BY AVA KUNAR (’18)
The football team finished 5-5 this year with an additional scrimmage win, but showed noticeable progression as the season wore on. They won only one game in the first half of their season, but lost only one game in the second half of their season. The two-month long season proved to be one like no other because of the determination and dedication seen on the team.
Senior Jake Peterson, wide receiver and defensive back, explained their growth and progression seen throughout the season.
“I think our team finishing 4-1 the second half of the season after starting 1-4 really shows the character of our team and it shows that we have no quit in us,” he said.
Granville began the season with a win against Newark Catholic in a scrimmage. The next Friday, they beat Eastmoor Academy. They then lost to Heath, who finished their season undefeated. Their fourth game of the season was a loss to Mogadore.
On Sept. 9, the team lost to Johnstown-Monroe at the Johnnies’ home field with a final score of 45-15. Though this was a loss, junior Grant Porterfield, starting center, explained that the dedication that is seen on the field every week was not lost.
“We tried really hard but they have a good team and played well. We started out fast and couldn’t finish well,” he said.
Even though the Aces were defeated, the rest of the season was played well. They showed that even though some losses are harder than others, never giving up is the key to success. Sophomore Anthony Zeno, one of the Granville linebackers said that after the loss to Johnstown, the team really improved.
“I like how we went 4-1 after taking that tough loss to Johnstown,” he said.
Johnstown’s game was followed by a game against Utica. Granville beat Utica 48-14 at Granville’s home field on September 30. This was an exciting win because it was the Homecoming game this year. This game was exhilarating considering that the Aces scored so many points on the Redskins. Porterfield has some additional comments about the team’s perseverance.
“We knew that they weren’t as good as us so we wanted to make sure we won the game. Brandon Haley (sophomore running back and linebacker) and Jake Purdy (senior linebacker and running back) had a few touchdowns which made the game fun,” he said.
Porterfield said that there were many good plays in the game against Utica, though one particularly stood out to him.
“My favorite play was when Jake Purdy was running back and the offensive line made a huge hole and Jake walked into the endzone,” he said.
After beating Utica, the wolfpack beat Licking Valley at Granville’s field on October 7. Granville beat them by 8 points with the final score totaling 28-20. This was an action packed game considering that it was youth night where the Granville Recreation District cheerleaders and football players were recognized, and the kindergarten- sixth grade cheerleaders cheered on the football team during the first quarter.
After the win against the Panthers, the Aces played possibly their most intense game of the season. This game was not only intense on the field, but it was intense from the stands. Fans from the Granville student section and fans from the opponent, Watkins Memorial’s student section exchanged a series of tweets about the game before and after the game was played.
In one specific tweet that was tweeted prior to the game on October 7, Granville was advised to “change their mascot to a possum since they play dead at home and get killed on the road.” This proved to be untrue after Granville destroyed Watkins on Watkin’s home field with the final score being 28-19. Haley ran two touchdowns and Jack Peterson, one of the starting senior receivers and defensive backs caught two touchdowns.
Porterfield explained how the team felt considering the hype that lead up to the game against the Warriors.
“Our main goal was coming out and winning the game,” he said. “There was a lot of talking between the teams during the week about how good each team as. We just focused on playing our game.”
Though the Aces were on a winning streak, they suffered a loss to Licking Heights on October 21 at Granville’s home field. The final score was 49-7. Patrick Chaykowski,a junior receiver, ran the only touchdown into the endzone against the Hornets.
The final game was a dramatic win with the final score totaling 43-10. Granville beat Lakewood at Lakewood’s field with the five touchdowns that Granville scored on them. Haley ran two touchdowns in to the endzone, Jack Peterson caught two passes resulting in touchdowns and Jake Peterson caught one of the touchdowns against the Lancers. During the fourth quarter of the game, each of the senior players were taken off of the field to recognize them as senior players playing their last game. They got a loud standing ovation from the crowd, ending the season well and memorably.
Nate Miller, a junior offensive lineman shared his thoughts on the season as a whole, and the season regarding the senior players.
“I think that the team played really well at the end of the season. We all wanted to have a good ending to the season for the seniors,” he said.
