Marion Local quarterback Justin Knouff shakes free of a Minster tackle attempt to score his second touchdown in Friday’s 21-0 win over the Wildcats. (Press Pros Feature Photos by Sonny Fulks)
On a night when the Marion Local Flyers tied the all-time consecutive win record, Minster challenged in a memorable manner…and Flyer quarterback Justin Knouff showed up big with 169 yards and two touchdowns.
Maria Stein, OH – Minster is a good high school football team. No question, no doubts…and who doesn’t have a few “Yeah, buts?”
Proof?
On a night when Marion Local tied the all-time Ohio High School consecutive wins record at 57, Seth Whiting’s Wildcats held the history-seeking Flyers to a 21-0 win…and for the lack of a touchdown when there was a touchdown to be had the Wildcats might have made it closer – interesting.
You might also add…that if they had done a better job of containing Marion quarterback Justin Knouff (169 rushing yards and two touchdowns) they might have had a better chance.
Because owing to an anemic Marion passing game (7-17 for 81 yards) Knouff simply made it academic by tucking the ball and taking what Minster’s defense allowed – 14 carries and those 169 yards. No one will even miss the passing game, because they won. But they will remember Justin Knouff.
“This is why we preach you have to bring a running game and a defense every week,” said Marion coach Tim Goodwin, post-game. “There’s going to be weeks when the passing game isn’t there. We had some guys open tonight and it still wasn’t there.”
Minster had its chances. Three times they had the ball in Marion Local territory, and twice inside the twenty yard line, and either turned the ball over on downs…or fumbled.
Marquee play on defense…Minster’s Kole Richard outduels Marion’s Vic Hoelscher for an interception at the goal line to end the first quarter.
“You can’t be in the red zone against these guys and not put points up,” said Minster coach Seth Whiting. “They’re outstanding, but our offense is pretty good, too. So when you have a chance to score you have to get the job done. We didn’t.”
It might have been as big a home turnout for a Marion Local football game as they’d had in recent years…the anticipation was that great. Someone added that it was the biggest Minster crowd for a road game in his memory. The 50-50 was $2,300 dollars to give you an idea…and the Coldwater game isn’t until next week.
Minster moved the ball on the game’s opening drive, but stalled near midfield, and then shanked a punt to give Marion Local ideal field position. Justin Knouff and company took advantage, moved the ball 65 yards in eleven plays and Knouff sealed the drive with a four-yard run at 5:18 to give Marion the 7-0 lead.
And when Minster again failed to capitalize on field position and some positive plays near the end of the quarter, Marion took over after a better punt and moved the ball just inside the 50 yard line where Knouff launched an end zone strike toward receiver Vic Hoelscher…only to have Minster’s Kole Richard outduel Hoelscher for the ball at the two yard line.
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Minster again found yards through the air to start the second quarter, but again Marion’s defense slammed the door. Then, at 3:16 before halftime Drew Lause skirted the left end from five yards out to score and give the Flyers a 14-0 halftime lead.
Marion took the opening kick in the second half and before people could get their 50-50 tickets out for the winning number Knouff broke the line of scrimmage at his own 47 yard line and raced 53 yards for a devastating touchdown. It made the deficit 21-0, and created gloom enough on the Minster sideline to conceal the full moon above Booster Stadium.
Marion’s defense pitched its four consecutive shutout…meets at quarterback Brogan Stephey during this third quarter sack.
Brogan Stephey, the league’s leading rusher and passer, kept Minster in the game – gave them hope – and immediately passed the ‘Cats down the field on the ensuing possessing. But on a third down screen pass to Connor Schmiesing with which he gained a valuable first down, Marion’s Daniel Everman punched the ball loose, the Flyers recovered the football, and another opportunity turned up empty.
“We knew, pre-game, that they were going to grind it on offense,” said Goodwin, post-game. “They’ve got a good scheme, good athletes. and I was surprised that we were able to shut ’em out. But we made the plays when we needed to down in the high red zone area.”
Stephey would ultimately throw for 209 yards, but to Goodwin’s point the passing game wasn’t enough to counter an energized Marion defensive effort.
In contrast, Marion Local had 169 rushing yards from Knouff, 116 from Parker Hess, 49 from Kamden Eifert, and 32 from Drew Lause – 366 total rushing yards – and that was enough to counter an equally energized Minster defensive effort.
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“You’ve got to be able to run the football,” Whiting echoed Tim Goodwin. “We didn’t run for anything and threw for 200 yards. Marion didn’t throw much and ran for 366 yards, and you see what the outcome was.”
To extend the frustration, Stephey again passed Minster down the field midway through the fourth quarter and reached the Marion 11 yard line, but could move it no farther. A fourth and goal pass attempt was batted away by the Flyer secondary and it was game, set, match.
Marion’s Daniel Everman knocks the ball loose from Minster’s Connor Schmiesing to kill a Wildcat drive in the third quarter.
“I was proud of our kids’ effort,” added Whiting. “But this game should have been 21-21 in the fourth quarter with both teams still banging and trying to figure it out. And I’ve got to do a better job in practice to help them eliminate the mistakes. But hats off to Marion and congratulations to them on tying the [win] streak.”
Marion Local finished with 448 total yards, compared to Minsters 272, and simple arithmetic tells you that Justin Knouff accounted for more than half that total with his 251 yards, run and passing.
“They [Minster] did a good job tonight, challenged us,” said Knouff, afterwards. “They switched up the defenses, they made it tough with their passing game, and we didn’t convert with our passing game so we had to do something else. We did what we had to do.
As for his own contribution…..
“I just got behind my guys, had them out there blocking, tried to read it and make the most out of the run. Tonight was different because in past games we were able to pass the ball pretty efficiently. But the passing game was off tonight and we had to do something else. We had to run it…and we hadn’t had to do that against most teams. But we’ll put some work in next week, fix that passing game up, and get ready for Coldwater.”
Marion’s Parker Hess fights through the ambitious tackle attempt of Minster’s Dylan Heitkamp to gain a portion of his 116 rushing yards.
And the win streak…something that Goodwin has avoided talking about, sweeping it under the rug as a matter of priority. Now it’s become manifest – the fabulous mark of Delphos St. John matched after a quarter of a century.
“Obviously it’s not a big thing that we talk about,” he offered to curious questioners Friday. “Now that we’re here it’s nice to tie it, I guess. And we’ll try to beat it next week. But it’s Marion and Coldwater and that streak is not going to get anyone more excited than trying to beat your biggest rival for the league trophy.”
Contrary to what he believes…two things will dominate Saturday morning talk about Friday night football in the area, and in some parts of the state.
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One, Marion Local has tied the all-time record for consecutive wins, a remarkable feat to the blue-blood high school football fan.
And two, once again Marion Local and Coldwater face each other as unbeatens, capping momentum for another extended playoff run in their respective divisions – a chilling thought.
Or an exciting thought, if that’s the kind of thing that you live for, and Tim Goodwin and Chip Otten do. With an historic record on the line it’ll have to come as best against best.
Just the way they like it.
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