The Garfield G-Men shook off damp grass and cool temperatures Thursday night, rolling to a 36–14 win over John F. Kennedy Catholic in their home opener.
Garfield’s defense set the tone in the first quarter, forcing quick stops before senior lineman Michael Huebner (#55)muscled his way in for a three-yard rushing touchdown with just under a minute left in the quarter. Junior kicker Hannah Timmons (#14) added the extra point to make it 7–0.
The Eagles answered midway through the second quarter when Lamarcus Provitt slipped through on an eight-yard run to tie the score at 7–7. But the tie didn’t last long. On Garfield’s next drive, senior quarterback Jace Vanek (#15) aired out a deep ball to senior receiver William Simon (#5), connecting for a 40-yard touchdown. Timmons’ PAT gave Garfield a 14–7 lead at the break.
After halftime, the G-Men wasted little time extending the margin. Vanek found senior Evan Martin (#3) for a 45-yard touchdown strike early in the third quarter, then kept the ball himself to convert the two-point try, pushing the lead to 22–7. The defense came up big again before the end of the quarter, halting a JFK drive in Garfield territory and preserving the two-score lead.
In the fourth quarter, Garfield’s ground game wore down the Eagles. Junior running back Sam Strahan (#32) punched in a five-yard rushing touchdown to cap a steady drive, then broke free on the next possession for a 45-yard sprint down the sideline to the end zone. His pair of scores pushed the game out of reach at 36–14.
Provitt added one more short touchdown run for JFK, but the Eagles couldn’t keep pace with Garfield’s balanced attack.
The victory moved Garfield to 1–1 on the season after dropping their opener at Edgewood . The G-Men will stay at home next Friday, Sept. 5, to host Springfield under the lights.