Kirtland will take bye after foe cancels

The Kirtland football team will have a bye week in Week 3 after Westinghouse Academy in Pennsylvania canceled its game with the Hornets a day before the teams were scheduled to meet in Pittsburgh.

Kirtland athletic director Matt Paul confirmed to The News-Herald that he received a call at 11 a.m. on Sept. 2 from Westinghouse informing Kirtland that a positive COVID-19 test forced the cancellation of the game.

While Kirtland attempted over the following handful of hours to find a replacement game on short notice, Coach Tiger LaVerde confirmed at 3 p.m. that his program was unable to find a good Week 3 fit on short notice and would instead take a bye.

Kirtland (2-0) will reembark on its current 43game winning streak on Sept. 10 against visiting West Geauga in the CVC Chagrin Division opener for both teams.

“It’s not the first time and we’d be stupid to think it’s the last,” LaVerde said regarding a game being canceled because of COVID-19. “It’s not their fault, it’s not our fault. It’s just the circumstances we live in. Last year we went 21 days without a game.

“Our kids are very sad they won’t have a game this weekend, but at the same time, they want to do something fun.”

Instead of playing a football game, LaVerde said the team members decided to draft teams and play a Whiffle Ball game under the lights at Rogers Field on Sept. 3.

“They want to play a game on the field, grill out, order pizza and have a good time,” he said. “That’s the plan right now.”

The game between Kirtland and Westinghouse Academy (1-0) would have been a marquee matchup. The Hornets are riding the crest of a 43-game winning streak — the fourth-longest in the nation — while the Bulldogs have won eight in a row by a combined score of 244-32.

When Westinghouse contacted Kirtland with the cancellation, AD Matt Paul made some calls to try and fill the void. He said two prospective teams — he didn’t name them — opted to take the bye rather than play Kirtland on short notice.

“It’s not a surprise,” Paul said.

Signing up to play another opponent on short notice leaves no time to game-plan, scout game film or make travel plans, Paul said.

“It’s a little different if this happens on Tuesday,” LaVerde said, “but it happened on Thursday.”

Kirtland had travel plans with charter buses. Paul said “the charter company was good” and that Kirtland wasn’t billed for the non-use.

The bye week also allows Kirtland to heal some injuries. All-Ohio lineman George Prusock III is a little banged up, LaVerde said. Phillip LaVerde, the coach’s son, is nursing a back injury, and sophomore MacGuire Boyd is out for the season with a hip and leg injury sustained in practice.

“We’re not healthy,” LaVerde said, “so getting healthy is more important than sneaking in a game on short notice.

“The fact is, we could have a 16-game season,” LaVerde continued, a 16game slate meaning the Hornets would be in the state title game. “What’s our end goal? It’s to be healthy going into Week 11.”