Kirtland, Kenston vie for state football titles

Kirtland faces Marion Local in Division VI, and Kenston squares off with Kettering Alter in Division III in Canton. John Kampf has previews of both matchups.

KIRTLAND VS. MARION LOCAL

What: Division VI state championship game Where: Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium, 1835 Harrison Ave. NW, Canton

When: 10 a.m., Nov. 30 On the airwaves: Spectrum TV, WKYC, WINT-AM 1330 Record: Kirtland 14-0, Marion Local, 13-1 Kirtland’s path: Defeated Steubenville Catholic Central, 59-0, defeated Creston Norwayne, 35-0, defeated Mogadore, 20-14, defeated Fort Frye, 35-18 Marion Local’s path:

Defeated Spencerville, 557, defeated Lima Central Catholic, 33-17, defeated Coldwater, 40-19, defeated Seneca East, 34-6

Kirtland update: This game is a rubber match. Kirtland beat Marion Local, 22-20, in the 2015 championship game. The Flyers took a 34-11 win in the 2017 title bout. Kirtland has won 14 straight - all this season - since that loss, outscoring the opposition, 40-4.6, this year . ... Kirtland is led by a vaunted running attack that includes first team AllOhioan Joey Torok (1,728 yards), Jake Neibecker (1,116) and Luke Gardner (622). They run in front of a massive offensive line that includes bookend tackles Jack Bailey (6-4, 300) and Kalid Alabsi (6-6, 315) and All-Ohio center Austin Fulco (6-3, 240). QB Tommy Powers, a second-team All-Ohioan, has thrown for more than 1,000 yards and 13 TDs, against only two interceptions. Powers ran for more than 100 yards in the state semifinal against Fort Frye, so the threat to run is there, too . ... Defensively, Bailey is a first team AllOhioan. Mason Sullivan, too, is a first team All-Ohioan as the team’s leading tackler. Keep an eye on linebacker Kaleb Stephenson and defensive back Dominic Capretta, both of whom earned All-Ohio honors this week. Kirtland got gouged in the passing game last week by Fort Frye, giving up three TD passes in the first half. Look for Marion Local to try to exploit that. Marion Local’s 6-4 receiver Nick Tangeman can be a problem against shorter defensive backs. Sullivan and others will need to keep an eye on him . ... Kirtland has two kickers, Mario Rodin and Nico Podojil-Schesinger, and both are capable . ... This game is going to come down to defense. Kirtland didn’t stop Marion Local at all last year, and had a running clock put on it for a while when it was a 34-3 game in the second half. The Hornets have wanted this rematch ever since. Can Kirtland, under Coach Tiger LaVerde (158-17 all-time record) turn the tables this year and get the program’s fourth state title? Marion Local update:

While Kirtland is searching for its fourth state title, the Flyers are looking for No. 11. Marion Local has won four in a row since a Week 10 loss to fellow state power Coldwater, a loss the Flyers avenged emphatically in the regional finals, 40-19 . ... QB Nate Bruns (6-foot-6) can run or pass. He will play basketball at Findlay after graduation. He has thrown for 2,537 yards, and Tangeman has caught 1,206 yards worth of passes . ... Coach Tim Goodwin is 240-43 with 10 state titles . ... Linebacker Sam Huelsman (6-4, 230) is the Division VI defensive player of the year in Ohio. DB Matt Rethman, another first-teamer in the state, leads the defensive backfield . ... On the line, Reece Eifert (5-10, 200) is active and physical . ... Marion Local has an advantage tested in every schedule week strength, in the rugged Midwest Athletic Conference . ... The Flyers are playing for longtime assistant and AD Stan Wilker, who died on June 11. They wear stickers on their helmet to remember him on this title run. They also lost assistant Dan Thobe in September to a brain tumor. ... Marion Local’s key is to slow down or shut down Kirtland’s running game. The Flyers were able to do that last year. Can the Flyers win their 11th state title and tie St. Ignatius for the most championships won in football?

KENSTON VS. KETTERING ALTER

What: Division III state championship game Where: Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium, 1835 Harrison Ave. NW, Canton When: 3 p.m., Nov. 30 On the airwaves: Spectrum TV, WKYC

Records: Kenston 13-1, Kettering Alter 13-1 Kenston’s path: Defeated West Holmes, 48-34, defeated Medina Buckeye, 40-21, defeated Canfield, 33-7, defeated Columbus Eastmoor, 40-7 Kettering Alter’s path:

Defeated Mount Healthy, 14-12, defeated Hamilton Badin, 13-0, defeated Wapakoneta, 21-7, defeated Norwalk, 34-13

Kenston update: The Bombers are in the state championship game for the first time since 1995. Kenston is 0-2 in state championship games, losing to CAPE 7-6 in 1986 and the Clyde, 3-0, in 1995, so the Bombers have lost two state finals by a total of four points . ... Kenston has won five in a row since a Week 9 loss to Chardon. The Bombers have scored 33 or more points 12 times this season, but have played their best defense the past two weeks in giving up a total of 14 points in the regional final and the state semifinal . ... Kenston’s high-powered offense has three first team All-Ohioans in tackle Alex Robarge (6-4, 300), QB Jon Tomcufcik and RB Jack Porter. Tomcufcik has thrown for 2,747 yards and 24 TDs, while also rushing for 500 yards and 14 scores. He gets very good protection and has only been sacked twice. Porter has run for 2,299 yards and 29 touchdowns. Second team All-Ohioan Bransen Stanley (58 catches, 975 yards) and underrated Tyler Mintz (49 catches, 794 yards) lead a deep and talented receiving unit . ... Kenston’s defense is led by an outstanding linebacker group of Logan Vargo (133 tackles, 11 TFLs), Joe Staudenbauer (117 tackles, 8 sacks) and Matt Iklodi (139 tackles, 5 sacks, 15 TFLS, 9 fumble recoveries . ... The keys for Kenston are this - offensively keep doing what they’ve been doing. Score and score a lot.

Tomcufcik ran more than normal last week, and might do so again here. Alter is very big and athletic. The defense again is going to be in the spotlight . ... Is the third time a charm for the Bombers, after losing their first two state finals decades ago? Kettering Alter update:

The Knights have won 13 in a row since losing the season-opener, 12-6, to Kettering Fairmont. The Knights are led by 44-year head coach Ed Domsitz, who is seventh among Ohio’s all-time winningest coaches with a 340-148 record . ... Senior QB Connor Bazelak has thrown for 1,139 yards and 11 TDs, against only two interceptions. He is committed to the University of Missouri. Sophomore RB Brandon McDonald (6-1, 224) has run for 1,511 yards and 17 touchdowns . ... Defensively, DE Conner Meyer, LB Dan O’Connell, DB Antwann Martin and NG Coolie Armstrong are players to watch. The Knights are big, physical and active on defense. The 13 points they gave up in the state semi to Norwalk is the most the team has given up since Week 5 of the regular season. No team has scored more than 20 points against Alter this year . ... Alter traditionally has featured a wishbone type of offense, but with Bazelak, they can also throw. Kenston’s defense is going to have to play sound assignment football, because that type of offense is tough to defend. Scoring against Alter has been tough for many/most this year. Can the Bombers crack that defense and put points on the board?