Monday, December 8th, 2014
Flyers bring home fourth straight title
Division VII State Championship Game
By Colin Foster
Photo by Mark Pummell/The Daily Standard
Marion Local players greet fans after winning the Division VII state football title with a 41-0 decision over Norwalk St. Paul on Saturday afternoon. It's the fourth straight state title for the Flyers and eighth in school history.
COLUMBUS - Marion Local coach Tim Goodwin and his bunch wanted to send a message from the onset of the Division VII state finals.
That message was heard loudly and clearly, not only by the Flyers' opponent Norwalk St. Paul but also by thousands of spectators across the state.
The Flyers left no doubt about who the best team was in the state with a dominant 41-0 victory over St. Paul in front of 7,192 spectators at Ohio Stadium.
Marion's offense never took its foot off the gas after scoring two plays into the game, and its defense clamped down on St. Paul's rushing attack to post a third shutout in five postseason games. The Blue and Gold joined Newark Catholic (1984-87) and Cleveland St. Ignatius (1991-95) as the only programs to win four straight state titles.
"We wanted to make them do something they didn't want to do offensively," Goodwin said. "We wanted to send a message just like we do every game. (Let them know) they're playing a different animal this week and put some doubt in their mind."
"They've got a special team. There's no question about it with the number of state championships they've been able to string together," St. Paul coach John Livengood said. "Their defense is very fast. They fly to the ball very well. Offensively, they're very sound and balanced. They control the line of scrimmage. Their backs run well and they throw the ball well. It was a tough matchup for us size wise and speed wise, as well."
Jacy Goettemoeller had 12 carries for 160 yards and three touchdowns. The senior scored Marion's first two touchdowns, a 49-yard run with 11:19 to play in the first quarter and a 46-yard sprint to the paydirt with 3:16 left in the first for a 14-0 lead. Goettemoeller scored on a three-yard run to conclude the scoring as time expired in the third quarter.
"I just came out and tried to play my hardest," Goettemoeller said. "The team did well. I have to thank my team … my offensive line and my coaches."
The Flyers (15-0) scored on five out of seven first-half drives (one ended on an interception in St. Paul territory and the other was stopped short as time ran out before half). And they scored fast, too. No Marion scoring drive lasted more than eight plays.
On the first play following Aaron Nietfeld's fumble recovery at the St. Paul 33-yard line, a double-covered Hunter Wilker pulled down a Dustin Rethman pass in the end zone with 2:04 left in the first quarter.
Wilker, who had seven catches for 108 yards, returned a St. Paul punt 51 yards near the midway point of the second quarter. Three plays later, after a pair of big running gains by Goettemoeller, Nietfeld shot into the end zone from one yard out. Wilker and Rethman hooked up for a 29-yard touchdown to cap an eight-play, 70-yard drive with 2:21 remaining in the quarter.
"We wanted to get off to a fast start because of their offensive style," Goodwin said. "We didn't want them pounding on us any longer than what we had to. We tried to hit some big ones there and a couple of these kids made some plays for us."
Division VII and MAC Defensive Player of the Year Jacob Kunkler and Joe Schwieterman led the defense in tackles with seven each. Chris Lochtefeld contributed five takedowns and two sacks. Marion allowed 98 yards on 47 plays.
"There's a lot of seniors (on the defense)," Kunkler said. "We've been together for so long. We've got great chemistry. It's special."
"The defense I thought played pretty well the whole night. They pretty much stopped them," Goodwin said. "They had a couple plays where they had success. We put our second group out there in that fourth quarter and our sideline was pretty jacked up trying to get that shutout, so that was kind of fun to be a part of that."
The Flyers outscored postseason opponents 240-14. The senior class finished with a perfect 20-0 record in the playoffs and extended their overall winning streak to 37 games.
"It's pretty special," said Rethman, who ended his last game as full-time starter 14-of-18 passing for 215 yards and two touchdowns, "but like we said, we couldn't have done it without the seniors before us who led the way. As seniors, our goal this year was to go lead the way … provide the success for our teammates."
"These guys were the bulk of our team for three years," Goodwin said of his senior class. "Not just role players - these guys were the main part of our team for three years. I would say their accomplishments are up there with any class that's ever been through."
Photo by Mark Pummell/The Daily Standard
Marion Local's Jacy Goettemoeller outruns the Norwalk St. Paul defense. Goettemoeller rushef or 160 yards and three touchdowns as Marion won its fourth straight state title with a 41-0 win over St. Paul in Columbus.
Photo by Mark Pummell/The Daily Standard
Marion Local's Nathan Heckman, 59, chases down Norwalk St. Paul's Jim Easler during Saturday's Division VII state championship game.
Photo by Mark Pummell/The Daily Standard
Marion Local's John Schwieterman, 64, gets ready to snap the ball during Saturday's game.
Photo by Mark Pummell/The Daily Standard
Marion Local's Hunter Wilker, 12, eludes the tackle of Norwalk St. Paul's Devin Smith, 27, as teammate Evan Fleck, 2, follows the play.
