As the Iowa high school football postseason begins, two local schools are opting 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. This 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 have 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.” The game will kick off at 1:00 this afternoon at Melcher-Dallas High School, and can be heard live on the KNIA3 stream at KNIAKRLS.com with Derek Cardwell and Colton Emswiler.