The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
KIRTLAND FINE WITH EARLY WAKEUP CALL
Hornets face Marion Local for state title with a 10 a.m. kickoff in Canton on Dec. 2
The early bird gets the worm, or so they say.
No one ever say the early bird gets the crown, but that’s what the Kirtland football team is hoping for on Dec. 2 when the Hornets play Maria Stein Marion Local at 10 a.m. in Canton for the Division VI state championship.
While Mentor will play Pickerington Central on Dec. 1 at a much more normal time slot of 8 p.m. at Tom Benson Stadium (formerly Canton Fawcett Stadium), Kirtland will rise early on its quest for its fourth state title. “It doesn’t change anything,” Kirtland coach Tiger LaVerde said. “We’ll get up, go there, get on the field and play a game at 10. No big deal.” LaVerde said there won’t be any change of practice plans this week to prepare for an early morning game.
“I like it,” he said of the 10 a.m. start. “I hate waiting around all day.
“Hey, if you can’t get up for a state championship game, there is something wrong with you.”
Hornet praise
Social media was abuzz late Nov. 24, seemingly astonished at Kirtland’s 44-0 win over NelsonvilleYork in a Division VI state semifinal.
A common thread was “what happened?”
The way NelsonvilleYork coach Rusty Richards saw it, Kirtland happened.
He said as much in a story in the Athens Messenger.
“Great programs do that,” Richards said in The Messenger. “That’s what running teams do. They just try to try to wear you down and wear on you.”
Kirtland ran for 315 yards, with Jake Neibecker (167 yards) and Joey Torok (141 yards) doing most of the damage.
Richards said the combination of Kirtland’s size up front and the speed of Neibecker and Torok crushed his team.
“They’re just quick,”
Richards told The Messenger. “They hide behind that big line. I think our defense hung in there in the first half. We couldn’t get enough drives together in the first half to get away from them. They just wear on you.”
Kirtland’s defense was a whole other problem. The Buckeyes entered the game averaging 396 yards and 36.7 points per game.
They got close to neither.
Leading rusher Keegan Wilburn was held to 12 yards rushing.
“They’re just so quick on defense,” Richards said. “It was like, ‘Oh boy, we’re going somewhere.’ Then it would just close quick. Not only were they bigger than us, they were very quick. We were hoping we were faster but they were every bit as fast as us on the outside.”
Ready to go
Mentor football coach Steve Trivisonno said senior running back Eli McDougal will be ready to play in the state final against Pickerington Central after sitting out the semifinal win over Olentangy Liberty with an ankle injury.
McDougal injured his ankle late in the regional final win over St. Ignatius, a game in which he ran for 151 yards and two touchdowns in a 23-21 victory.
Even though he did not practice all week, he suited up for the Liberty game and went through pregame drills. But he did not play.
“Yeah, we knew he wasn’t going to be able to go,” Trivisonno said. “It’s not a bad ankle (injury), just not good enough to go. He should be fine. He’ll be back full go on Tuesday ready to go.”
In McDougal’s absence, Mentor relied on quarterback Tadas Tatarunas (20 carries, 73 yards), Chris Edmond (14-37) and Logan Shea (4-33) in the rushing game. Nick Saginario had four carries and four catches out of the backfield.
“They did a great job between them,” Trivisonno said. “(Liberty) was putting a lot of guys around the ball, but we were able to move it when we needed to in the second half.”
Swan song
A long list of seniors will play their final game for the Mentor Cardinals on Dec. 1 in the Division I state final.
It will also be the last game for longtime statistics keeper Pat Leber, who is stepping down from his position after this weekend.
The Pickerington Central game will be the 242nd game he has
worked for the Cardinals. Mentor is 181-60 in those games.
“What a farewell run, eh?” Leber said. “It still amazes me when I think about how I started searching for a replacement at media day in August, which has led to this championship run.”
Coach Steve Trivisonno knows Leber better than most.
“He’s my brother-in-law. I’ve known him forever,” he said. “He’s fanatical about statistics. He loves that kind of stuff. It’s been nice having him here with us.”
Ticket time
Tickets are $11 in advance and $15 at the gate at Tom Benson Stadium. All seating is general admission.
• Tickets for the Mentor-Pickerington Central game will be on sale at the Mentor gym lobby/ athletic office from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Nov. 29, 30 and Dec. 1 this week, as well as 5 to 7 p.m. on Nov. 30.
• Tickets for the Kirtland-Marion Local game will be on sale at the school’s ticket office from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Nov. 28, 29 and 30, as well as 8 to 2 p.m. on Dec. 1.
Reach Kampf at JKampf@News-Herald. com. On Twitter: @NHPreps