Fort falls to No. 1 Flyers

FORT RECOVERY — For 5:09, the Indians were able to do something that has been rare over the course of the last two seasons. They had a lead against Marion Local.
Two Cole Hull touchdown runs in a span of less than two minutes gave the Division VII No. 10 Fort Recovery High School football team a 13-7 lead Friday. But the top-ranked Flyers reclaimed the advantage by the end of the first quarter as they defeated the Indians 48-19 Friday.
Three-time defending champion Marion Local (8-0, 6-0 Midwest Athletic Conference), which went 15-0 last season, needed just two plays to reach the end zone after holding the Indians to a three-and-out on their opening drive. But when the Tribe got the ball back, Cole Hull was ready to do the Flyers one better.
Running a simple off-tackle play to the left, the senior running back hit a hole in the line and found nothing but green grass in front of him. He sprinted all the way to the end zone while Hunter Wilker of Marion Local tried in vain to track him down.
A botched snap on the next Flyer drive gave the ball back to Fort Recovery, and the home team was more than happy to take advantage.
Hull sprinted around the right side for 20 yards on the first play of the drive, and then ran twice more to leave the Tribe with a third-and-1 from the 9-yard line. Coach Brent Niekamp called his senior’s number again, and Hull started to the right side. But with a wall of linemen in front of him, he reversed course to the left, got around the corner and dived over a pair of Marion Local defenders and across the goal line for the six-point FRHS lead.
The advantage lasted for just over five minutes — the length of time it took Marion Local to drive back down the field. Jacy Goettemoeller’s 7-yard run and Peyton Kramer’s extra point put the Flyers back ahead for good.
Goettemoeller added two more TDs, one on a 76-yard run and the other on a 65-yard pass from Dustin Rethman as Marion Local took a 34-13 advantage at halftime.
The lead ball carriers for both teams cleared the 200-yard rushing mark, with Hull gaining 201 yards on 23 attempts for Fort Recovery. Caleb Martin added 68 yards through the air, and Wes Wenning caught six passes for 41 yards. Wenning hauled in a 3-yard touchdown pass from Mitch Stammen.
Goettemoeller racked up 241 yards on 19 carries as he added a 7-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. Rethman had 128 yards on 7-of-13 passing.