The combination of Flyer quarterback Justin Knouff’s speed (above) and precision blocking overwhelmed Versailles’ defense. (Press Pros Feature Photos By Julie McMaken Wright)
Marion Local remained unbeaten, extends its winning streak to 54 games and quarterback Justin Knouff has a big night because of the wet and windy weather and in spite of it.
Versailles, OH – Tim Goodwin and his assistant coaches will watch the video of Friday night’s game and see mistakes. And they will coach their players to avoid those mistakes in the future.
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And those Marion Local Flyers – “I love them,” Goodwin said – will listen, learn and apply. They always do.
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But watching this veteran edition of the Flyers in action at wet and windy Versailles’ H.B. Hole Field against another unbeaten MAC opponent and looking for mistakes? That was like looking for sunshine anywhere Friday as the remnants of Hurricane Helene soaked Ohio and blew through with a ferocity only previously known in these parts as the Flyers’ 2024 offense and defense.
“We knew they were going to be one of the more physical teams in the MAC,” Flyers quarterback Justin Knouff said. “So we had to bring it and we had match their energy. And I think our guys did pretty well tonight.”
That’s like saying it was kind of windy Friday.
The list of what the Flyers did in a 41-point first half on their way to a 48-0 victory over Versailles rivals the impressiveness of their winning streak that reached 54 games.
Start with the defense.
Marion Local recovers its own fumble on their first possession of the night.
The Flyers (6-0, 4-0 MAC) forced the Tigers (5-1, 3-1 MAC) to punt on their first seven possessions and didn’t surrender a first down. The Tigers finally made a first down just before halftime, but they were still 68 yards from the end zone when the half ended and didn’t have to punt for an eighth time.
In the first half, the Tigers totaled 17 yards in 24 plays for an average of 0.7 yards per play. They finished with 79 yards.
“We played good defense,” Goodwin said. “We were dialed in to what they wanted to do.”
The Flyers’ offense was also dialed in this week about how to handle the expected Hurricane effects. That meant Knouff would run more and pass less. They practiced on wet grass a lot this week.
“We kind of got acclimated to it, but obviously not this wet,” Knouff said. “Then we came out here and did what we had to do.”
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And what the Flyers did was call seven runs for Knouff in the first half. He gained 176 yards, including an 87-yard touchdown. With a 41-0 lead, there was no need for him to carry the ball in the second half.
“We weren’t going to be able to spread people out and do our thing that way,” Goodwin said. “So we ran him way more tonight.”
Flyer Ethan Heitkamp weaves his way through Tiger tacklers.
The combination of Knouff’s speed and precision blocking dominated Versailles’ defense. He was rarely touched until he was stopped. He almost had four touchdowns. Runs of 22, 27 and seven were stopped at the 1 or 2. Each resulted in a one-yard touchdown for Ethan Heitkamp. His final numbers: four carries, six yards, three touchdowns.
“Our guys just set up blocks for me,” Knouff said. “I just followed behind them and made whatever I could out of it.”
The Flyers sent an extra lead blocker into the hole for Knouff – often someone who also plays linebacker and relishes the opportunity for contact – and the holes were so big that no one will ever know if Knouff is slippery when wet.
“We just work hard on getting a hat on a hat, and when you do that, and you put the ball in a dynamic kid’s hands – we’ve been very fortunate and had a bunch of those – good things happen,” Goodwin said. “It’s not hard. It’s not complicated. Get a hat on a hat, put the ball in somebody hands who’s good, and let’s go.”
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For Versailles, it didn’t matter what unit was on the field, whether the wind was in their face or at their back or if it was drizzling or pouring. Nothing went right.
“Even mentally sometimes we lost our focus and our poise under pressure when things were going bad with adversity – that’s a disappointment,” Versailles coach Ryan Jones said. “There’s nothing positive to take out of this – just negative.”
Versailles quarterback Ethan Wilker recovers an errant snap.
The weather, as Jones said, was bad for both teams. But the changing weather in the first half benefitted the Flyers.
The first punt into the wind by the Tigers’ Leland Bolin hit a stone wall of wind and sailed out of bounds for minus-2 yards. That gave the Flyers the ball at the Tigers’ 23 and a quick score.
The next Versailles punt went 16 yards, but a holding penalty stopped the Flyers from completing another short scoring drive when they turned the ball over on downs. That was Versailles’ final reprieve.
The next punt reached midfield, but a penalty for a horse-collar tackle put the Flyers only 38 yards from a 13-0 lead. The next drive was only 45 yards to make it 20-0 early in the second quarter.
As the game turned to the second quarter, the wind and rain lessened significantly. That meant the Flyers could do what they do exceedingly well – throw the football. Knouff threw touchdown passes of 15 and 35 yards to Victor Hoelscher.
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“Really shocking because the ball actually wasn’t that wet,” Knouff said. “We were rotating balls in pretty well, so the ball’s grip was there at the beginning, and we just executed. I was not expecting that we could do that tonight.”
Knouff finished 7 of 11 for145 yards and three touchdowns. He opened the second half with a 16-yard touchdown to Andrew Pohlman. And his night, along with many of his fellow starters, was over as the running clock showed mercy for the Tigers and everyone who was soaked to their skin.
Flyer Victor Hoelscher caught two touchdown passes of 15 and 35 yards from Justin Knouff.
The miserable conditions were only part of what forced Jones and his coaches to commiserate after a game they expected to compete better in. Thirty minutes after the game Jones said his thoughts were on Monday and how his team will respond at home next week against Anna.
Does he think they will show up Monday with the proper attitude?
“Yeah, I do,” he said. “And I told them that. I said this is what has to happen, and I’m sure it will happen because there is no option. These guys are men of character, and they’re Versailles Tigers. And that’s what we do, and when we take a loss, we take it like a man, we admit we got beat and we got to figure out how we can get better. We’ve got to move on and shift our focus to next week and make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
Goodwin also expects his team’s attitude to be where he wants it. No resting on a winning streak, no taking their accomplishments for granted and, most of all, no thinking they are as good as it can get.
Instead, they will start reviewing this game Saturday morning.
“They’re willing to just get coached hard, and they’re always striving to get better,” Goodwin said. “They’re going to want that. I think that’s unusual. I think a lot of places players are like, ‘Coach, we just won the game. What’s your problem? Why do you have a burr up your butt?’ We have convinced them what this game is about, and that’s just to work like crazy and try to be your absolute best, whatever that is.”
A pair of Marion Local defenders take down Versailles James Schmitmeyer.
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