The 2021 football team made school history in the weeks leading up to states.

First, they went undefeated in their regular season for the first time since 1998. They went on to make history in their second playoff game against DeSales, in which they won and were the first team in Granville history to make it that far into the playoffs. They did not stop there, the team went on to win another playoff game versus London, leading them to their regional championship win against Western Brown. The energy was high going into the state semifinals, one game away from the long-awaited state game at Canton, but they were unable to score against Badin which concluded the historic season.

With 23 returning seniors, the team and coaches had high expectations going into this season knowing that they had an experienced group of players. “Anytime you return a majority of your team from the previous season that is good,” head coach Wes Schroeder said.

The team went into the season with one main goal: making it to the state championship. “They worked like they had something to prove and it showed by our record,” Schroeder said.

The success of the season can not be pinpointed to one aspect. They had a variety of talented, athletic players, a good coaching staff and a lot of passion. Something they all agreed upon is that a large contributing factor to their success was their “chemistry and bond,” according to senior quarterback Carsyn Crouch.

With a senior-dominated team, they had players who had been playing together for many years, as well as juniors who had been a great addition to their team for the past three years. “We enjoyed spending all the extra time together,” Schroeder said. With a shared desire to win and make history the team had a bond that helped push them towards their goals.

This year's team has set an example for the future of Granville football. Everyone was excited and proud to watch this team as they continued to advance. The players shared a sense of excitement and also honor. “We went to the final four this year and were the first team to win a regional championship and go to the semifinals. It was just crazy,” said junior Mikey Chaykowski.

It was a long, demanding season but Schroeder states, “Our kids did a great job of not letting the expectations become a distraction”.

They were focused and gave the same energy that they did week one for every week following. “There was a lot of adversity but we overcame it, and we had to come together as one and we ended up making history and no other team has done that,” Carsyn Crouch said.

With the conclusion of the season, the players and coaches are being recognized for their outstanding season and hard work put in this year. A number of players won All Ohio awards including Devon Haley, first team running back; Carsyn Crouch, second team quarterback; Caden Mcdermott second team defensive back; and Coach Schroeder earned DIII coach of the year. Christian Hilton and Bobby Vahalik earned honorable mention.

https://www.ohsaa.org/news-media/articles/division-ii-and-iii-football-all-ohio-teams-announced-11

Although a loss in the state finals was not the way they wanted their season to end, it was an unforgettable season and all the players, community and alumni are proud of what this team was able to do. “It was really cool to have a season like this because Granville has never had that type of success in football,” Schroeder said.

For the seniors especially they are thankful to end on a historic season. “It was a lot of fun because there were a lot of seniors but also there were a lot of freshmen and kids in between that learned a lot,” Crouch said.