Marysville’s Jayden Simmons (13) tries to pick up yardage against Upper Arlington on Friday. MHS dropped its Homecoming game, 14-0.
(Journal-Tribune photo by Chad Williamson)
––––
Upper Arlington’s football team showed up at Marysville Friday night and ruined the Monarchs’ Homecoming game in every way possible, short of stealing the queen’s tiara.
But you have to wonder, if the Golden Bears had wanted the headpiece, could the Monarchs have stopped them?
In the 14-0 win, Upper Arlington whipped the lifeless Monarchs at the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball, holding the Monarch offense to just 76 total yards.
How dominant was UA’s defensive front?
-Marysville tallied just seven yards of offense in the second half;
-Marysville picked up just five first downs on the night;
-Marysville’s ground game totaled 31 yards on 28 carries;
-Marysville’s top rusher was Jayden Simmons with 16 yards;
-Marysville’s longest run of the night was nine yards;
-Marysville, trailing 14-0, didn’t complete a pass in the second half;
-Marysville quarterback Walker Heard was sacked five times;
“We just never got into an offensive rhythm,” Monarch coach Brent Johnson said.
Chilly temperatures and a steady rain made playing conditions less than ideal, but Upper Arlington had success on the wet track.
While the MHS defensive unit played better than the offense, it still allowed an uncharacteristic 218 yards of rushing, as the Golden Bears picked up 16 first downs. Even though UA only scored twice, it went on clock-killing marches that shortened the game.
“We have got to be more physical,” Johnson said. “… we had trouble getting off the field on third down.”
Arlington running back Eli D’Herete proved he was a mudder, pounding the Monarchs for 188 yards on 40 carries.
D’Herete two-yard touchdown in the first quarter was set up by a shanked eight-yard MHS punt that gave the Bears the ball inside the Monarch 30.
In the second quarter, the Bears struck again after converting on fourth-and-one at the MHS 12 to extend a drive. UA quarterback Jacob Leve then found Jon Deshler alone over the middle for an 11-yard score.
Marysville responded with its only serious scoring threat on the next possession.
A false start infraction backed the Monarchs up, but runs by Simmons of four, seven and five yards moved the chains. Passes from Heard to Simmons and Bodie Eberhart picked up 20 yards and moved the Monarchs across midfield for the first time.
A sack appeared to squash the MHS scoring hopes, but the Bears picked up a personal foul on the play.
Marysville eventually sent out Thomas Wolfe to try a 39-yard field goal. The kick was low and a UA defender appeared to get a hand on it. The ball never approached the uprights and Arlington got the ball back with two seconds left in the half.
Although UA’s offense was evenly distributed between the first and second half, one drive was halted when Marysville recovered a fumble on its side of the field.
Another ended when the Bears failed to convert on fourth down at the Marysville 24. In truth, neither team really threatened to score in the second half.
Johnson said after the game that his squad’s lack of energy caught the coaching staff off-guard.
“We had a really good week of practice,” he said, noting that even during Friday’s pregame meal and meetings, his charges looked ready.
“I thought we were dialed in,” said Johnson.
Since UA moved into Marysville’s OCC division in 2012, the Monarchs are 0-7 against the Golden Bears. But this year, Arlington looked beatable, coming into the game at 3-4.
And the Monarchs had everything to play for. Still very much in the hunt for a playoff spot at 4-3 heading into the game and in front of a large Homecoming night crowd, Marysville had a good shot at knocking off one of the “Big Three” of the OCC Central (Arlington, Dublin Coffman and Hilliard Davidson).
“The energy wasn’t there,” Johnson said. “That’s on me.”
As a result, the Monarchs are now 0-20 in the last seven years against the Big Three, with Hilliard Davidson coming to town next week.
The Wildcats currently have the most computer points in Region 3 of Division 1 after knocking off previously unbeaten Coffman Friday night. But with such a Goliath waiting, the 4-4 Monarchs could scratch back into the playoff hunt with an upset.
“This group of seniors is a good group,” Johnson said. “We’re going to come back from this.”