“It didn’t go exactly how we thought,” said Flyers coach Tim Goodwin. “We respected Dalton for what they showed us on film. A couple plays made a big difference.”
The Flyers have won 48 straight games. Their last loss came in 2020 when they lost to Midwest Athletic Conference rival New Bremen in a D-VII regional final.
“The neat thing about high school sports is that you’ve got new seniors every year,” Goodwin said. “This is their year and this is what they’re going to remember. At Marion Local they have reunions where people come back and these guys have cousins who have won titles for other teams or previous Marion teams or brothers. Pressure may not be the right word. There’s accountability that we have to go and make everyone else proud.”
Marion Local beat Newark Catholic 42-6 in the D-VII title game in 2021. Marion Local moved up to D-VI in 2022, beating Kirtland 14-6 in the state title game last season.
Goodwin said the expectations never changed for his program.
“Everyone else is not in our locker room,” he said. “It’s really easy. We’re so focused on improving and going through the process. We’re always chasing. We call it ‘chasing perfection’. That’s all we do. Anyone else that says anything that seems like a big deal outside of our locker room, it’s nothing to us. Absolutely nothing.”
The Flyers scored on their first possession when senior Kyle Otte scored on an 8-yard run to make it 7-0. Five minutes later, the Flyers took a 14-0 lead on a 1-yard run by Ethan Heitkamp.
Dalton, appearing in its first-ever state championship game, drove the ball down the field on its first possession of the third quarter, but Flyers junior Griffin Bruns intercepted a pass and returned it 80 yards for a touchdown, the first interception return for a score in D-VII championship game history.
“The pick-6 was a backbreaker when they had that good drive,” Goodwin said. “(Bruns) made a great read on that.”
After a Dalton three-and-out, Marion Local junior Victor Hoelscher returned a punt 64 yards for a touchdown, the longest in D-VII state championship game history, to give Marion Local a 28-0 lead.
With 18 seconds remaining in the first half, junior Carson Bills hit a 19-yard field goal to make it 31-0, triggering the running clock in the second half.
Flyers quarterback Justin Knouff threw an 8-yard TD pass to Otte on Marion Local’s first possession of the second half to make it 38-0.
Marion Local was dominant in the postseason, winning five of their six playoff games by running clock. The closest game the Flyers played in the postseason was a 28-7 victory over MAC rival Minster in the Region 28 semifinals.
The Flyers have won 14 state championships in 17 years. While Marion Local may be recognized as an Ohio high school football dynasty, the program doesn’t look at it that way, Goodwin said. They’re laser-focused on the process and improving each week, he said.
“It’s about the week, the journey and the grind,” Goodwin said. “These guys spend a lot of time in the locker room and the weight room. The older I get, that’s what football is about — the locker room, the weight room, the bus rides. That’s what they’re going to remember. Yeah, they’re going to remember some games, but it’s about the brotherhood. To me, that’s everything.”
About the Author