The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
STILL STANDING
Kirtland, Kenston advance to state; Mentor stopped
Kirtland players celebrate their 20-14 win over Mogadore to win a Division VI regional final at Aurora on Nov. 16. The Hornets advance to next weekend’s state semifinals. Kenston also will make a trip to state, but Mentor’s season came to a close.
Kirtland hadn’t been really been challenged for the first 12 weeks of the season, but the Hornets were expecting a major test when they took on storied Mogadore in a Division VI, Region 21 final on Nov. 16 at Aurora Veterans Stadium.
They weren’t disappointed, and neither were any of the fans in attendance.
Senior running back Joey Torok took a pitch from senior quarterback Tommy Powers on third and goal at the Mogadore three-yard line with 18 seconds left in the game, and took it across the goal line to give the Hornets a thrilling 20-14 victory
over the Wildcats in a game that was a dogfight from start to finish.
The extra point was blocked, but the score was Torok’s third of the contest, as he shook off a second-half ankle injury to rush for 167 yards on 16 carries.
“We’ve had that play set up for the longest time,” Torok said of the game-winning score.
“That was actually our twopoint conversion play if we needed to go for two. We were at the 3-yard line with (18) seconds left, so we said, ‘Let’s just do it now.’ “
That last scoring drive, which began at the Kirtland 32 with 5:56 left in the game, became necessary because Mogadore (11-2), after failing to get into the end zone for three quarters, scored twice in the fourth, the second tally tying the game at 14, and in the process becoming the first team to score twice on the Hornets all season.
Kirtland (13-0) ground out the 68 yards in 14 plays, including an 18-yard run by senior Jake Neibecker (58 yards on 13 carries), a 12-yard run by Torok and a pair of nine-yard totes by Neibecker and Luke Gardner that moved the Hornets down to the Mogadore 13-yard line.
Torok raced in for the winning tally three plays later.
“You can’t give enough credit to Mogadore,” Neibecker said. “They played an incredible game and they do every year. We had to fight for each other, and that’s what we did to get the win.”
Kirtland advances to a state semifinal for the seventh time on Nov. 23, where the Hornets will face Beverly Fort Frye.
“We knew coming in that that team is well-coached, has tough kids, and they’ve been good for a long time,” Kirtland coach Tiger LaVerde said. “So we knew it was going to be a great challenge. It was kind of like looking in the mirror. I’m just glad we had the ball last, because the offense was starting to gain some traction.”
Neither offense was able to reach paydirt in the early going, although Mogadore had a chance after recovering a Kirtland fumble.
The Wildcats, who converted a fourth-and-7 with a 20-yard pass from Luke Rosato (8 of 15, 125 yards passing), drove to a first and goal at the Kirtland 6. But Mogadore was hit with four penalties, pushing it back to the Kirtland 45, and had to punt from there.
After an exchange of punts to start the second, Torok broke through the line and shook off two tacklers on his way to a 65yard dash to the end zone, giving the Hornets a 7-0 lead.
A Mogadore punt later pinned Kirtland at its own one, and after Kirtland had to punt it away, took over at the Hornets’ 36.
Mason Sullivan intercepted a Rosato pass two plays later, and took it back to the Wildcats’ 33. Kirtland was unable to come away with any points, though, as a would-be touchdown pass to a wide-open receiver was dropped at the goal line, and a 33-yard field goal attempt by Mario Rodin was blocked, leaving the score 7-0 at halftime.
Neither team scored in the third quarter, but an Eli Robertson interception put Mogadore in business at the Kirtland 46, and the Wildcats capitalized on a oneyard dive by fullback Logan Penix on the first play of the fourth quarter to tie it, 7-7.
Kirtland answered to regain the lead in just three plays, as Torok ran for 11 and 12 yards and then took a Powers pass that arched over the defender 47 yards for a touchdown.
Mogadore then did what no team has been able to do the the Hornets all year — score a second time. The Wildcats drove 79 yards on 11 plays in 5 minutes, 21 seconds, keyed by a 46-yard pass from Rosato to Robertson that put them on the Hornets’ 16, and scored on a one-yard Penix run to tie the game at 14 and set the stage for the thrilling finish.
“I thought we did a good job of limiting (big runs by Joey Torok) all night long,” Mogadore coach Matt Adorni said. “But they have more weapons than him, and they utilize all their weapons. We had some (opportunities) once in the red zone and once when we were going toward the scoreboard and threw an interception, and you have to capitalize on those against a team like this.”
Having had to face its first bit of real adversity this season and coming through with flying colors, Kirtland hopes to continue its momentum forward and capture its fourth state title in eight seasons. LaVerde was glad for his team to be tested, and to pass the test.
“I told our kids, ‘Listen. 1414. One drive, and you’ve got a chance to play for a state championship in two weeks,’” LaVerde said. “It’s kind of fun (to be in a tight game). It’s what we practice for. It’s what we prepare for all year. One drive, to (have a chance to) win the state championship.”