by Day three of the OHSAA Football State Championships kicked-off Saturday morning at 10:00a.m. in a contest pitting No. 7 Lucas against No. 1 Maria Stein Marion Local. Both teams arrived at Tom Benson Stadium with 12-2 records- Lucas advancing off of a tight 15-12 win over Canal Winchester Harvest Prep, and the Flyers flying into the championship after defeating Hamler Patrick Henry 40-6.
Marion Local struck first with a 1-yard drive by Dylan Heitkemp putting 6 on the board after the Flyers kept the ball on a roughing the passer penalty. Alex Klosterman put the ball through the uprights to secure the extra point attempt and gave the Flyers the early 7-0 lead. Brandon Fleck was looking to put the Flyers in dangerous territory with a 36-yard run on first down to move the ball to the 13, but the clock would wind down to close out the first quarter.
Fleck was hot on his heels as the teams returned to the field for the start of the second quarter, and with 11:21 on the clock an 8-yard sprint moved him over the line and a Klosterman extra point doubled the lead.
Lucas was looking to regain their footing as Logan Niswander picked off a pass intended for Charles Huelsman, running for 21-yards on the return to position the ball on the 22-yard line. The Cubs were able to maintain possession of the ball as they inched down the field, but two incomplete attempts allowed Marion Local to take over on downs.
The score remained 14-0 at half.
Fleck tacked his second touchdown of the game after powering through for a 6-yard drive on 2nd and 6. The fire lit underneath Lucas, and Carson Hauger immediately ran for 96 yards on the touchdown return- earning both six points to the score and the record for longest touchdown return in OHSAA Football Championship Game history.
“I just had to make a move,” Hauger recalled. “Hats off to our entire kickoff return, it was perfect.”
The last score of the game secured a 28-6 victory for the Flyers as Fleck found his footing in the end zone for the third time, and Marion Local claimed their 11th championship title.
“For us, being as little kids, we were blessed enough to be able to watch the older kids go compete for state championships,” senior quarterback Kyle Muhlenkamp said. “You kind of set that goal for yourself, like ‘wow, I want to do that when I grow up’. And now that we’re here, and we actually get to do it, it’s pretty awesome.”
Muhlenkamp led the Flyers in passing, going 8-12 for 55 yards. On the ground, Heitkamp led in rushing with 26 yards. For the Cubs, Niswander went 10-17 through the air for 121 yards while Ethan Sauder rushed for 24 yards.
