WAPAKONETA – The defending OHSAA Division-VI state champions from Delphos St. John’s will return to the title game next weekend by virtue of their 13-7 overtime victory over Marion Local in Saturday night’s dramatic semifinal at Harmon Field.
And for the record, there was nothing ‘semi’–or even terribly ‘final’–about the evening’s outcome as the junior-class dominated Blue Jays survived a spirited challenge from their conference’s seventh-place team (Marion Local 8-6, 3-5 MAC) to fly on yet another day.
Wes Ulm scored on a quarterback-keeper-right from 14 yards out to ice the game. He was the happy beneficiary of a killer kick-out block (see #9 v #57 at 0:20 of the video) by senior FB Mitchell MacLennan.
What’s it like to make such a big play on such a big stage ?
“It felt great,” Ulm said. “After I got in the end zone a flood of emotions got control of me. It was unbelievable with half the team down there… I just can’t explain. It was just amazing.”
Unofficially. he ran for 70 yards on 16 carries. A teammate, RB Jordan Leininger, contributed 70 rushing yards (20 carries) as well.
Marion Locals’ Niles Keller produced 144 yards on 33 carries. And despite his having played for the losing team, the junior was deservedly designated the MVP Player of the Game primarily due to his being the best player on the field.
The junior tailback was understandably unavailable for comment immediately following the contest.
“We knew this was the way it was going to be,” Delphos St. John’s head coach Todd Schulte told the media about the game. “We knew it was going to be back and forth. It was a great effort on both sides of our line.”
Beating an accomplished conference rival over and over is never an easy thing to do.
“These guys just keeping finding a way to win,” continued Schulte. “They are a very determined group. And as I have said all year, they are also a very focused group.
“Big players make big plays.”
Now, the winners advance to the D-VI final to be held at Massilon’s Paul Brown Stadium (Saturday, 3pm) against their fellow undefeateds from Norwalk St. Paul.
If Delphos can win that game—and they will likely be favored to do just that—a third consecutive title the following year would become a strong possibility.
But as Ramirez duly noted in the cult classic, the Highlander: “In the end, there can be only one.”
At the conclusion of any football season that is just as true for undefeated high school teams as it is for any un-decapitated immortals. Something simply has to give.
Two fantasy sequences never make for a believable movie. They can’t exist in the same plane. They would warp both space and time.
And we can’t be having any of that.
“There has been a lot of expectations and a lot of pressure on the kids—and they have delivered so far,” said Schulte. “But we have one more (game) we have to get.”
Meanwhile, Marion Locals’ amazing ‘comeback season’ scenario is also finished—so MVP will no longer be accepting screenplay submissions.
But if you were looking for someone who might make a great Coach of the Year candidate, the Flyers’ outstanding young head coach, Tim Goodwin, could be your man.
Any coach who can motivate his program to rebound from a 5-game losing streak (as Goodwin did after loses to Delphos, St. Henry, Coldwater, New Bremen, and Versailles) to move within a single play of the championship game is performing on an abnormally high level.
It really would have the basis for a great movie if the Flyers had gone all of the way.
“We finished the season strong,” Goodwin said. “My kids put it all out on the line tonight and I am awfully proud of them.”
How did Ulm get loose on the game’s final play?
“He broke a tackle,” the veteran head coach explained. “You know, that is why we didn’t kick a field goal in overtime. We knew that we were going to need a touchdown there.”
This was a close game by anyone’s standards.
Consider this: Marion Local finished with 230 yards of total offense (171 rushing). On the other hand, Delphos St. John’s had 216 yards (185 rushing) in their winning effort.
On fourth-down-and-five (2:11 of the third quarter), Ulm found Jay Clark on a 20-yard play-action crossing pattern down to the Marion Local one-inch-line. Two plays later, he scored on a quarterback sneak to make the score: Delphos 7, Marion Local 0.
At 8:07 of the fourth quarter, Flyer senior QB Jarren Griesdorn teamed up with WR Jared Prenger on a 30-yard post route for a touchdown to tie the score and ultimately to force the game into overtime.
“You know, we were really tested by the regular season in the MAC,” Ulm finally concluded. “I think it really showed tonight.
“When two MAC teams play it doesn’t matter. Throw out the records.”
On the bright side, with the vast majority of his roster returning it looks like next season is going to be a good one for Marion Local.
“We have a lot coming back next year, we really do,” said Goodwin laughing as he pointed across the field at a still celebrating Blue Jay mob at midfield.
“But so do they.”
A final question: Just how balanced and deep is the MAC this year?
Consider that two conference teams—Delphos and Coldwater—are still alive, and they are going for state championships next weekend in D-VI and D-V respectively.
And the three teams that have actually been eliminated—St. Henry, Anna, and now Marion Local—all lost to their fellow MAC brethren… in overtime.
Football doesn’t get much better than that. That this level of parity seems to be the MAC’s normal state of being?
That’s the kind of stuff that freak shows are made of.
