Brayden Mescher averages 13.5 points per game and 6.5 assists for #1-ranked Marion Local (Division VI). (Press Pros Feature Photos)
They’re 16-1, ranked #1 in Division VI, and yet you don’t hear or read much about Brayden Mescher and the Marion Local Flyers…in basketball!
Brayden Mescher didn’t do anything that made headlines following Friday night’s 43-28 win over Coldwater…in basketball. He scored ten points.
And teammate Grant Keller ended up scoring the winning basket in Saturday night’s 58-56 thriller over Spencerville, while Mescher scored 14 points. He wasn’t leading scorer.
It didn’t matter. They won.
And this irony.
Publisher Sonny Fulks writes OHSAA and Ohio State sports for Press Pros Magazine.com.
Last week an associate in Columbus asked me, “I see Marion Local is 14-1 over your way, ranked #1, and you really don’t hear much about them in basketball. Why not?”
Well, for lack of a better answer, Marion Local basketball has too many Brayden Meschers, Kale Ahrens, Luke Evermans, Isaac Moellers and Grant Kellers…and no Cam Elwers, Division VII’s leading scorer from Delphos St. John (28.5 ppg) and a Division I college signee to play at Furman University next year. Both Marion and St. John are ranked #1 in their respective divisions, but they do it differently.
Or at least, let’s say that media covers them differently. Elwer’s 28.5 points per game is a lot flashier than Brayden Mescher’s 13.5. He’s pushing 3,000 for a career. It sells. People talk about it.
More irony. Neither Elwer or Mescher seem to care. They’re both great at what they do. They’re winning. And that’s all that matters.
As to why you don’t hear much about Marion basketball?
“I guess you do hear a lot more about Marion Local football,” the associate commented.
Exactly!
And still more irony. In the recent twenty five years of Marion Local football and their 15 state titles won, only a handful (and a small handful) of Marion players have played Division I college football – most notably John Dirksen (Notre Dame) and Adam Bertke (Pittsburgh). Most have gone on to get a degree in something like pharmacy and engineering…and to become privately successful.
Odds are, that’s what will happen for Brayden Mescher, the Flyers senior point guard and this week’s ‘Who’s Hot’ subject…who at 6’3″ and 200 pounds did play football…was instrumental in Marion winning a state football title in 2024…and helped them to a state runner-up finish in basketball last year (2025).
“Brayden’s just a really good player,” says Flyer coach Kurt Goettemoeller, and he says it nearly every week for the same reasons.
“He’s strong, he durable, he can handle the ball, he can get to the rim and score, and he defends and rebounds. He does just about everything for us.”
“Brayden sees the right matchups and he’s going to get you the ball,” added teammate Kale Ahrens following Friday’s win over Coldwater. Ahrens scored 17 points in that game, and thanks to Mescher, who had his usual handful of assists, along with 10 points.
A final irony…Mescher is a bull in the paint and around the rim, the same as he was as a wide receiver in football – just the right size and combination of speed to be hard to stop. He takes a lot of shots. Doesn’t seem to mind. The Flyers keep winning!
He won’t play in the Big Ten next year, and he’ll probably go to school and get a degree in something like pharmacy or engineering.
And it’s likely that only the people around Maria Stein are going to remember him for scoring 13 points a game, 6.5 assists, and helping Marion Local win. And that’s OK. Because, who knows?
Maybe they win a title in Division VI basketball…to go with all those in football!
But this week we congratulate and recognize Brayden Mescher as our ‘Who’s Hot’ honoree on Press Pros. Just in case you haven’t heard.
Peace of mind is as easy as the relationship you have with your local bank, and the St. Henry bank is small enough to know you, and big enough to serve you. The St. Henry Bank joins Press Pros Magazine in recognizing this week’s “Who’s Hot” honoree…Brayden Mescher, from Marion Local High School.