Marion Local football schedule, streak have reached Coldwater hurdle, 50/50 intrigue

This is the week everyone in Maria Stein, Ohio circles on the calendar.

It's Marion Local. It's Coldwater. It's the best small school high school football rivalry in the country.

And it's here on Friday night.

Coldwater will travel to Marion Local to take on the Flyers in a game that has so much meaning, from the 23 combined state championships to the massive 50/50 drawing to the brilliant encapsulation of what football means in this part of Ohio.

For those keeping score at home: The 50/50 winner in 2024 took home $22,480.

There's less at stake in this game than there is some years.

Marion Local (9-0) has already clinched a share of the Midwest Athletic Conference title, and they take it outright with a win. Coldwater (6-3) can't get a piece of the title. They can only play a bit of spoiler and get St. Henry a share of the conference with an upset.

Of course, the biggest thing at stake in all these regular season weeks now for Marion Local is the win streak.

The Flyers have the longest active high school winning streak in the country. It's 73 wins in a row entering Friday night.

There's also nothing on the line in the playoff picture for Marion Local, which has already clinched the No. 1 seed in Division VII, Region 28 as the Flyers chase a record 16th state championship.

Coldwater has plenty to play for in Division VI, Region 24. They're currently the No. 4 seed, but can ascend as high as No. 1 with a win and drop as far as No. 9 with a loss. In this new setup of 12 playoff teams per region, a top-four seed is needed for a first-round bye.

Marion Local has had a couple of close calls this season, and if there was ever a "throw-the-records-out-the-window" game, it's this matchup.

But until proven otherwise, the Flyers have to be favored. They know they'll have a bye in Week 11 in the new playoff format, so this is a chance to go into a rare off week with another undefeated regular season and big aspirations for another playoff run.

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