Hard-hitting…Marion lineback Ben Meier meets St. Henry quarterback at the goal line to deny a Redskins touchdown in the fourth quarter of Friday’s 17-7 Flyers win. (Press Pros Feature Photos)
Marion Local proved that every game is unique, and that motivation is as near as your last defeat. The Flyers played their most timely defense of the year, so far, in a redeeming win Friday over St. Henry.
St. Henry, OH – I’m not sure there’s such a thing as a redeeming win over a team that wins last year’s state semi-final game to deny you a chance to become a champion…then goes on to become a champion, themselves.
But I’m not sure there isn’t, either.
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In this case…St. Henry, who snapped Marion Local’s 76-game win streak by doing just that ten months ago, then went on to win their first state title since 2006 – the Redskins scalping Jeromesville Hillsdale to take the 2026 Division VII title, 37-3.
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“That was then, and this is now,” said Marion’s Tim Goodwin Friday following the Flyers’ 17-7 win over the defending champ Redskins. “Last year really didn’t have anything to do with it. They were playing great football coming into this week, and if you want to win the MAC you have to win games like this.”
It’s just that simple?
Apparently it is. Just…that…simple.
Marion clamped down on St. Henry’s run game, played well enough against St. Henry’s skill players in the passing game, and frustrated enough by coming up with three key turnovers in the game to cause St. Henry coach Josh Werling to say afterwards:
“Credit to Marion Local. Hats off to Coach Goodwin and the Marion team. They did what Marion does. They execute and don’t beat themselves. That’s a physical group, a very good football team, and I thought we competed really well. But just a few things here and there cost us and those things are the difference in winning and losing.”
Marion Local’s Andrew Schmackers pays a physical price for a catch and yards gained in the first half of Friday win over St. Henry.
It was close. Closer than the final score of 17-7, thanks to a pair of key second half interceptions of St. Henry quarterback Landon Schwartz that thwarted late drives and a chance to either tie or take the lead.
And to St. Henry’s credit, their defense did enough to hold Marion to just 268 yards of total offense for the game. But it was enough.
By contrast, Marion’s defense held St. Henry to 265 total yards, magnifying the impact of those two interceptions – actually three – when winning time was upon the Redskins. Just three yards separated the two teams, but it’s hard to win when you do enough to beat yourself.
After a sluggish first possession by both teams, they played to a scoreless conclusion of the first quarter, despite St. Henry missing a touchdown pass from Landon Schwartz to running back Drew Langenkamp on a play called back due to a holding penalty.
On Marion’s ensuing possession to start the second quarter they mounted a drive that covered ten plays and ended with a one-yard touchdown run by Cam Griesdorn to give the Flyers a 7-0 lead.
St. Henry couldn’t answer, despite moving the ball through the air…Schwartz to Tate Boeckman, Will Speck and Will Gerlach. But the running game behind St. Henry’s bigger line was stymied by Marion’s ability to blitz and stunt and confuse blocking assignments. On the Marion sideline someone remarked that it felt like eleven on twelve, so effective was the Flyers’ disruption.
Marion’s Cam Griesdorn is met in the hole by a St. Henry tackler during the first half of last year’s state semi-final rematch.
And Marion, itself, lost a late opportunity on their final possession of the half when quarterback Brennen Hess took a hard hit and lost a fumble near midfield.
Receiving the opening kickoff for the second half, Marion quickly drove the ball fifty yards downfield before stalling at the St Henry 9 yard line, fourth and seven. But instead of going for the first down, Goodwin sent junior kicker Ethan Simcoe out to attempt a 26-yard field goal. Simcoe, who’s had his moments this year, had one of his better ones in this instance, banging a strong kick right down the middle to give Marion a two-score lead, 10-0 at 6:09 of the quarter.
“Those were big points,” said Goodwin, later. “I don’t like kicking a lot of field goals because I like field position. But that put us up two scores and Ethan is a good kicker and I’m happy for him. Yes.”
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Schwartz and the Redskins ignited for a scoring drive of their own on the ensuing possession, covering 72 yards and taking the ball inside the Marion five yard line. On first and goal from the two Landon Schwartz attempted to sneak it in for a touchdown only to be met head-on by Marion linebacker Ben Meier. Meier jarred the ball loose, Schwartz snatched it out of mid-air and his progress was stopped at the one yard line. Moments later, Drew Langenkamp plowed across the goal line for a score and the point after cut the deficit to 10-7 with twenty seconds left in the quarter. The drive covered 12 plays and nearly six minutes.
Huge points…Marion kicker Ethan Simcoe tacks on three points during the first drive of the second half. “Those were big points. Ethan is a good kicker and I’m happy for him.” – Tim Goodwin
In games of this magnitude field position is important, and on the kickoff following St. Henry’s score Max Ranly ran it back past midfield as time ran out in the quarter. Marion would not cash in on that return, losing possession on a Andrew Schmackers fumble.
But Schmackers atoned for his miscue second later when he jumped a slant route in the middle of the field and picked off Schwartz, costing St. Henry a possession and valuable time at 11:23. Two minutes later Cam Griesdorn scored from four yards out, his second touchdown of the game, and Marion took a firmer grip on the outcome, 17-7.
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Still, St. Henry came back to move the ball downfield, but again their drive was cut short when Schwartz had a pass picked off right in front of the Redskins’ bench by Max Ranly.
“Huge play by Max,” said Goodwin. “He saw it coming, broke on the ball, and I thought…that’s a pretty nice play, Max.”
St. Henry’s Landon Schwartz tries to separate the football and body parts from Marion’s Max Ranly during this pass reception in the first half.
But Marion would not score, St. Henry would get the ball back with three minutes left in the game and moved the ball downfield to the Marion thirty yard line before a scrambling Schwartz got caught up in traffic, and tried to squeeze the ball out to an open receiver at the twenty. He, instead, threw it right into the hands of Marion linebacker Seth Heitkamp with a minute remaining that concluded things as Marion Local ran out two plays and expired the clock.
Despite giving up nearly as many yards as they gained, Marion’s defense again created enough opportunities and field position advantage for them to win.
“Kids played hard,” said Goodwin. “I told them if we don’t beat them I don’t know who will. We challenged them this week after getting smashed by them last year. We told them hat’s not the coaches’ job. That’s your job. And if you’re going to allow that to happen we’re going to lose again. So the kids took that to heart, and understand…that both teams are different this year, too.
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“Their quarterback scrambled around a lot, he made some plays, but thankfully we made some plays when we needed to.”
And six games in he may have seen some things from players not previously seen, a turning of the page, if you will – a team taking the next step towards becoming that Marion team in October with which we’ve all become so familiar.
Frustration…caused by three St. Henry turnovers on interception during winning time.
Cam Griesdorn certainly did his part, making the most of carries and yards gained to provide the two biggest touchdowns thus far in his Flyer career.
“We had a chip on our shoulder from losing to them in the playoffs,” Griesdorn smiled, acknowledging the obvious. “So wanted to win this one. We worked hard all week. We knew we had to hit them harder than they would hit us.
“And our coaches are everything. They get us in a spot to win, and they teach us the right way. Go out and hit harder and make less mistakes. That’s what all the past teams have done and it’s our time now.”
And indeed…”If you don’t beat them, then who will?”
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