Ohio's Marion Local riding historic win streak that could crack national all-time record books by end of 2025

Outside of the Buckeye State, Marion Local High School isn’t a name that’s going to register with high school football fans in the same way as a Mater Dei (Santa Ana, CA), Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, NV) or IMG Academy (Bradenton, FL). Playing in the Ohio High School Athletic Association’s Division VII, the lowest-enrollment division in the state, the Flyers mostly fly under the radar on the national scene.

Marion Local is located in the tiny hamlet of Maria Stein near Ohio's western boundary with Indiana. It's generally a quiet, peaceful locale that isn't known for generating headlines outside of football season. That changed this spring when the historic St. John the Baptist Catholic Church caught fire on May 29, generating a massive response from first responders in the area who rushed to the scene. The church, which was built in 1889, was gutted, but thanks to the quick actions of those emergency personnel, it wasn't a total loss.

Generally, the only major fireworks in town are on the gridiron at Marion Local where the football team has strung four consecutive 16-0 seasons together to extend the nation's current longest winning streak in high school football to 64 games. The Flyers have added four OHSAA state championship trophies to their case in that span.

In a presentation this spring at the American Football Coaches Association Convention, Marion Local Principal and Head Football Coach Tim Goodwin detailed his formula for success, a process that starts with setting clear expectations.

OHIO POSITIONAL RANKINGS ENTERING 2025: Quarterbacks | Running Backs

“They should know what to expect when they come in your locker room every day,” Goodwin said, during a presentation to fellow coaches and attendees. “They should know what to expect. I’m going to tell them the practice schedule if it’s anything different because I think a kid wants to know what they’re going to do that day.

“I’m going to tell them. I’m going to tell them what we’re going to learn today and why we’re going to learn it. And at the end of this practice you should be able to do A, B, and C because guess what – in the classroom that’s what the great teachers are doing.”

In fact, Goodwin credits his success as a coach to his dual career as Marion Local’s principal, a position he’s held since 2011 that has allowed him to learn from other teachers in the classroom.

“It has a hundred percent made me a better football coach,” Goodwin said in his speech at the AFCA. “Because I have observed some great teachers now that I didn’t observe when I was teaching math myself. It has made me a better coach, no doubt about it, because I am a better teacher now from watching these great teachers in our school.”

The Flyers’ current streak is already tied for 17^th all-time, and with the potential to win another 16 games this fall, the streak could, theoretically, reach 80 games by season’s end. That would be the nation’s fifth-longest high school football win streak of all time. If that sounds unlikely, consider that Goodwin has fashioned a 323-48 record since taking over the Flyers’ program in 1999 with 14 state championships listed on his resume. Losing just isn’t in Goodwin’s DNA.

Of course, cracking the top five is far different than unseating the current record holder. California's De La Salle famously strung together 151 straight wins over a decade-long run from 1992 to 2003.

Marion Local’s most recent loss came in a 24-17 setback to New Bremen (OH) all the way back on November 6, 2020. The Flyers have soared ever since with a winning streak that started the very next week in a 38-6 win over the St. John’s (Delphos, OH) Bluejays. The closest games they played in 2024 came in two games against Minster (OH) as the Wildcats’ defense played well in a 21-0 regular season defeat to the Flyers, and again, in a 21-7 loss in the Region 28 championship.

There have been even closer calls along the way.

Marion Local survived the 2023 season opener at Wapakoneta with a 29-26 victory, and then got a close shave from Versailles in a 14-13 win in the sixth game of the season. Before that, Kirtland proved to be a stubborn foe in the 2022 Division VI state championship game before succumbing to the Flyers in a 14-6 decision. And a 19-17 win over Versailles in just the third game of the streak back in 2021 was another a close call.

Most of the games in the streak, however, have been one-sided affairs. And prior to the 2020 loss to New Bremen, Marion Local had won 16 in a row dating back to the 2019 season. When you add it all together, it means the Flyers have walked off the field victorious in 80 of their last 81 contests entering the 2025 season.

They've even proved their mettle against high-quality upper division foes. On the way to their Division VII state title last year, the Flyers even took down the eventual OHSAA Division VI champions, defeating the Coldwater (OH) Cavaliers in a 35-0 whitewashing. Both Minster and Coldwater will feature again on Marion Local’s 2025 schedule in back-to-back weeks, with the Flyers visiting Minster on October 17 before hosting Coldwater on October 24. If Goodwin’s troops win both of those games, then they’ll head to the playoffs with a chance at reaching the 80-consecutive win mark by December.

Our ‘Flyers In The News’ wall couldn’t hold it all this year. So many unforgettable memories, made possible by some truly hardworking kids. pic.twitter.com/ajTi0vAYfh

— Laden Delawder (@Laden34Delawder) May 20, 2025

First things first, however. Marion Local opens the season by hosting an out-of-state opponent from Berne, Indiana. The South Adams Starfires were just 3-5 headed into mid-October last year before going on a five-game win streak all the way to Indiana’s IHSAA Class 1A state semifinals. The Starfires’ run ended there in a 46-0 rout to the North Judson (IN)-San Pierre Bluejays, and they'll visit Marion Local on Friday, August 22. For the Flyers' faithful, it can't get here fast enough.

In a 2019 New York Times story prior to the start of his team's current win streak, Goodwin waxed philosophical about what his team's success meant, saying at the time, "The health of your football program is a reflection on the health of your community. Because what is football? It’s hard work and requires sacrifice and mental toughness.”

In a community that's still healing from the devastating church fire in May, there might not be a better test of Goodwin's theory. A successful start to the football season might be just the balm that this tiny community needs to mend and turn the page. And if the history of Marion Local's current streak is any guide, the visiting South Adams Starfires are one blaze in Maria Stein that might not burn for long.