Marysville’s Jacob Fisher (16) breaks up a New Albany pass Friday evening. The Monarchs opened the 2023 season with a 24-17 road victory.
(Journal-Tribune photo by Chad Williamson)
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You never truly know what kind of high school football team you’ve got until you lace them up for the first regular season game under the lights.
Coming off a lengthy playoff run in 2021, the 2022 Monarchs looked poised to be nearly as solid with a host of familiar faces returning. Then New Albany came to town and slapped the Monarchs 35-0 in the home opener.
The remainder of the year was dotted with uneven performances, an effort probably not expected by the Monarch fanbase.
So as opening night of 2023 approached, MHS fans had to wonder what the identity of the team would be. There would be no one named Powers or Johnson carrying the ball and the lineup was speckled with newcomers, few of whom were fixtures last year.
The fresh-faced Monarchs showed fans who they would be on Friday night at New Albany, handing out a measure of revenge with a 24-17 win over the Eagles in a game that wasn’t as close as the final score indicated.
“If I had to label them right now – I don’t know if we’ve got that one guy, but it’s a great team,” Marysville coach Brent Johnson said . “They’re working. They’re excited. It’s their time.”
The true identity of the 2023 Monarchs may be that it has no identity at all. No superstars. No record breakers. No first-team all- staters.
Just a bunch of lunch pail guys who go to work.
“What’s cool about this team and what gives me confidence is they know it’s your stage now, so it’s your turn,” Johnson said. “Are you gonna answer the call? Are you going to be that guy?”
For an inexperienced squad, the Monarchs controlled the entire game, but showed moments of complete dominance, like a 96-yard scoring drive that chewed eight minutes off the first half clock, or the play of the defense that held the Eagles without a first down for the first 22 minutes of the second half.
The defense shined overall, with only a pair of big plays muddying the scoreboard and stat sheet.
The Eagles picked up 218 yards of offense, but nearly half of that came on two plays – a 70-plus yard scoring run in the opening half and a 30-plus yard pass in the final minute with the game out of reach.
Marysville held New Albany to just six first downs.
“I loved our offense. Don’t get me wrong,” Johnson said. “But defensively, we played really well. We had lot of guys running up and I thought we played pretty fast.”
The offense also showed it has playmakers.
Matt Krutowskis, who showed flashes as a sophomore but was hampered by injuries as a junior, looked big and strong enough to handle 23 carries and turn them into 145 yards.
New MHS QB Brevin Bourquin showed ability with both his arm and legs, completing four-of-five passes for 67 yards and a touchdown. He ran the ball in for another score.
“He (Bourquin) did a nice job of running the ball, so that adds a different dimension to what we’ve got,” Johnson said.
About midway through a scoreless first quarter, Eagle punter Logan Clappier boomed a 58-yarder that drew a roar from the New Albany crowd as it rolled dead at the MHS 4.
The the roar could have easily been for Marysville as the Monarch offensive engine came to life.
The MHS coaching staff gave the Eagles a steady diet of runs by Krutowskis as the Monarchs moved the chains again and again, sitting less than 10 yards from paydirt as the first quarter expired.
Krutowskis picked up another first down at the NA 2, but was held out of the end zone on first down. The Monarchs, with another play already planned, raced to the line of scrimmage without a huddle. Bourquin plunged in for a one-yard score. Kicker Trey Phillips hit the extra point for a 7-0 Monarchs’ lead with 10:21 left in the half.
The Eagles responded with 74-yard score by Joseph Owusu-Ansah on a sweep around the left edge. The PAT tied the game at 7-all about 30 seconds after the MHS score.
Marysville scored again when Bourquin found Nathan Wood open 20 yards downfield. The junior running back padded the stat sheet by taking the reception another 29 yards for the score.
The PAT put the Monarchs up 14-7 with 7:44 left in the half.
A fumble on the ensuing kickoff was recovered by MHS at the Eagle 21, but the Monarchs weren’t able to punch the gift into the end zone. Phillips’ 34-yard field goal try was short.
“When we got that fumble on the kickoff and we came away with no points, I thought that was critical,” Johnson said. “So we’re gonna talk about that. We’ve got to go punch it in.”
New Albany picked up a 38-yard field goal by Clappier late in the half that sent the Monarchs into the lockerroom clinging to a four-point lead.
The third quarter was all defense as neither team recorded a first down until Marysville’s final drive of the period.
The drive stalled inside the NA 10 early in the fourth quarter .
The Monarchs tacked on Phillips’ 25-yard field goal for a 17-10 advantage.
Following an Eagle punt, MHS went on another scoring march to put the game away.
This one was capped by Dominic Brown who made good on his one carry of the night for a 28-yard TD up the left sideline. The kick put the score at 24-10 with 6:31 left in the game.
The teams traded punts and the Eagles appeared reserved to their fate until quarterback Braylen Nash found Miles Nash open on a broken coverage, putting the ball in the red zone with just over a minute left to play.
Nash then found Miles a few plays later for a five-yard scoring strike with 47 seconds left in the game. Clappier’s PAT closed out the scoring at 24-17.
The Eagles tried an onsides kick, but the Monarchs were all over it.
“You gotta know how to close the door,” Johnson said. “They get a score and now we’ve got to send out our hands team.”
The Monarchs (1-0) will host Perrysburg on Friday.