CANTON — All those Sunday afternoon training sessions paid off for Marion Local quarterback Peyton Otte and his receiving corps.

Otte completed 13-of-18 passes for 252 yards and three touchdowns as the Flyers won their record 12th state championship with a 42-7 win over Newark Catholic.

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  • Maria-Stein Marion Local coach Tim Goodwin has built the top small-school football program in Ohio.

  • Newark Catholic football coach Ryan Aiello is shown here during the 2021 state title game in Canton.

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  • Marion Local quarterback Peyton Otte scores one of the five touchdowns he accounted for in Saturday’s 42-7 Division VII state championship win over Newark Catholic at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton.

Marion Local (16-0) relied heavily on its ground game early in the season while Otte and his receivers worked to get on the same page. That included plenty of extra work on the weekends.

“We couldn’t throw the ball to save our lives,” said Otte, who also rushed for a team-high 65 yards and two touchdowns. “Throughout the season we kept improving.”

Otte threw a pair of first-quarter touchdowns to Brady Ronnebaum as the Flyers blew out to a 21-0 lead. The first was from 19 yards and gave Marion Local a 14-0 advantage. The second, a 51-yarder, came one play after a Tate Hess interception and all but sealed Newark Catholic’s fate.

“You can’t do some of the things that we did,” Newark Catholic coach Ryan Aiello said. “You can’t afford to make mistakes. When you play a tremendous team like that, they’re going to capitalize on those mistakes.

The Green Wave (14-2) cut Marion Local’s lead to 21-7 midway through the second quarter when record-setting quarterback Cole Canter hooked up with Mason Hackett on a 10-yard scoring strike.

Newark Catholic had a chance to trim the deficit even further late in the first half, but Marion Local linebacker Aidan Eifert stepped in front of a Canter pass intended for Brandon Buchanon at midfield. Eleven plays later, Otte scored on a 1-yard keeper to give Marion Local a 28-7 lead with just 28 seconds remaining in the first half.

“That was a huge swing right there. They had the momentum,” Marion Local coach Tim Goodwin said. “That score we had right before half had to be deflating for Newark Catholic.”

The Green Wave got the ball to start the third quarter and moved the ball to midfield before the drive stalled. Marion Local needed seven plays to go 76 yards. Otte had the back-breaker, cutting right through the middle of the Newark Catholic defense for a 54 yard touchdown.

Newark Catholic went three-and-out on its next drive and Marion Local triggered a running clock when Otte connected with Dylan Fleck on a 39 yard touchdown to make it 42-7.

Marion Local broke a tie with Cleveland St. Ignatius for the most state championships in the playoff era. The Flyers improved to 90-12 all-time in the postseason.

“We don’t talk about external stuff,” Goodwin said. “We have hard-working kids who keep their noses to the grindstone.

“(The 12th championship) means something to the coaches, but that’s not why we do it. We’re going to wake up tomorrow and life is going to be back to normal.”