As the Iowa high school football postseason began, two local schools opted out of the postseason to instead play each other to close the season. Marion County’s two eight-man programs, Melcher-Dallas and Twin Cedars, had met in every season since 1998, but last year, to the disappointment of both schools, they were placed in separate districts and not scheduled to compete against each other.

To keep the tradition going, the two schools agreed to opt out of the Iowa High School Athletic Association postseason, and finish the year with the game known as “Marion County’s 8-Man Championship.”

It was all Melcher-Dallas in the Marion County 8-Man Championship as Ryan Krpan had a dominating performance on both sides of the ball, scoring four touchdowns, including a pick-six to end the first half. Ryan’s twin brother, Steven, threw for 100 yards and a touchdown in the game as Melcher-Dallas dominated Twin Cedars, 46-0. Kade Dunkin had 153 total yards as he had 50 rushing, 90 passing, and 13 receiving for the Sabres.

Melcher-Dallas finished the season with a 3-5 record, while Twin Cedars finished 2020 with an 0-6 record.