A physical ground game and a stifling defense has been the recipe Marion Local’s football has used to dominate its competition this season.
The Flyers, the number-one ranked team in the state, used that combination again Friday to overwhelm West Liberty-Salem 56-0 in a Division VI regional quarterfinal.
Marion Local (12-0) has now won 28 straight games. The Flyers went 16-0 last year on their way to a Division VII state title.
The shutout by the Marion Local defense was the ninth of the season and the sixth in a row.
The Flyers rushed for 281 yards on 28 attempts and held the Tigers to 101 total yards.
Marion Local jumped out to a 21-0 lead after one quarter.
Friday’s playoff game.
The Flyers used touchdown runs of 13, 23 and 40 yards for their three first-quarter scores.
Marion Local added touchdown runs of 8 and 13 yards in the second quarter to lead 35-0 at halftime.
The Flyers increased their lead to 42-0 with a 60-yard scoring run in the third quarter and they tacked on two more TDs in the final period.
WL-S ended the night with 50 passing yards and 51 rushing yards.
Gabe McGill had 63 rushing yards on 15 carries, while Miles Hostetler was 5-of-12 through the air for 37 yards.
Dylan Glunt led the WL-S receivers with three catches for 37 yards.
The Tigers end the season with a record of 6-6.
Marion Local advances to play Versailles in the regional semifinal round.