The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Kirtland crushes Columbia
If you arrive too close to kickoff at Kirtland, from a parking standpoint there’s only so much you can do.
The same logic applies to those who dare venture to the heart of Lake County to stare down the juggernaut that occupies Rogers Field.
When the Hornets shift into drive, there really is only so much you can do — and there is still so much left to accomplish.
Kirtland accumulated 300 yards on the ground by the end of the third quarter as the threetime state champions this decade crushed the visitors, 49-14.
“I thought the guys up front did a better job than they did last week,” Hornets coach Tiger LaVerde said. “Chagrin had a part in that (in Kirtland’s 14-13 win) —
they played really well defensively and made it hard on us. But this week, we had a good week of practice. I thought we executed a little bit better, a little bit cleaner. We completed some balls when we threw them — I think last week we were 2-for-8. I think we were a little bit better tonight.
“When they put guys up, we’ve got to make them pay, and tonight, we did. We hit some big ones down the field, and the defense did a nice job except for one play in the first half. That’s a quality team. I wanted our kids to rise to the challenge, and they did.”
There was a lot to like: Jake Neibecker had 149 yards on eight carries, including touchdown runs of 51 and 62 yards. Joey Torok recorded 134 yards from scrimmage and three TDs.
Mike Zeuli, coming in at quarterback for injured starter Dylan Fulco, ran for a 31-yard TD, threw a pretty 64-yard scoring strike to Torok and also contributed an interception.
The Hornets (2-0) were eyeing a sharper performance after the Chagrin win and seemingly found it.
“I think we had a really good night,” Neibecker said. “Coming out of Week 1, we had a ton of mental errors. We played well and dominated Chagrin, but there were so many errors we made we knew we had to clean up if we want to be the team we want to be.
“And I think we did a really good job of that. We got
to work this week in practice, and it paid dividends.”
Kirtland enjoyed a 35-0 lead with a little more than four minutes left in the first half. Its first two scoring drives in the opening six minutes each took a little more than a minute, capped by Neibecker’s 51yard TD scamper and Torok’s 5-yard scoring jaunt, respectively.
Zeuli came in for Fulco and impressed, as the senior bounced out to the left side for a 31-yard run to paydirt and then hit Torok beautifully in stride for a 64-yard TD pass.
“He played fantastic,” LaVerde said of Zeuli. “He is just a great kid — a hardworking kid. Wherever we put him, he excels. He’s a great athlete, a good runner, threw the ball well.
“He came in and had control of the offense, and he hasn’t even had any reps. Tommy Powers has been our backup, and he’s hurt, so Zeuli — what a luxury to have him on our team.”
In stark contrast as the Hornets pulled away, Columbia (1-1) went punt, punt, interception, fumble and turnover on downs.
The Raiders got on the board with 4:06 left in the first half when their outstanding workhorse and junior running back Brandon Coleman broke free for a 65yard TD run.
Columbia had 71 yards before that carry.
As the Raiders can attest, on a trip to Kirtland, there is only so much you can do.
“I thought our guys fought hard, I do,” Columbia coach Jason Ward said. “It’s humbling to come out here — it really is.”