Marion Local (12-1) earned the top seed and a first-round bye in the Division VII Region 28 playoffs after a fifth-straight 10-0 regular season. St. Henry, the No. 2 seed, scored 24 unanswered points after trailing 7-0 in the first quarter.
Senior
Charlie Werling scored four times on runs of 3, 45, 12 and 5 yards for St. Henry.
History suggests it won't be long before Marion Local puts together another win streak under head coach Tim Goodwin, who has guided the program to 15 state titles since 1999. (FILE PHOTO: Jeff Harwell)
The Marion Local streak was in jeopardy several times this season as three of the final five regular season games were decided by one point. The Flyers beat St. Henry back in September and 17 straight times overall.
St. Henry's last win against the Flyers came in 2009.
Marion Local head coach Tim Goodwin has led the program since 1999, compiling 337 victories in 385 games and leading the Flyers to 15 state championships.
The streak began at the start of the 2021 season with a 31-6 win over
Wapakoneta and ignited four straight state championship campaigns. The Flyers' last loss came in 2020, ending a near-perfect season in the state final against
New Bremen.
Garden City (N.Y.), which has won 65 straight entering its Saturday playoff tilt with
Long Beach (N.Y.), now owns the nation's longest win streak.
St. Henry (11-1) advances to play
Columbus Grove the Division VII semifinals next week. State championship games are scheduled for Dec. 6 at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium.
