The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
HORNETS GIVE CADETS MARCHING ORDERS
Rematch against Marion Local up next for high-flying Kirtland in D-VI state final
MASSILLON » The rematch is set.
For the second straight year, Kirtland will meet Maria Stein Marion Local for the Division VI state championship.
Jake Neibecker and Tommy Powers both ran for a pair of touchdowns, and Kirtland’s defense pitched a shutout in the second half, leading the Hornets to a 35-18 win over Fort Frye in a Division VI state semifinal Nov. 23 at Robert Fife Stadium in Massillon.
With the win, Kirtland (14-0) advances to the state championship game Nov. 30 to play a Marion Local team that hammered the Hornets, 34-11, in the 2017 state final.
Marion Local beat Seneca East, 34-6, on Nov. 23 to clinch their half of the rematch.
“Obviously, we wanted to make it back,” Neibecker said. “We didn’t care who it was against, but if it is against them, we’re excited. We’re excited to have another crack at them and try to get another win.”
Kirtland is now 7-0 in state semifinals dating to its first state semifinal win in 2011. But this one was hardly easy.
Fort Frye (12-1) came into the game facing a massive size deficiency on the offensive and defensive lines. But when Tate Engle hit Brenden Huck for an eightyard touchdown pass late in the second quarter, the Cadets only trailed the Hornets, 21-18.
But that’s as close as Fort Frye got. Neibecker scored a touchdown early in the fourth quarter on a score set up by a Conner Gron interception.
And after Mason Sullivan got a key stop on fourthand-goal late in the fourth, Powers put the exclamation point on the victory with a 50-yard touchdown run.
“Not very easy at all,” Kirtland coach Tiger LaVerde said of his team’s win. “That team moved the ball very well in the first half. They gave us some problems. In the second half, we did a better job of keeping them off the scoreboard.”
Fort Frye used a myriad of jet sweeps and edge runs in the first half, with Engle mixing in some timely passing — especially on third or fourth down — to keep his offense on the field.
After Kirtland scored first on a 21-yard touchdown run by Joey Torok, which was set up by Dominic Capretta’s interception, Engle passed to Zane Greanleaf for a touchdown.
Kirtland answered right back with Powers (seven carries, 121 yards) scoring on a 34-yard touchdown run, but then Engle connected with Brian Adkins for a 15-yard score to make it 14-12 Kirtland.
Neibecker (21 carries, 154 yards) hammered in a score midway through the second quarter, but it was answered by the Engle-toHuck connection.
The only thing that kept it from being a tie game at the half was Fort Frye’s lack of a kicker. All three of the Cadets’ conversion attempts failed.
Fort Frye’s moment of opportunity passed on the third quarter, and again early in the fourth.
Kirtland punted to start the third quarter, but the Cadets couldn’t convert.
Fort Frye had the ball early in the fourth, too, and didn’t score.
“That’s a moment we’d like to have back,” Fort Frye coach Eric Huck said, “starting the fourth down three with the ball and a chance to drive down the field and score.”
Kirtland’s size advantage took over in the second half, with LaVerde lining up Andrew Demarco (6-2, 230), Kalid Alabsi (6-6, 315) and Jack Bailey (6-4, 300) next to each other and running power.
“Our line tends to wear on people,” LaVerde said. “I think we wore them down a little bit in the second half.
“Any time we’re tied at halftime, I like our chances.”
Gron’s interception that set up Neibecker’s score — which made it 28-18 — was a big key.
“We were man-up,” Gron said. “My guy went for a screen and I saw Joey’s guy on a wheel. The quarterback never took his eye off him, so I dropped back and I got it.”
Even when Fort Frye tried to answer, albeit down 28-18, Sullivan’s stop gave Kirtland the ball back.
Then Powers delivered the knockout punch.
“We just needed to shore up some things defensively,” LaVerde said of his halftime talk.
Kirtland outgained Fort Frye, 447-291, with 390 of the yards coming on the ground.
Aside from Neibecker and Powers, Torok ran for 89 yards and a score.
Engle threw for 88 yards and three touchdowns for the Cadets. Tyler Fisher ran for 85 yards to lead his team.
When the game ended, LaVerde congratulated his team for getting to Week 15 for the seventh time in program history.
“They go to elementary school and middle school dreaming of this,” LaVerde said.
“Not everybody gets a chance to experience a state championship (game), and they get to. I’m very proud of them.”
And it will come in a rematch, one the Hornets admit deep down they wanted.
“It’s the two best teams in Ohio going at it,” Neibecker said.
“I’m excited and looking forward to it.”
“They go to elementary school and middle school dreaming of this. Not everybody gets a chance to experience a state championship (game), and they get to. I’m very proud of them.” Kirtland coach Tiger LaVerde