but nailed a line drive that just made it over the line before skipping across the ground.
Traded punts for half of the third period until Grove City put together an 85-yard scoring drive as the Greyhounds picked up huge chunks off yardage on the ground. Dukes eventually capped the drive with a five-yard run around the left side. GC nailed the extra point and had a 14-10 lead with three minutes left in the third period.
As if stung by a slap in the face, Marysville’s offense roared back to life. Devin Slabaugh ripped off an 18-yard run and then Chase Kilgore had a pair of tough runs to move the ball to the Grove City 31.
On the final play of the third period, Lewis took another handoff on fourth down and juked his way for a 23-yard gain that put the ball at the three.
Monarch Tayden Jackson scored from there on the first play of the fourth quarter to give the Monarchs back the lead. There was a bad snap on the point after and the Monarchs settled for a 16-14 lead, seven seconds into the last quarter.
Grove City punted on its next possession and Marysville’s offense was back on the gas. Rush ripped off a couple of nice runs to move the chains and put the ball inside the Greyhound 20. Mike Powers pushed ahead for another first at the two-yard line, and Rush dove over the pile to take it in from there.
Wolfe’s point after put the score at 23-14 with 5:41 left in the game.
Grove City wasn’t finished as it quickly moved downfield on a couple of passes, and eventually picked up a first at the Monarch five.
The Monarch defense pushed the Greyhounds backward four yards on the first three plays and knocked away a fourth down pass to seal the win.
The Greyhounds outgained the Monarchs in total yards 307-288. The Monarchs picked up all but eight of their yards on the ground while Grove City had 167 on the ground and 140 through the air.
Rush led the Monarchs with 92 yards on 16 carries and a pair of scores. Dukes ran for 150 yards on 27 carries and two scores of his own.
The Monarchs, now 2-2, will face their biggest challenge of the year Friday as 3-1 Olentangy comes to town, fresh off a 31-14 win over Dublin Coffman.