Two storied high school football programs collided Saturday, Dec. 4 in the Division VII state championship game in Canton, but the final result wasn’t a storybook ending for Newark Catholic.
The Green Wave (14-2), making their 15th appearance in the state final since 1975 and bidding for their ninth title, fell behind early and succumbed to Maria Stein Marion Local 42-7 in Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium.
Newark Catholic finished as the state runner-up for the seventh time in school history. Marion Local (16-0), a western Ohio small-school powerhouse in a predominantly Catholic area, claimed its state-record 12th championship.
No other high school from the Diocese of Columbus advanced past the early rounds of the playoffs this year.
Newark Catholic moved through the expanded playoffs with five consecutive postseason wins, beating Warren John F. Kennedy 14-7 in the semifinals. The team’s only regular-season loss was by seven points to Division IV Heath on Oct. 15.
In the championship game, the Green Wave fell behind 21-0 in the first quarter before closing to 21-7 in the second quarter on a 10-yard touchdown pass from Cole Canter to Mason Hackett, but Newark Catholic was unable to reach the end zone again against Marion Local.
Canter, a senior quarterback who was named second-team All-Ohio in Division VII, completed 12 of 26 passes for 103 yards and the one touchdown with two interceptions. Hackett, a first-team All-Ohio running back as a junior, led the team in rushing with 31 yards on nine carries and had a team-high nine tackles on defense.
Also named first-team All-Ohio from Newark Catholic was senior linebacker Elijah Wallace, who finished the game with eight tackles.
Portsmouth Notre Dame’s Bob Ashley was named the Division VII coach of the year after guiding the Titans to a 7-3 overall record that included a first-round playoff loss to Troy Christian. The team’s two regular-season losses were by six points each.