Aviation Hall of Fame induction
MidFirst balloon festival
You've been spotted: 2008 Air Show
DIVISION V STATE CHAMPIONSHIP
Late defensive TD gives Marion fourth state title
Flyers also scored on blocked punt, silenced foe's ground game.
Saturday, December 01, 2007
MASSILLON — After watching film of Marion Local High School's football team and then seeing them live, one thing stood out for Youngstown Ursuline coach Dan Reardon.
"They were much taller than I expected them to be. I know that sounds crazy," Reardon said. "When you have a 5-foot-8 quarterback, having tall defensive linemen makes a difference."
Extras
Actually, it was the difference in a game where big plays ruled. Marion's Luke Bertke — the Flyers' second tallest player — picked off a fourth-quarter screen pass and returned it for a touchdown to give Marion a 20-14 win over Ursuline in the Division V state title game. The championship, in front of 5,780 spectators at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium, was Marion's second straight and fourth overall.
"I remember catching it right by my face mask. I snagged it and kept on running," the 6-foot-4 Bertke said of his first touchdown this season.
The win capped Marion Local's 15-0 march, including a 5-0 playoff run that saw them outscore opponents 176-34. The Flyers shut down a Fighting Irish ground game that averaged 250 yards. Ursuline got 98 yards running into Marion's stone-wall defense Friday. The only nick was a 76-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Lamar McQueen to Dale Peterman early in the second quarter.
Ursuline's (12-3) other score came on Justin Brown's 50-yard fumble return after sure-handed Luke Homan was stripped for the first time this season. That score tied it at 14 with 7:37 left in the game.
Still, the Flyers didn't panic in their tightest game this season. Just three plays later, Bertke intercepted McQueen's pass for the Flyers' second defensive score. Marion's Dustin Heitkamp tied the game at 7-all when he fell on an Ursuline punt in the end zone after Greg Koesters blocked it.
"I saw (the punter) fumble and I knew it was 'go' time," Koesters said.
Just like the Flyers always seem to do in the postseason. Running back Ben Schaefer (19 carries for 70 yards) and quarterback Chris Stucke (12 for 70) ground out almost all of Marion's 142 yards rushing. Stucke, who threw for 76 yards, also hit Alex Moeller for a 22-yard TD pass.
"We wanted to have our line wear them down, keep hitting them from the start of the whistle to the end of the whistle," Stucke said. "Hopefully, wear them down and score in the fourth to win it."
Ursuline's last two possessions never went past its own 25-yard line. Marion ran out the clock on the Irish 5-yard line to set off another state celebration for the Flyers.
| MARION LOCAL 20, | ||||||
| YOUNGSTOWN URSULINE 14 | ||||||
| Marion Local | 0 | 14 | 0 | 6 | ?Äî | 20 |
| Youngs. Ursuline | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | ?Äî | 14 |
| SECOND QUARTER | ||||||
| YU: Dale Peterman 76 yd pass from Lamar McQueen (Mike Metzinger kick) 11:09 | ||||||
| ML: Dustin Heitkamp blocked punt return in end zone (Dan Fortkamp kick) 4:34 | ||||||
| ML: Alex Moeller 22 yd pass from Chris Stucke (Fortkamp kick) 1:14 | ||||||
| FOURTH QUARTER | ||||||
| YU: Justin Brown 50 yd fumble recovery (Metzinger kick) 7:37 | ||||||
| ML: Luke Bertke 19 yd interception return (kick failed) 5:36 | ||||||
| TEAM STATISTICS | ||||||
| YUrs | MLoc | |||||
| First downs | 10 | 12 | ||||
| Rushes-yards | 39-98 | 38-142 | ||||
| Passing | 101 | 76 | ||||
| Comp-Att-Int | 3-16-2 | 6-16-1 | ||||
| Return Yards | 53 | 134 | ||||
| Punts-Avg. | 5-21.8 | 2-40.5 | ||||
| Fumbles-Lost | 0-0 | 2-2 | ||||
| Penalties-Yards | 8-60 | 6-52 | ||||
| Time of Possession | 23:13 | 24:47 | ||||
| INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS | ||||||
| RUSHING ?ÄîYoungstown Ursuline, McQueen 18-69, Jones 6-20, Mason 12-11, Wright 1-3. Maria Stein Marion Local, CStucke 12-70, Schaefer 19-70, Smith 2-4, MMoeller 1-4. | ||||||
| PASSING ?Äî Youngstown Ursuline, McQueen 3-16-2-101. Maria Stein Marion Local, CStucke 6-16-1-76. | ||||||
| RECEIVING?ÄîYoungstown Ursuline, Peterman 3-101. Maria Stein Marion Local, AMoeller 3-54, MMoeller 2-19, Smith 1-3. | ||||||
