The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Kirtland remains unbeaten, edges Perry in headliner
Erika Zschuppe is no stranger to making big plays in big games.
After all, she’s a member of Kirtland’s state championship soccer team.
But she never imagined doing what she did April 16 at Mentor’s Jerome T. Osborne Stadium.
Zschuppe sacked Perry quarterback Payge Sylvis on fourth down with less than two minutes remaining to preserve the Kirtland girls flag football team’s 26-18 victory in a battle between the two remaining undefeated teams in the NEO Flag Football league consisting of News-Herald coverage area teams.
“No, I never thought I’d hear those words,” she said of hearing her name and the words ‘game-winning sack’ in the same sentence. “Oh my gosh. I don’t even know. It’s crazy.”
There was a buzz at the JTO on April 16 that felt like Friday Night Football in the fall.
KIRTLAND 26, PERRY 18
There were two area legends coaching ‘em up, with Perry coached by Matt Rosati (117 career coaching wins) and Kirtland coached by Tiger LaVerde (204 career wins, 184 at Kirtland).
Plenty of All-Ohioans were present including Perry’s West Virginia signee Jaylen Anderson and Kirtland’s three-time All-Ohioan Mason
High school scoreboard
Sullivan.
But whereas fall Friday nights are for the boys, spring Friday nights are for the girls.
And the Hornets came through in flying colors.
“This is great,” Kirtland QB Macy McIntosh said. “We see the boys doing it (in the fall). Our school is known for the boys. If we could play boys, we would. But this is fun.”
McIntosh, a decorated three-sport athlete, threw touchdown passes to Leah
LaVerde and Amber Yurick. Zschuppe scored on a touchdown run, and Malia Becker had a big pick-six for the Hornets.
But unlike other games, this one was a battle. Not only did Kirtland give up their first points of the season, but the game hung in the balance until Zschuppe yanked the flag of Perry QB Silvis on fourth down late in the game.
McIntosh then iced the game with a tremendous long run that helped run out the clock, much to the roaring approval of the three dozen or so Kirtland fans — many from the boys football team — who were on hand to watch the battle of the unbeatens.
“It’s a lot of fun,” LaVerde said of coaching the girls team for the first time after coaching the boys to six state titles and three state runner-up finishes in the last decade. “I call the plays, and these girls just giggle the whole time. There’s a lot of laughing.”
Perry got a huge game from Gigi Vicini, a multisport standout at her school who actually wouldn’t have been at the game if not for the softball team having its 7:30 p.m. game with West Geauga rained out.
Vicini caught two touchdown passes from Silvis, including one on the last play of the first half that made it a 20-12 game.
“I really enjoy doing it,” said Vicini of being a football receiver. “I didn’t think it would go this well, but it’s worked.”
Rosati, who coaches the Perry offense while turning the defensive coaching over to Jaylen and Jadynn Anderson, said he’s enjoyed the spring coaching the girls.
He said the only hard part has been juggling AAU basketball, track and field and softball schedules.
“We practiced about 45 minutes before we came over here tonight,” he said. “That’s our second practice of the year. We play to have fun. It was a nice competition.”
There were memories, smiles, laughter and competitiveness. LaVerde got to coach his kids. Izzy and Grace McKoon, grand daughters of legendary Perry coach Bob Ritley, got to play the game their grandpa loved so much. And girls who made their name in other sports got to see the glory of what Friday Night football is all about.
Wins across the board, no matter what the scoreboard said at night’s end.
“When he called me and asked me if my friends wanted to play, I was like, ‘Yes,’” Leah LaVerde said of her dad’s inquiry about starting a girls flag football team. “I didn’t even have to ask them . ... We have so much fun.”