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Marion Local's Parker Hess (45) pushes Minster defenders away during Friday's Division VII regional final at Wapakoneta's Mercy Health/Wapak VFW Field. The Flyers defeated the Wildcats 21-7 to advance to the state semifinals next Friday.
WAPAKONETA - Marion Local and Minster faced off on a cold, wet and windy night to determine the Division VII Region 28 championship, just a few weeks after the Wildcats held the Flyers to their lowest point total this season.
Marion Local scored in the first quarter, then the Flyer defense turned back the Minster offense twice in the red zone to preserve the lead. Ethan Heitkamp eventually broke the game open with a fourth quarter 82-yard touchdown run which led to the 21-7 Marion Local victory.
The Flyers now have had a running clock victory in 17 of their last 20 games, with all three exceptions being when their opponent was the Wildcats.
"Minster is a great competitor," stated Marion Local coach Tim Goodwin. "We appreciate teams like Minster that can rise up and fight you tooth and nail."
"Hats off to them, they're a very, very good football team," complimented Minster coach Seth Whiting, "and they obviously are going to go on to win a state championship."
The Wildcats received the opening kickoff and drove into Marion Local territory for the first of five times during the evening. But soon after crossing midfield, quarterback Brogan Stephey was sacked by Kyle Ungruhn which forced a punt.
Minster's Brogan Stephey (12) attempts to get away from Marion Local Benton Seitz.
The Flyers responded with eleven plays highlighted by a 38-yard Parker Hess run. Heitkamp plunged into the end zone from one yard out to give Marion Local a 7-0 lead late in the opening period.
After the teams exchanged punts, Minster used the remainder of the half on a 13-play drive. After reaching the Flyer five, an incomplete backwards pass took the Wildcats back to the 13-yard line and a sack by Drew Lause sent both teams to the locker room.
The Wildcat defense stopped Marion Local on the opening drive after intermission, then the offense again penetrated the Flyer red zone. On a fourth down run at the eight-yard line, Brogan Stephey was stopped cold to end another Minster threat.
"You bow your back and count on your guys to make a play," said Goodwin. "That one right before half was just huge."
"We had opportunities. We were in the red zone twice. We are now 2-for-11 scoring in the red zone in the last four games (against the Flyers)," noted Whiting. " There is a reason they don't give up points."
The teams again exchanged punts, with Marion Local stuck deep in their own territory early in the fourth quarter. Ethan Heitkamp took a handoff, putting his hand on the ground as he worked through the line of scrimmage. He then broke several tackles before being escorted by a crew of teammates 82 yards for a touchdown which opened the lead to 14-0.
"Ethan hadn't played offense in almost ten weeks. He tweeked his knee, so he only played defense," explained Goodwin. "There was a point in time in the third-fourth quarter where I was like, '46 is the best player on the field. Let's get him the ball.' At that point it's not about plays, it's about players. I didn't think he had the speed to do that, but the guys around him did a great job of herding him into the end zone."
After stopping the Wildcats on downs, the Flyers used five Heitkamp runs to set up a two-yard score by Parker Hess, which expanded the lead to 21-0. Minster then took to the air, with Stephey completing five of nine passes, including a 34-yard scoring strike to James Niemeyer which accounted for the final 21-7 score.
The teams combined for very few penalties and no turnovers throughout the game. "Not only was there not a turnover in the game, the ball was never on the ground," noted Goodwin. "That was obviously a big key in weather like this and hitting like this. Let's face it, neither team has been hit like this in a while."
Marion Local did most of their damage on the ground, rushing for 287 yards. Heitkamp led the way with 162 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries. Besides Heitkamp, Hess gained 76 yards on 15 carries, while Justin Knouff added 46 yards. The Flyers also held Minster to just 57 rushing yards on 32 carries.
Minster's James Niemeyer (15) tries to pull down the ball as he is defended by Marion Local's Ryan Homan (6) and Daniel Everman (8) during Friday's Division VII regional final at Wapakoneta.
The Wildcats did most of their damage through the air, with Stephey completing 11 of 21 passes for 171 yards. Niemeyer caught five passes for 105 yards and a score.
The victory was the 62nd consecutive win for the Flyers. Marion Local has now advanced to the state semifinals for the 13th time in the last 14 years and will face Columbus Grove (14-0). which defeated Delphos St. John's 14-0 in the Region 26 final in Lima. The teams last played in the 2022 Division VI state semifinal with the Flyers winning 27-0.
Minster's season ends with an 11-3 record.
"I am so proud of our kids," said Whiting. "We had seniors that battled back from two ACL surgeries. We had a senior battle back from a broken collarbone surgery. Brogan had the hip repair and the arm. Gabe Bornhorst has been beat up and hurt all year. Evan Prenger has been playing hurt since week one. Our kids are fighters. They're tough kids. A tip of our hat to Marion Local for what they were able to do."
