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Marion Local's Camden Griesdorn (29, pictured) and Coldwater's Braxton Taylor have been two of the most prolific runners in the area this season, combining for 1,823 yards and 36 rushing touchdowns. The Flyers and Cavaliers meet at Cavalier Stadium on Friday.
When Coldwater and Marion Local meet, there is always some extra juice, and 50-50 money, in the air. While the Cavaliers are looking to gain playoff points in Friday's regular season finale at Cavalier Stadium, Marion Local will try to clinch another outright Midwest Athletic Conference title to take them one above Coldwater's conference-high mark of 19 total and extend an 11-year streak of the Flyers clinching at least a share of the conference.
This matchup, like many before it, will be defined by the defenses. Head coach Chip Otten's Cavs come into the matchup at 6-3 (4-3 in MAC) allowing just 15 points/game, and kept St. Henry at bay for a half a week ago before the Redskins came out on top 24-21 in St. Henry.
On the other end, Marion Local coach Tim Goodwin's defense has allowed just 80 points on the year, for an average of just below nine points/game. The Flyers are 9-0 (7-0 in MAC) after another win, their 67th regular season win in a row, as they bested Minster 28-7 at home last week. It was the fourth opponent in a row Marion has held under double-digits, and the seventh overall.
Leading the defense for Coldwater is Josh Schroer, who has a team-high 87 tackles with three tackles for loss and an interception. Jonah Gruss leads the Cavs in interceptions with two, and the five picks as a team has Coldwater at plus-4 in turnover margin. Derek Dues has nine tackles for loss with three sacks, both team highs.
For Marion it's been a balanced attack on defense. Ben Meier leads with 40 tackles, while Seth Heitkamp's 11 tackles for loss is a team-high. The Flyers have forced teams into 10 interceptions, with Max Ranly's four the high mark, while Andrew Schmackers has three for a close second.
On offense, it has been an up and down season for Coldwater, who has scored more than 21 points in just one of their previous five games. Injuries have damaged the trenches, with Charlie Stammen the lone senior lineman remaining in the once-veteran unit. Quarterback Karsyn Homan recovered from an early injury and has regained form. The senior has thrown for 919 yards and eight touchdowns with four interceptions, while completing 60% of his passes.
Homan's main target has been John Pohlman, who has 20 catches for 301 yards and three scores. Karter Freed has a team-high four receiving touchdowns and 283 yards to complement Pohlman out wide.
Coldwater's Braxton Taylor (29, pictured) and Marion Local's Camden Griesdorn have been two of the most prolific runners in the area this season, combining for 1,823 yards and 36 rushing touchdowns. The Flyers and Cavaliers meet at Cavalier Stadium on Friday.
Braxton Taylor has been efficient on the ground with 682 yards and 11 touchdowns on just 96 carries, which comes out to over seven yards-per-carry. Homan himself has six scores on the ground with 420 yards.
The Flyers' offense has been tough to judge, due in part to them pulling away so quickly in games this year. Junior quarterback Brennen Hess has done his job so far, completing 71% of his throws (64/90) for 952 yards with 14 touchdowns to just two interceptions.
Leading the pass-catching duties has been Schmackers. The senior has a team-high 27 catches and 336 yards with six scores, while Ranly leads the offense with 357 receiving yards on 19 catches with five touchdowns.
On the ground, one Flyer stands alone. Camden Griesdorn has carried the ball 189 times for 1,141 yards and a league-leading 25 rushing touchdowns. He adds five catches for 89 yards and one receiving touchdown to give him 156 points on the year.
Special teams is key in a game like this, and after Marion Local's 7-6 win last year, the unit might get a special look Friday night.
Marion Local's Ethan Simcoe has just one field goal attempt on the year (a 26-yard kick against St. Henry in week six), but has made 35 extra points with relative ease. Matching him will be Andrew Myers, who is 30-31 on point-afters and three-of-five on field goals with a long of 38.
For both teams, and their fans, this game has meaning beyond any stat or number. But when the two most winning teams in the state this century battle, every stat is important as a point could mean all the difference.
In this article we shall try to project what the possible playoff matchups for each team in the WBL and MAC may be. Once again this year, 12 teams per region will qualify for the playoffs. That means the top four teams in the computer points will earn a first-round playoff bye. The bracket for the second round will look like:
No. 1 vs. Winner of No. 8 vs. No. 9
No. 2 vs. Winner of No. 7 vs. No. 10
No. 3 vs. Winner of No. 6 vs. No. 11
No. 4 vs. Winner of No. 5 vs. No. 12
If every game in the final two weeks of the season yields the results predicted by Drew Pasteur's Fantastic 50 computer, here are the final rankings and first round playoff opponents of WBL and MAC teams. Remember, any upsets or forfeits can cause adjustments to these results.
1. Celina (9-1) 23.65
2. Ontario (9-1) 20.85
3. Seville Cloverleaf (8-2) 20.77
4. Copley (7-3) 19.40
5. Wapakoneta (7-3) 16.40
6. St. Marys Memorial (7-3) 15.25
7. Tiffin Columbian (7-3) 15.10
8. Richfield Revere (6-4) 13.75
9. Parma Padua Franciscan (5-5) 12.03
10. Maumee (5-5) 11.40
11. Grafton Midview (5-5) 11.05
12. Parma Heights Holy Name (4-5) 10.06
13. Lima Shawnee (4-6) 7.70
22. Defiance (1-9) 1.65
First Round Playoff Games
No. 1 Celina bye
No. 5 Wapakoneta vs No. 12 Parma Heights Holy Name
No. 6 St. Marys vs No. 11 Grafton Midview
This assumes Celina beats Defiance, Wapakoneta beats Bath and Shawnee loses to Ottawa-Glandorf.
As the No. 1 seed, Celina would host the winner of No. 8 Richfield Revere and No. 9 Parma Padua Franciscan. If Seville Cloverleaf wins a 50-50 game over Norton, they end up with 25.56 points and take the No. 1 seed, dropping Celina to No. 2. The Bulldogs would then host the winner of No. 7 Tiffin Columbian and No. 10 Maumee.
If Copley loses to Aurora (and they are only favored by six points) their computer points fall to 16.40 in a tie with Wapakoneta. Thus, the Redskins still have a chance at a bye to open the postseason. A huge upset loss to Bath would drop Wapakoneta to 14.35 points and a No. 7 seed and they would instead host No. 10 Maumee.
St. Marys is projected to be the No. 6 seed but could easily fall behind Tiffin Columbian if one second level point game breaks the wrong way or if Richfield Revere upsets Brecksville-Broadview Heights (supposedly a 28% chance). That would give the Roughriders a first-round game as a No. 7 seed hosting No. 10 Maumee or as a No. 8 seed playing No. 9 Parma Padua Franciscan. A loss to Elida drops also drops St. Marys to No. 8.
If Shawnee upsets Ottawa-Glandorf, they should rise to 12.80 points and the No. 9 seed. The Indians would travel to play No. 8 Richfield Revere. Otherwise they miss the postseason.
1. Ottawa-Glandorf (10-0) 28.35
2. Shelby (10-0) 28.30
3. Sandusky Perkins (10-0) 24.45
4. Clear Fork (8-2) 19.35
5. Otsego (7-3) 17.55
6. Bellevue (7-3) 16.15
7. Oberlin Firelands (6-4) 11.27
8. Medina Buckeye (5-5) 9.97
9. Millbury Lake (4-6) 8.45
10. Van Wert (5-5) 8.10
11. Marengo Highland (4-6) 7.90
12. Upper Sandusky (5-5) 7.40
13. Rossford (4-6) 7.25
16. Elida (3-7) 4.40
19. Kenton (2-8) 3.15
First Round Playoff Games
No. 1 Ottawa-Glandorf bye
No. 10 Van Wert at No. 7 Oberlin Firelands
This assumes Ottawa-Glandorf beats Shawnee, Van Wert beats Kenton and Elida loses to St. Marys.
Top seed Ottawa-Glandorf would host the winner of No. 8 Medina Buckeye and No. 9 Millbury Lake. If one second level points game breaks in Shelby's favor (such as Liberty-Benton losing to Napoleon), the Titans would drop to No. 2 and instead host the winner of the Van Wert-Oberlin Firelands game. Should Ottawa-Glandorf lose to Shawnee, they also drop to No. 2.
Van Wert is close enough to Millbury Lake and Marengo Highland that a single second level point game could move the Cougars up to No. 9 or down to No. 11. A loss to Kenton will drop Van Wert to 6.55 computer points and out of contention.
If Elida can upset St. Marys, the Bulldogs rise to 7.95 computer points and move up to the No. 11 seed and earn a trip to play No. 6 Bellevue. A loss ends Elida's season.
1. LaGrange Keystone (9-0) 26.58
2. Wooster Triway (9-1) 26.10
3. Permberville Eastwood (9-1) 22.80
4. Archbold (9-1) 20.85
5. Bluffton (9-1) 19.25
6. Castalia Margaretta (7-3) 15.68
7. Genoa Area (7-3) 15.05
8. Coldwater (6-4) 14.65
9. Richwood North Union (7-3) 14.35
10. Vermillion (7-3) 14.30
11. Port Clinton (8-2) 14.00
12. Creston Norwayne (6-4) 13.31
18. Lima Bath (3-7) 5.20
First Round Playoff Games
No. 9 North Union at No. 8 Coldwater
This assumes Coldwater loses to Marion Local. A win over the Flyers gives the Cavaliers 18.40 points and the No. 6 seed (No. 5 if Bluffton loses to 8-1 Columbus Grove). If either North Union (who plays St. Paris Graham) or Vermillion (playing Bellevue) earn upset wins, Coldwater will start the playoffs on the road, probably at Genoa Area.
1. Tri-Village (10-0) 22.53
2. Cin. College Prep (9-1) 21.12
3. Portsmouth West (8-2) 17.45
4. Mechanicsburg (8-2) 16.70
5. Madison-Plains (8-1) 16.28
6. Versailles (7-3) 16.00
7. Chillicothe Huntington (7-3) 15.98
8. St. Henry (7-3) 15.90
9. Zane Trace (8-2) 15.77
10. Deer Park (8-2) 15.49
11. Covington (7-3) 14.21
12. St. Bernard-Elmwood Pl. (7-2) 13.90
13. Miami Valley Christian (7-3) 13.62
14. Anna (6-4) 9.90
First Round Playoff Games
No. 11 Covington at No. 6 Versailles
No. 9 Zane Trace at No. 8 St. Henry
This assumes Versailles defeats Anna and St. Henry beats Delphos St. John's. All these matchups are subject to change as a close look shows No. 5 through No. 10 are all within a second-level point game or two of reshuffling the seeding.
Watch for Zane Trace who is only a two-point underdog to Chillicothe Unioto. A win moves them from No. 9 to No. 3 and shifts the current No. 3 through No. 8 teams down one slot.
The next toughest game for this group is Versailles hosting Anna. A loss will drop the Tigers to 13.30 points and only a 17% chance to rise above a final 13th place ranking.
Speaking of that game, a win by Anna gives the Rockets 12.65 points, which would leave them still in 14th place. The computer says Anna would only have a 1% chance to earn a playoff invitation.
St. Henry is heavily favored to defeat Delphos St. John's which would place the Redskins at No. 8 with 15.90 computer points. However, look how close St. Henry is to the teams above them. As an example, a Coldwater win over Marion Local would give the Redskins an extra 0.35 points, which would move them up to No. 6. As with Versailles, St. Henry will fall one spot if Zane Trace upsets Unioto.
1. Marion Local (10-0) 24.95
2. Ansonia (9-1) 18.91
3. Riverside (8-2) 12.90
4. Waynesfield-Goshen (8-2) 12.24
5. Minster (7-3) 12.10
6. New Bremen (5-5) 9.65
7. Cincinnati Country Day (4-6) 7.63
8. Tri-County North (6-4) 6.73
9. Fort Loramie (5-5) 6.60
10. Upper Scioto Valley (5-5) 4.25
11. Fort Recovery (3-7) 4.13
12. Manchester (4-5) 2.92
13. S. Char. Southeastern (4-6) 2.75
First Round Playoff Games
No. 1 Marion Local bye
No. 12 Manchester at No. 5 Minster
No. 11 Fort Recovery at
No. 6 New Bremen
Marion Local will be the No. 1 seed win or lose against Coldwater. After their bye week the Flyers will play the winner of No. 8 vs No. 9, currently projected to be either Tri-County North or Fort Loramie. Fort Loramie would be heavily favored in that matchup.
Minster is projected to remain the No. 5 seed with a win or a loss to Fort Recovery. The Wildcats would face No. 12 Manchester, whom they defeated 75-14 in the first round of the 2024 playoffs. With a win and little second level point help from either Coldwater or Fort Loramie, Minster would rise to a No. 4 seed and a first-round bye before hosting the victor between No. 5 Waynesfield-Goshen and No. 12 Manchester.
New Bremen is heavily favored to defeat Parkway but should remain the No. 6 seed win or lose. If Cincinnati Country Day upsets Clark Montessori (computer says a 47% chance), they probably rise to 9.93 points and drop the Cardinals to a No. 7 seed. New Bremen would then host No. 10 Upper Scioto Valley instead, and if victorious would travel to face No. 2 Ansonia in the second round instead of No. 3 Riverside.
Fort Recovery should finish with the No. 11 seed if they lose to Minster. If the Indians win the matchup, their computer points rise to 6.80, which could result in a No. 8 seed and a home playoff game against Tri-County North. Note the Indians would have a slim margin over both Tri-County North and Fort Loramie, and several games could allow those teams to finish above Fort Recovery. The most likely would be a win by Anna over Versailles, which would move Fort Loramie back above the Indians.
A quick look at the rest of the area schedule:
• Celina at Defiance. Celina will look to wrap up its best regular season showing in two decades, facing a Defiance defense that ranks last in the WBL in total defense and scoring defense. Noah Talmadge is 173 yards away from reaching 1,000 rushing yards.
Defiance has struggled since winning its season opener with Napoleon.
• St. Marys at Elida. Dyllan Fink will look to put a bow on his WBL-leading rushing season. In last three games, Fink has rushed for 688 yards. Game will be a matchup of the best running game in the WBL (345.8 yards per game for St. Marys) vs. the worst (83.9 yards/game.
• Fort Recovery at Minster. The Indians will be looking for their first win over the Wildcats since winning 28-27 in overtime in 2017 at Memorial Field. Breaker Jutte leads the Indians in rushing (427 yards), scoring (60) and tackles (82)
Minster has hit a bump in the road after opening the season 6-0 with losses to Anna, St. Henry and Marion Local. Tyler Bergman leads a balanced Wildcat receiving corps with 473 yards on 37 receptions.
• St. Henry at Delphos St. John's. The Redskins will look to wrap up the regular season having won seven of their last eight after losing both non-conference contests. Drew Langenkamp is eight yards away from reaching 1,000 rushing yards on the season.
The Blue Jays scored 40 points in their season opening win over Lehman, but have scored 41 points in the next eight games with four shutouts. St. John's has not scored in its last 11 quarters.
• Parkway at New Bremen. The Panthers will look to end the first season for coach Keenan Leichty with a win at New Bremen. Receiver Isaac Beveridge has 26 catches for 448 yards and six scores. Cardinal RB Jacob Kelly and QB Gavin Dicke have combined for 1,345 rushing yards and 24 touchdowns this season.
Dyllan Fink, RB, St. Marys
Adam Jacob, LB, CelinaCelina at Defiance
St. Marys at Elida
Ottawa-Glandorf at Shawnee
Bath at Wapakoneta
Van Wert at Kenton
Marion Local at Coldwater
St. Henry at St. John's
Fort Recovery at Minster
Parkway at New Bremen
Anna at Versailles
| WBL | Overall | |
| Ottawa-Glandorf-* | 8-0 | 9-0 |
| Celina | 7-1 | 8-1 |
| Wapakoneta | 6-2 | 6-3 |
| St. Marys | 5-3 | 6-3 |
| Shawnee | 5-3 | 6-3 |
| Van Wert | 4-4 | 4-5 |
| Bath | 3-5 | 3-6 |
| Elida | 2-6 | 3-6 |
| Kenton | 2-6 | 2-7 |
| Defiance | 0-8 | 1-8 |
| MAC | Overall | |
| Marion Local | 7-0 | 9-0 |
| St. Henry | 6-1 | 6-3 |
| Anna | 5-2 | 6-3 |
| Coldwater | 4-3 | 6-3 |
| Minster | 4-3 | 6-3 |
| Versailles | 4-3 | 6-3 |
| New Bremen | 2-5 | 4-5 |
| Fort Recovery | 2-5 | 3-6 |
| Parkway | 1-6 | 2-7 |
| St. John's | 0-7 | 1-8 |
