Flyers shut out Indians

MARIA STEIN - Fort Recovery coach Wes Wenning said there were positive takeaways from Friday's loss to Marion Local.

But the Indians had too many negatives to compete against a juggernaut like the Flyers.

After recovering a fumble on the opening kickoff return, Marion Local scored an early touchdown and kept rolling, taking a 26-0 lead into halftime before coming away with a 33-0 victory - the Flyers' first shutout of the season. They improved to 7-0 overall and 5-0 in Midwest Athletic Conference play. The Indians dropped to 2-5 and 1-4 in league play.

"When you play against a well-coached football team, you can't make mistakes like the fumble on the opening kickoff and the turnovers," Wenning said.

"There was a lot of ugly out there and things you didn't want to see," he added. "But there were some positives. We're just looking to build on positive performance."

It was all positive on the other side. The Flyers finished with a 322-103 advantage in total yards. Their defense has allowed only 66 points through seven games.

"Every game in this league is tough," Marion Local coach Tim Goodwin said. "We're enjoying being able to win these games. We go back to work the next week to try to clean up some things. But the kids have a great attitude. They're having fun."

Camden Griesdorn torched the Indians with 193 yards rushing and three touchdowns.

Andrew Schmackers scored a touchdown and had two of Marion's four interceptions. He also tipped a pass that led to another pick.

"He's a good player and he's been a good player for two years," Goodwin said of Schmackers. "It's a team game. Some nights, it will be his night. Some nights, it will be someone else's turn. It's obviously good to have him on your team."

After the Indians fumbled the opening kickoff, Ben Meier took a handoff 26 yards up the middle for a touchdown with 11:16 left in the first quarter.

Fort Recovery moved into Marion Local territory on its next possession behind two completions from quarterback Braylon Dilworth to Isaac Roessner, but the drive ended when Marion Local's Max Ranly intercepted a pass.

Marion Local then drove 74 yards to score a touchdown. Griesdorn ripped off a 35-yard run and converted two third downs with his legs before scoring on a one-yard run with 5:03 remaining in the quarter. Ethan Simcoe added the extra point to make it 13-0.

The Flyers struck again late in the quarter after Schmackers tipped a Fort Recovery pass, allowing teammate Brennen Hess to make an interception. Starting at its own 35, Marion Local again marched down the field, with Griesdorn breaking a 12-yard touchdown run with 2:15 left. Simcoe's PAT made it 20-0.

Early in the second quarter, Schmackers took a shovel pass from Hess and outraced the defense to the pylon for a five-yard touchdown.

Fort Recovery put together its best sustained possession of the game afterward, holding the ball for about seven minutes and driving to the Marion Local 13. But a sack on third-and-medium and an incomplete pass on fourth-and-14 ended the threat.

Griesdorn had 128 rushing yards by halftime. He ripped off another big-chunk run to start the second half and later scored a one-yard touchdown to wrap up the scoring summary.

"They have talent and they have played a lot of teams tough," Goodwin said. "They had a tough loss last week. They had a great chance at winning that game and they didn't do it. We wanted to get off to a fast start and try to continue that feeling. That's our job."

Business continues for Marion next week in New Bremen.

The Indians have suffered three straight losses, but there's reason for positivity with the team still vying for a spot in the Division VII, Region 28 playoffs. They finish the season with consecutive home games against Parkway and New Bremen and then a trip to Minster.

"I feel like we have some top-end leadership which goes unnoticed," Wenning said. "But when guys have spirit out there and they're still leading despite circumstances, that's how I know the culture is in a good spot."