Marysville linebacker Gabe Powers (36) bats down a pass at Olentangy on Friday. The Monarchs won 35-13 to finish the regular season at 9-0. (Journal-Tribune photo by Chad Williamson)
In Friday night’s 35-13 win, the Marysville football team delivered what fans expected – in the game and in the season.
The Monarchs easily dispatched the three-win Braves, but more importantly claimed sole possession of the OCC Cardinal Division title and wrapped up the school’s first undefeated season since 2000.
“They are playing, man,” MHS coach Brent Johnson said. “They are locked in.”
That 2000 squad reached the state Final Four in local legend and Super Bowl Champion linebacker Chase Blackburn’s senior year.
In a lot of ways, the expectations on the 2021 Monarchs, led by OSU signee Gabe Powers at linebacker, are even higher. The Monarchs are currently first in their region and ranked second in the state poll for Division I.
The 2000 Monarchs allowed a total of 57 points in their 10 regular season games, including six shutouts. That squad’s 5.7 points per game average is slightly under the current squad’s average of 6.4.
This year’s defense has allowed 52 points in nine games, with just two shutouts, but those numbers don’t tell the whole story. Marysville’s starting 11 on defense this year has only yielded three touchdowns. Most of the points scored against the Monarchs this season have come against backups getting experience in blowouts.
In fact only two teams have scored on the Marysville starting defense all year, 14 points in the third quarter by Hilliard Darby and seven in the third quarter by Pickerington .
The MHS D has yet to surrender a point in the first half.
You could also argue that 2000 version of the Monarchs had an easier road as its opponents had a 40-62 overall record, compared to the 44-44 record of this year’s opponents.
But Johnson doesn’t look back 20 years when trying to evaluate his squad. He looks back two.
Johnson noted the 2019 version of the Monarchs was 6-4 and squeaked into the state playoffs, only to fall to a talented Springfield team 23-0 in the opening round.
In 2020 expectations were higher, despite the COVID-shortened season. The Monarchs finished 5-1 after a last- second loss to Darby and topped Dublin Jerome in the opening round of the playoffs. The Monarchs then battled a loaded Northmont team in a shootout, falling 48-41.
Johnson believes this senior class, having experienced the last two seasons, will be ready charge into the playoffs.
“Hopefully, those moments have prepared us to make a run this year,” Johnson said.
Run is just what the Monarchs did Friday night, rushing for 318 yards, as they put the contest away with a 28-point second quarter.
A quartet of Monarch runners did damage. Colton Powers and Matt Krutowskis each carried the ball 10 times and had 88 and 86 yards respectively, with a touchdown. Griffin Johnson chipped in 62 yards on eight totes and scored a TD, while Gabe Powers picked up 58 yards and a score in six carries.
Quarterback Brady Seger was two-for-two on the night for 48 yards.
The Braves collected 262 yards of offense, 78 on the ground and 184 through the air where Ethan Grunkmeyer completed 13-of-22 passes with a pair of interceptions.
But in the first half, against Marysville’s starting defense, the Braves ran for just nine yards and picked up another 79 through the air. The Monarchs on the other hand, collected 259 yards of offense in the first half, 211 of which came on the ground.
The first quarter only saw three possession, mostly because the Monarchs marched 80 yards in the opening six minutes for a score. The local squad tried to derail itself with a trio of five-yard penalties spread through the march, but each time it made up the distance and moved the chains.
Gabe Powers capped the drive, slicing 23 yards up the left sideline for a score. J.J. Riggsby booted his first of five extra points to make the score 7-0 with 5:52 left in the first quarter.
Marysville essentially put the game away in the first four minutes of the second quarter. Colton Powers scored on a five-yard run early in the period.
The Monarchs got the ball back as Erryl Will stripped Grunkenmeyer on a sack and fellow lineman Andrew Benz recovered the ball at the Olentangy 10.
Johnson went into the end zone from four yards out to put the Monarchs up 21-0 with 8:18 left in the half.
The turnover bug bit the Braves again on the next drive, as they drove into Monarch territory.
Cameron Jones stepped in front of an Olentangy receiver and bolt 80 yards for a touchdown and a 28-0 MHS lead with about five minutes left in the quarter.
Jones nearly had another pick on the next drive, but came down out of bounds.
After taking the ball back on a punt, Seger hit Tyler Weber for a big 37-yard pass up the middle.
Later in the drive, Krutkowskis scored from 4 yards out to close out the Marysville scoring at 35-0, 90 seconds before halftime.
Faced with a running clock in the second half, MHS’ second teamers filtered into the game and held their own against the Olentangy starters.
The Braves drove inside the Monarch 30 halfway through the third period, but Grunkenmeyer threw a jump ball into the end zone in the direction of one of Marysville’s few starters still in the game.
Ethan Musel came down with the interception.
The Braves put a pair of touchdowns on the board in the final period.
The first was on an 11-yard run by Malik Wade and the second on a 37-yard run by Ryan Petrone with 6:54 left in the game. The Braves made one of two PATs to put the score at 35-13.
The Olentangy starters staying in the game for the second score seemed to rile the MHS coaching staff, as it sent its starting offense back onto the field.
MHS drove 60 yards to put the ball at the Olentangy 20 with four minutes left to play.
The reserves then returned to the game and killed the rest of the clock. They made it to the four-yard line where they went into victory formation.
At press time, the 9-0 Monarchs appear to be lined up to host the opening round of the playoffs against 3-7 Delaware Hayes on Friday.
Johnson said the big, emotional games against Pickerington North, Hilliard Darby, Dublin Jerome and Olentangy Berlin have his squad poised to handle the spotlight of the playoffs and expectations of fans.
“Our kids have played in pressure games all year,” Johnson said. “I told them ‘you are made for it (pressure).’”