Central tops Triway, headed to first second-round game
Harrison News-Herald Sports Writer
CADIZ – It was a night of firsts for Harrison Central’s football program last Friday. The Huskies (9-2) routed the visiting Triway Titans 40-10 to pick up the school’s first postseason victory in the school’s first home playoff game.
With the building-block victory, the Huskies now have their eyes set on a regional quarterfinal contest with the fifth-seeded Garfield G-Men out of Garrettsville. After waiting so long to see a home playoff game in Harrison County, the Huskies faithful will now be treated to an encore, as the strong 8-2 regular season earned the coveted fourth seed, and the reward that comes with it of hosting the first two rounds of the Division V. Region 17 tournament.
“We are excited for the opportunity to play one more time at Wagner Field in 2023,” Huskies coach Anthony Hayes said. “Our seniors are excited to take their home field one last time. There’s no doubt we are facing a Division V perennial power in Garfield. We are well aware of their unbeaten record of 11-0 and we have nothing but respect for them. You don’t go 11-0 without being really good and really well-coached.”
The G-Men out of Portage County returned 16 lettermen to a squad that finished 9-3 in 2022. Mike Moser leads the force as Garfield’s coach. In his 11th season, Moser has amassed a career record of 85-34, and this year is the sixth time he has guided the G-Men into the postseason. Garfield boasts a 7-9 all-time postseason record to date, with all seven of the playoff victories coming under Moser’s leadership.
“Their single-wing offense poses a lot of problems,” Hayes said. “It is something you never see, and will be something new that will require a great deal of mental focus to contain. Their defense puts a lot of pressure on you. They love to pin their ears back and get after it.
“We expect an extremely physical football game. Whoever wins the line of scrimmage will have a great impact on the outcome. With that said, what a great opportunity for us to compete against such a talented team and tradition laden program.”
Garfield’s senior class brings an impressive career record of 41-5, with four postseason appearances on the resume. The most noteworthy of those years was a 2021 run to the regional semifinal, where the G-Men lost to Kirtland 25-7. Kirtland knocked the Huskies from the postseason in the first round that year with a 56-0 shutout.
As for this year, the G-Men are ripping off 53 points per game while allowing just 12. This will be the first time the two schools have ever met.
“We have nothing but respect for Garfield and what they do, but we need to focus on us getting better in all that we do,” Hayes said. “That is what we can control. External factors and how they prepare have no bearing on us. It’s imperative that we focus on our effort on every rep, of every moment, of every day. Everything we do must be done with the expectation of a championship effort,” Hayes stated in conclusion.”
The Huskies and G- Men will kick off November 3 at 7 p.m.
