MARIA STEIN, Ohio — Top-seeded Marion Local forced six turnovers, scored four touchdowns in the first quarter and shut out No. 8 seed Fort Loramie 49-0 on Friday in a Division VII, Region 28 quarterfinal at Booster Stadium. The unbeaten Flyers, who entered 10-0, won their playoff opener after a first-round bye and advanced to a regional semifinal rematch with MAC rival Minster. The score was confirmed by the Columbus Dispatch, the Mansfield News Journal and Press Pros Magazine, which covered the game in Maria Stein.
The game turned on the first play from scrimmage, according to Press Pros Magazine. Fort Loramie quarterback Tanner Heckman fumbled, and Marion Local’s Camden Griesdorn scored on a 10-yard run at the 11:11 mark of the first quarter, starting a 146-yard, three-touchdown night. Less than a minute later, at 10:37, cornerback Mitchell Fleck intercepted Heckman and returned it 45 yards for a touchdown, Press Pros Magazine reported.
Max Ranly then intercepted a pass intended for Logan Eilerman, and three plays later quarterback Brennen Hess found Ranly for a 55-yard touchdown and a 21-0 lead with 7:26 left in the first quarter, according to Press Pros Magazine. Hess intercepted Heckman’s next throw — the third straight pass picked off — and Griesdorn scored from the 1 for 28-0 with 4:24 left in the quarter. Press Pros Magazine reported Heckman completed only one pass in 10 attempts.
The Flyers added a special-teams score late in the first half when Andrew Schmackers returned a punt 28 yards for a touchdown and a 35-0 halftime lead, according to Press Pros Magazine. Griesdorn added a 26-yard touchdown run in the second half, and senior linebacker Seth Heitkamp, the MAC defensive player of the year, made the final interception in the fourth quarter, Press Pros Magazine reported. Hess finished 5-for-6 passing for 123 yards.
Marion Local head coach Tim Goodwin told Press Pros Magazine he had not enjoyed the two-week wait for the bye. “I don’t like it,” Goodwin told Press Pros Magazine. “That was long and boring.” Fort Loramie head coach Spencer Wells told Press Pros Magazine his team never recovered from the opening minutes: “It just did not go our way from the get-go,” Wells told Press Pros Magazine.
For Fort Loramie, which entered at 6-5 according to the OHSAA pairings, the loss ended the season. For Marion Local, the shutout continued its pursuit of a 16th state title — a chase Press Pros Magazine noted carries extra edge after St. Henry beat the Flyers in last year’s regional final, ending four straight championships.
Next, Marion Local hosts No. 4 seed Minster at Booster Stadium on Friday, Nov. 13, in an all-MAC regional semifinal. Minster routed Fort Recovery 49-7 on Friday, the Columbus Dispatch and Mansfield News Journal confirmed. Marion Local beat Minster 28-7 in Week 9, according to Heavy and Press Pros Magazine, but Hess told Press Pros Magazine: “It’s hard to beat a team twice.” The winner advances to the Region 28 final on Nov. 20.