The players on Marysville’s football team accomplished something Friday that hasn’t happened while they have been
alive – the Monarchs earned an outright OCC title.
With the Cardinal Division championship on the line, the Monarchs dominated Olentangy 28-7 and put to bed the ghost
of teams from the past 20 years that were good, but never great enough to be the league’s best. Marysville last claimed
an outright OCC title during the undefeated regular season of 2000. It shared a title in 2007 during a 5-5 campaign.
“It’s a big win for our program,” said MHS coach Brent Johnson.
Since being hired four years ago, Johnson has stressed that winning football games is a process, built on the effort put
in by class after class of athletes.
Even Friday night, Johnson said the sweat of the last three graduating classes was on the field.
“They got paid (for their effort) tonight,” he said.
Both teams went into the regular season finale at 4-1 and the winner would go home with sole possession of the title.
From the first drive of the game, it was apparent who would control the line of scrimmage.
Ever since its only loss at Hilliard Darby in the second game of the season, the Monarchs have been refocused on
dominating games, especially in the early going.
Against Darby, MHS fell behind early on a series of miscues.
In the four games after the loss, Marysville has allowed 19 total points and only six in the first half.
“We just kind of get ahead and sit on people,” Johnson said.
Marysville established the strength of its ground game against the best opponent it has faced with an 80-yard, six-
minute scoring march.
Four different Monarchs picked up first downs on the drive.
Griffin Johnson and Gabe Powers moved the chains with outside runs, while Ryan Kern and Jeremiah McNeal earned
fresh downs running inside the tackles.
When the drive stalled out at fourth-and-goal at the two-yard-line, the MHS head coach didn’t think of sending in the kick
team.
He also didn’t think of giving the ball to anyone but Kern. The senior rewarded the call of confidence with a tough
scoring run into a stacked defensive front to get the Monarchs on the board.
Logan Hall’s PAT made it 7-0 just past the halfway point of the first quarter.
Kern has been a wrecking ball for opposing defenses all year, and especially over the last four games. He has seen
varsity carries since his sophomore year, but Friday was arguably the best game of his career as he scored three times
and gained 184 yards on 23 carries.
In each of the last three games, Marysville has gained more than 400 yards on the ground, thanks in part to improved
success running the ball outside.
Friday night, Marysville ran for a little more than 300 yards, thanks in part to the Braves committing to holding down the
MHS sweep game.
When most teams get behind on the chains, because of a negative yard play or a penalty, they try to get fancy.
They might try a screen pass, roll the quarterback out of the pocket to throw or call a trick play of some kind.
Not Marysville.
The Monarchs generally get back to basics and that usually means Kern inside the tackles.
The Monarch senior had great success getting the offense back on schedule, turning second-and-12 into a first down,
and later picking up 12 yards on second-and-17.
While Marysville was sticking to its bread and butter, Olentangy was not.
The Braves, who came into the game throwing the ball about 20 percent of the time, opened the contest with five
receivers and chucked the ball 32 times in the contest.
Some of the new strategy could be attributed to watching the Monarch run defense on film. The rest was learned in real-
time under the lights.
On the ground Friday, Olentangy picked up 23 yards on 20 carries. The Braves had more success in the air where
quarterback Kaden Doup completed 21-of-31 for 221 yards and a score.
Many of those yards and completions came during the fourth quarter when Marysville had the game in hand and was
playing soft in the defensive backfield.
The Braves didn’t get much going offensively in the first half, but the same was not true for the Monarchs.
Kern took the first handoff for MHS in the second quarter and broke loose for a 52-yard scoring run. The point after
made it 14-0 with 10:59 left in the half.
Sensing the game could get away from them, the Braves went for a risky fake punt deep in their own territory on the
ensuing possession.
The gamble paid off, however, as the direct snap to Doup allowed him to find Brady Ramsey wide open on the right
side.
Ramsey sprinted for a 51-yard gain, all the way to the MHS 34.
All that did was anger the Marysville defense, as the next three plays lost 17 yards and the Braves punted on fourth-
and-27.
Marysville took the ball back at the 20 with 5:23 left until the half.
That was enough time, in Monarch terms, to move 80 yards.
Kern continued to be a workhorse, picking up tough yardage.
Powers gathered 15 yards on fourth-and-three to put the ball at the Olentangy 14 with 30 seconds left in the half.
From there it was again Kern.
He bounced off defenders, kept his feet and strode into the end zone with 21 seconds left on the clock.
Hall’s PAT put the score at 21-0 heading into the second half.
In the final 24 minutes of the regular season, everything the Monarchs did was designed to burn clock.
They continued to run the ball and pick up first downs.
Even when forced to punt late in the third quarter, MHS put it at the one-yard-line.
After a near safety and another play when a fumble was ruled down before Marysville recovered, the Braves punted
from their own end zone as the game entered the final period.
In the fourth quarter, Marysville, which was only flagged one time in the game, made its only true mistake.
Quarterback Ethan Musel fumbled at the Olentangy 44.
Doup passed the Braves down the field and eventually found Caleb Gossett for a 25-yard scoring strike.
Those were the first points the Monarchs had surrendered in 11 quarters.
The PAT made it 21-7 with 6:42 left in the game.
Marysville burned four minutes off the clock on offense, but punted the ball away with 2:15 to play.
Doup continued to attack downfield on short passes. He tried to air out a long one and was picked off by Monarch
Logan Neer near at the 30.
Neer sprinted up the sidelines nearly unmolested until getting inside the 20.
From there, he used a stop-and-start move to slip past two defenders and make his way into the end zone with two
seconds left on the clock.
Hall made the PAT for the 28-7 final margin.
The team gave Johnson a bath from the water jug and Queen’s “We are the Champions” played over the speaker
system after the game.
“We’re going to enjoy this one tonight,” Johnson said.
The Monarchs will take their 5-1 record into the Divison I playoffs where they will host Dublin Jerome next Friday.
MHS beat the Celtics 31-12 during the third game of the season.