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STRONGSVILLE, Ohio – For the third straight year and eighth in the last nine seasons, the Kirtland Hornets will play for a state title.
The Hornets used their patented rushing attack and some key plays on defense in a 28-14 win over the Oak Harbor Rockets at Pat Catan Stadium on Saturday (Nov. 30) night.
Kirtland rushed for 293 yards and forced three Oak Harbor turnovers, leading the way for Kirtland’s 29th straight win.
“That’s a fantastic team on that side,” said Hornets coach Tiger LaVerde. “They’re big up front, and I knew they could give us problems running the ball. You could see in the second half. We popped one long one, and then they did give us problems. We had trouble getting first downs and running the clock out.”
After Oak Harbor went three and out on the opening drive, Kirtland turned the ball over back to the Rockets on a tip drill. Liam Powers was picked off by Tyler May.
Three plays later, May fumbled the ball for the Rockets and was recovered by Kirtland’s Louie Loncar. After a ten play, 45-yard drive that took five and a half minutes, Mason Sullivan put Kirtland up 7-0 on a three-yard touchdown run.
Two plays later, Sullivan intercepted a pass from Jac Alexander. Alexander had not thrown an interception all season until the first quarter of game #14.
Sullivan opened the second quarter with a one-yard touchdown run as Kirtland boasted a 14-0 lead two seconds into the second frame.
After Kirtland failed on a fourth down conversion, Oak Harbor took back the ball with ninety seconds in the half. Alexander made two key completions to Gage Brough (24 yards) and Buddy Nuhfer (41 yards) as the Rockets moved down the field. Clay Schulte punched through from the one-yard line.
Kirtland led 14-7 at halftime with the Hornets receiving the second half kickoff.
Luke Gardner wasted little time as he broke free for a 42-yard touchdown run on the second play from scrimmage. Kirtland led 21-7 in the first minute of the second half.
After Kirtland missed a 29-yard field goal at the outset of the fourth quarter, Oak Harbor was in prime position to slow the momentum of the buzzsaw that was the Kirtland offense.
That buzz was short-lived as Alexander threw a pick-six as Joey Grazia returned the second interception of the night 40 yards. Kirtland’s lead ballooned to 28-7 with nine minutes remaining.
Oak Harbor quickly responded as they pulled within two touchdowns with 7:43 to go. Alexander found paydirt from a yard away after he completed three passes and ran the ball twice on the drive.
The Hornets were held to a three and out, giving the ball back to the Rockets with 5:16 left. Oak Harbor could not convert a fourth and ten. Kirtland took over with five minutes to go.
The Rockets’ defense held the Hornets but was penalized with 12 men on the field on fourth down. Kirtland kept the ball and ran out the clock, winning 28-14.
Kirtland totaled 307 yards of total offense with 293 yards on the ground. Gardner ran the ball 18 times for 127 yards with one touchdown. Sullivan added 22 rushes for 103 yards with two touchdowns. Anthony Demarco gave the Hornets 41 yards on eight carries. As the quarterback, Powers completed two passes for 14 yards and then ran the ball eight times for 22 yards. The Hornets offense was on the field for over 32 minutes in the game.
Oak Harbor totaled 198 yards with 127 passing and 72 rushing yards. Alexander completed seven of 21 passes for 127 yards with his first two interceptions of the year. He was the leading rusher as well with 56 yards on 15 carries.
Kirtland will play Ironton on Saturday (Dec. 7) at 8:00 PM for the Division V State Final at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium.
The Hornets have the longest active win streak in Ohio with 29 straight wins, dating back to the 2017 State Final loss to Maria Stein Marion Local.
“There’s a 100 percent belief in themselves,” LaVerde said. “They have such confidence that they can play with anybody. They just go out, relax and play their game and make plays. Here we are in Week 15. We’ve got to do it one more week.”
