Marion Local adds another title
Marion Local 52, Cornerstone 51, 2 OT
Playing tight end and defensive end on Maria Stein Marion Local’s state championship football team didn’t exactly prepare Tyler Mescher for the moment of his life Saturday.
The 6-foot-2, 240-pounder said his knees were knocking before he stepped up to the free-throw line with 2.6 seconds left in the second overtime and his team trailing Cornerstone Christian by one point in the Division IV state title game.
“Nothing in football compares to standing up there in front of everybody with the state championship on your shoulders,” Mescher said. “There, you’re just one of 11 guys. I got a little nervous and couldn’t stand still, but Tyler Prenger walked up to me and said, ‘Calm down. You can do this,’ and it helped a lot.”
Both of Mescher’s foul shots tap-danced around the rim before dropping through the net, and Marion Local came away with a scintillating 52-51 victory before 9,620 fans at Value City Arena.
Marion Local (25-4) became only the fourth team in history to win football and basketball titles in the same season. Ten members of the basketball team also played football. This marked the program’s third basketball title, and first since 2003.
“This is like a dream come true for any kid who has ever played basketball,” said Mescher, who finished with 18 points and nine rebounds. He was hacked on what would have been an easy layup.
Cornerstone Christian (21-8) had a final chance, but after inbounding from under the Marion Local basket, Michael Bothwell was smothered by a doubleteam. Titus Wheeler’s midcourt heave was off the mark.
“What a whale of a high school basketball game,” Marion Local coach Kurt Goettemoeller said. “We got down at the end of regulation and during both overtimes, but we didn’t panic. We told them just to compete. We just had faith that they’d find a way to get it done. These kids have a lot of mental toughness.”
Trailing by five points late in regulation, Nathan Bruns hit a big three-pointer. With just 11.8 seconds left in the first overtime, Bruns delivered with another game-tying three after a magnificent cross-court pass by Colin Everman from near mid-court into the far corner.
“Colin may have only scored, what, two points, but in my mind there’s the unsung hero of the game,” Goettemoeller said.
In the second overtime, Cornerstone took a 51-50 lead with 26 seconds remaining when Ricky Adams hit a three-pointer from the corner while falling on his behind. That set up the dramatics from Mescher, who rolled off a screen under the basket to draw a foul.
“Give a heck of a lot of credit to Marion Local,” Cornerstone coach Dan Selle said. “They are so well-coached and well-prepared. We just couldn’t knock them down. Obviously, they’re not afraid of the big stage. They delivered every time they needed to.”
Bruns, the quarterback on the football team, totaled 18 points and 14 rebounds.
Bothwell, the Division IV player of the year and a Furman signee, capped his career with 23 points. He was the only Patriots player in double figures.