by The Kirtland Hornets met with the Dalton Bulldogs at Nordonia high school for a freezing regional semifinal playoff matchup. The Hornets dominated 33-0.
The players of the game for Kirtland were Tommy Gogolin, Rocco Alfieri and Gino Blasini.
Blasini was a lockdown corner all game long and his play was rewarded with an interception. Gogolin and Alfieri carried the offense with their rushing attack. Gogolin had 76 yards and one touchdown on 11 carries. Alfieri had 25 carries for 267 yards and 2 touchdowns.
For the Bulldogs the stars were Sammy Tomlinson and Greyson Siders. Siders had 12 touches for 41 yards while Tomlinson had 9 touches for 37 yards.
Kirtland won the coin toss and chose to differ. Dalton’s offense couldn’t muster anything up and were forced to punt after a three and out.
The Hornets looked a little sharper on their first drive. Rocco Alfieri took his first carry of the game 31 yards and the offense drove into the red zone. The drive would stall out though and Nick Barisic came out to attempt a 34-yard field goal, though it was blocked.
The Bulldogs were able to pick up a first down on their next drive thanks to a 10-yard run by quarterback Colin Pearson, but they would punt shortly after that.
Kirtland would have a balanced rushing attack in their drive led by Alfieri and Tommy Gogolin. It would be the quarterback Jake Laverne punching in a 1-yard sneak though. After a missed PAT Kirtland led 6-0 with 46 seconds left in the first half.
The second quarter was quiet for a while with both teams punting and Pearson throwing an interception to Gino Blasini.
That mistake would cost them, as Kirtland drove down the field and Alfieri found space on a pitch for a 3-yard touchdown. They attempted to go for 2 but were unsuccessful. The Hornets led 12-0 with 3:06 in the half.
The last drive of the half for Dalton was their best. They drove all the way down the field with a 17-yard run from Pearson, an 11-yard catch from Brady Hignight, and a trick play where Ethan Stutz would find Pearson for a 9-yard pickup. The drive would end on a questionable sneak call on 3rd and 11 and a turnover after an incompletion on fourth.
The second half was all Kirtland. They started the half out with a two play touchdown drive. Alfieri had carries of 34 and a 22 yard touchdown on a pitch to the left. Kirtland now led 19-0 with 10:40 in the third.
Dalton punted and Alfieri went right back to work. He had a few short runs before getting a 21-yard touchdown where it seemed every Hornet was pushing the pile to get him across. They led 26-0 with 5:55 left in the third.
Dalton had another three and out and Kirtland was ready to put the nail in the coffin. They once again drove down the field with Alfieri and Gogolin. This time it was Gogolin scoring on a 6-yard iso. They led 33-0 with 1:53 in the third.
The fourth quarter went by fast with the running clock on. Dalton finally made a couple of nice plays with a 16-yard run by Sammy Tomlinson and a 21-yard catch by Hignight. It wasn’t enough though as they would end up failing a fourth down conversion. The Hornets would let the clock run out.
Dalton will finish 10-3 on the year.
Kirtland will continue to the fourth round to take on the Mogadore Wildcats.
