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Marion Local's Kamden Eifert (36) stays ahead of the Coldwater defense during Friday's game at Booster Stadium. The Flyers got a kick-off return touchdown by Andrew Schmackers to hold off Coldwater 7-6.
MARIA STEIN - As the saying goes, it takes special players to make special plays.
In Marion Local's 7-6 win over Coldwater, it took a lot of special teams with no offensive scores over the 48 minutes of game time.
"We rose up when we had to," Marion coach Tim Goodwin said. "We did enough."
The win gives Marion Local yet another undefeated Midwest Athletic Conference title, its fifth straight 8-0 mark in conference play. It extends what is now nine MAC titles in a row for the Flyers to tie them with Coldwater at 19 total. It is also win number 74 in a row for the Marion, the nation's longest active streak.
"They find a way to win," Coldwater coach Chip Otten said. "They always find a way."
It was far from comfortable for the Marion faithful at Booster Stadium. After the Flyers marched down to the Coldwater 13 yard line off the back of Kamden Eifert's 32-yard run, two incomplete passes on third and fourth down gave the ball to the Cavaliers.
Coldwater had a similar opening drive. After a 10-play drive mostly on the ground, the Cavs failed to pick up a fourth and one to give the ball back to Marion on their own 41.
After the pair of stalled drives, a punt fest broke out. The next four drives (two by each team) resulted in punts. Marion had a good drive going after a Coldwater punt, but it was again a failed fourth down pickup. On the ensuing drive by the Cavs, it was a three and out and another punt.
Battling the clock with two minutes left in the first half, Brennen Hess' pass was intercepted by Max Ross and returned to the Coldwater 28. It gave the Cavs a chance to break the scoreless tie going into the half. After picking up a third and 10, the Flyer defense forced a sack and Coldwater ran the clock out. At the half, it was 0-0.
The first half included five combined punts and eight combined completions as both defenses were getting stops. It was clear that Coldwater targeted Marion's lead back Eifert, as the powerful back could not get anything going after his 32-yard opening run.
Coldwater's Karsyn Homan (15) looks for a block from teammate Bennett Spriggs during Friday's game at Marion Local.
For Marion's defense, it was a tough ask to stop quarterback Karsyn Homan, who had a couple explosive runs in key spots to extend drives. Still, both teams were pitching a shutout and were waiting for their respective offenses to start making plays.
The second half opened up with two straight punts, one by each team. It was not without a highlight though. Facing a fourth and one, Marion sent out the punting unit. The snap was low, and Flyer punter Thomas Winner decided to pick up the loose pigskin and "dashed" for two yards, enough for a first down. The drive ended up stalling and Winner actually punted it just a few plays later.
Coldwater took over on their own 37 and went on a drive that would make the I-70 semi-trucks blush. It lasted 12 plays and included some big time throws by Homan. The first was on third and seven, as Homan found Cadin Obringer for an 11-yard gain. Two plays later, a holding call made it second and 21, but Homan had back-to-back completions, one to Nolan Gruss for 17 yards and another to Schroer to pick up the first down.
The Cavs continued the march and the drive ended with points. Bryce Couchot nailed a 40-yard field goal that would have been good from 50 to give Coldwater a 3-0 lead with 1:39 left in the third.
The lead did not last long. The ensuing kickoff was caught by Andrew Schmackers at the two-yard line, and he did not stop until he reached the end-zone 98 yards later. Winner's extra-point was good, and the Flyers were in front 7-3 just 15 seconds later.
It remained 7-3 going into the fourth, and Coldwater opened the final frame with possession. Another 10-play drive followed and was aided by a face-mask call against Marion, its only penalty of the game.
Homan picked up a third down and eight on a scramble, but three plays later Coldwater faced fourth down on Marion's 14 yard-line. Couchot was sent out again, and made his second kick of the night to cut the Flyer lead to 7-6. The drive ate up nearly five minutes of clock and Marion took over with just under seven minutes left.
Coldwater did not get the ball back. 14 plays and seven minutes later, Marion clinched the win. There were three standout plays on the drive, all by the Flyer's go-to players.
"You kind of know what they're going to do, it's just whether you can stop it. We couldn't stop it," Otten said.
Facing a fourth and one on their own side of the field, Kamden Eifert used his strength to pick up a hard two yards on the second effort. Five plays later on third and six, Hess threw a pass to Mescher, and the senior caught it through contact to pick up seven. Two plays later, Mescher took a reverse 33 yards and smartly got down in Coldwater territory to keep the clock moving.
Coldwater's Caleb Schroer (left) closes in on Marion Local's Brayden Mescher.
"He's our leader by far, an elite leader, so it didn't surprise me that he knew the situation," Goodwin said.
Eifert picked up another first down a couple of plays later to seal the game. Coldwater tried to let the Marion running back score, as to get a chance with the ball down eight, but Eifert dropped to the turf and the clock ticked down. He only had two runs past five yards in the second half, but his final carry was the biggest.
With the win Marion ties the all-time series against Coldwater, 35-35-4. The Flyers have not lost against the Cavs since 2018.
"I saw the same thing in a lot of big games, not great play but a lot of guts," Goodwin said. "We don't have a lot of this or a lot of that, but we've got a lot of guts."
