Unbeaten Granville shuts down, shuts out Johnstown on the road
JOHNSTOWN ― The statistics show that Johnstown equaled Granville in first downs (16-16) and held a 230-221 edge in rushing yardage Friday night.
What they don't reflect, however, is the Blue Aces' defensive performance on fourth downs. Or their improving offense.
"Yes, they drove on us some, but on fourth down, we just turn it up a notch," said sophomore linebacker Kyle Kirby, who threw his 6-foot-1, 205-pound frame all over the Frank H. Chambers Stadium turf on both sides of the ball in the 31-0 victory. "It's a go, go go mindset and it's what we rely on, all of the time."
Junior quarterback Beckett Long threw three touchdown passes, two to senior Dante Varrasso, and Granville's fast and physical defense took care of the rest in a win that extended the Blue Aces' scoreless quarters streak to 10 with a second consecutive shutout.
Almost lost in the triumph was senior Noah Musick's school-record 49-yard field goal in the second quarter, which extended the lead to 17-0 at halftime for Granville (3-0). And the fact the Blue Aces got their running game going, with Long rushing for 83 yards on nine carries, Kirby 66 yards on six tries and Musick 57 yards on seven attempts.
But Johnstown coach Mike Carter certainly noticed.
"We didn't take advantage of some opportunities, but that team we were up against is no slouch," he said after the Johnnies dropped to 1-2. "They're very good, and they played well as a team. They made a lot of good plays, and they controlled the line of scrimmage."
Kirby's tackle-busting 21-yard run helped Granville take a 7-0 lead midway through the first when Long hit Varrasso on a 7-yard TD slant and Musick added the first of his four PAT kicks. But in typical fashion, Johnstown responded, with Jacob Hochanadel bursting 13 yards on a counter and Kaynen Lindsey shaking loose for 14.
However, the Blue Aces stacked Lindsey up at the 9 on 4th-and-3, and Gavin Vradenburg recovered a fumble, the only turnover by either team. Long then completed 4 of 5 passes on a 12-play, 91-yard drive, including a 20-yarder to Varrasso, and tossed a 7-yard TD pass to Kirby circling out of the backfield to make it 14-0 early in the second.
Lindsey had 160 yards on 27 carries, but was stacked up for a yard gain by linebacker Maxton Messner on 4th-and-2 at the Granville 28.
Long set sail on a determined 47-yard run to Johnstown's 25 before being sacked for a 7-yard loss by Erik Marohl. But Musick broke his own school record of 47 yards with the 49-yard field goal that made it by a few yards. He had booted a 54-yarder during a scrimmage.
The Blue Aces then produced a running clock by the end of the third quarter, Long hitting Varrasso on a 19-yard TD strike over the middle, after Jakob Culver's 26-yard punt return, then Kirby bolting 21 yards up the middle for a score late in the quarter. Messner hit quarterback Sam Marasek for a 2-yard loss, followed by Kirby's 4-yard sack. He finished with 43 yards on 13 attempts.
"Kyle is a tough kid who embodies our culture, and the kids have bought into what we want to be, which is playing hard and together to the ball, fast and physical," coach Wes Schroeder said.
Added Long: "Dylan Lane is a captain as a junior, hard-nosed and physical, and I can fully see Kyle taking on that role next season."
In his first year as starter, Long continues to develop. He went 10 of 20 for 110 yards, including three to Varrasso for 46 yards, two to Kirby for 24, two to Jack Yeager for 20 and two to Culver for 16. But he was not entirely satisfied.
"I missed on some deep shots down the field, and we're still working on those," Long said. "But our run game is really clicking right now."
Schroeder can see some growth with Long and his team, which hosts Heath (2-1) next Friday in an intriguing LCL crossover game.
"We're getting better, which is always important," he said. "Beckett is one of those players I've connected with the most through the summer. We're cut from the same cloth. He's a competitor, he wants to win and it doesn't matter how it's done or what his stats are."
Meanwhile, the Johnnies must get ready for a trip to Licking Valley (1-2), coming off a rousing 40-35 win against West Holmes, then host Watkins Memorial (2-1).
"We just need to take care of ourselves," Carter said. "We made some mistakes, and we need to make those corrections and coach them up. I told them to keep their heads up, continue to work hard, and get better, every day."
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This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Unbeaten Granville shuts down, shuts out Johnstown on the road
