With a 17-7 win over Ironton in Saturday’s OHSAA Division V state championship game at Tom Benson Stadium in Canton, the Kirtland Hornets accomplished something that has eluded them during their 10-year playoff run.
Kirtland had won four state titles during that stretch but it wasn’t until Saturday they were able to win back-to-back titles.
“It’s something very special,” said senior linebacker Louie Loncar, who became the third member of his family to win a title with the Hornets. “I don’t think I know anybody that can say that they have six state championships in their family. I know I’m the only one to go back-to-back and I have a little bit of bragging on them now. We always fight about it.”
The Hornets did a lot of fighting of their own against the bigger Ironton Tigers.
After forcing the Tigers to punt on the opening possession of the game, the Hornets needed just two plays to take a 7-0 lead.
Liam Powers threw a 47-yard strike over Gage Sullivan’s right shoulder along the right sideline and Mason Sullivan scored on a 27-yard run on the next play.
But, it was the way Sullivan scored that touchdown that mattered.
Sullivan burst through the hole right into the waiting arms of Reid Carrico, a 6-foot-3, 225-pound junior running back/linebacker who already has committed to continue his education and football career at Ohio State and who recently was named the Division V Defensive Player of the Year. Sullivan spun out of Carrico’s arms and dashed into the end zone.
“I was just trying to get as many yards as possible,” Sullivan said. “I didn’t expect to score on that play but when I saw he didn’t tackle me I knew I was going all the way. I just saw the gap and went.”
Ironton put together a 10-play drive that moved the ball to the Tiger 42 but Mike Rus recorded a quarterback sack and then a hurry on third-and-16 that led to another punt.
Rus and the other undersized Kirtland defenders flew to the football on nearly every play in holding the Tigers to just 48 rushing yards.
“We got people to the ball every single play,” Rus said. “When (Carrico) was held up we just wanted to get 11 people on that ball and make sure that dude wasn’t getting any yards.”
Ironton’s defense flexed its muscles on Kirtland’s next drive to force the Hornets into an uncomfortable third-and-19 at their own nine.
Liam Powers lofted a deep ball to Gage Sullivan, who did his best Odell Bechkam, Jr. impression to snag the ball one yard past the first down marker.
“Coach called Bear Right, Fade Left to me and I ran it,” Sullivan said of his highlight-reel catch. “I saw the ball coming and I turned. I jumped too early and I was like, ‘Oh, crap, I jumped too early.’ I was surprised I caught it.”
Not to be outdone, Anthony Demarco created his own highlight when he caught a 29-yard pass from Powers at the Ironton nine that set up Mario Rodin’s 21-yard field goal to push Kirtland’s lead to 10-0 with 10:24 remaining in the first half.
The Hornet drive covered 78 yards in 15 plays and consumed over 10 minutes of game time.
Ironton missed a long field goal then held the Hornets to a quick three-and-out and took possession at Kirtland’s 41 after a punt and 15-yard penalty.
Kirtland’s defense held on a fourth-and-1 play at the Hornet 32 but again punted the ball back to the Tigers, who took over at the Ironton 38 with 52 seconds left.
Gage Salyers and Jordan Grizzle connected on a 60-yard pass that set the Tigers up at the Kirtland 2. Carrico ran for one yard on the next play and the Hornets jumped offside on second down to move the ball inside the one. Salyers then tried to sneak into the end zone but ran into a wall of Hornets as time expired in the half.
A video replay confirmed the Hornets held their ground.
“We knew this game was going to come down to hidden yards,” Rus said. “Hidden yards, just like that stop at the goal line was hidden yards right there, and just every player getting 11 dudes to the ball and making sure to get that guy to the ground because we knew he was big and he could get another four yards, three yards, every single time that was going to hurt. We got them behind the sticks frequently getting 11 dudes to the ball.”
The Hornets went all-in on stopping the run in a gamble that paid off as they opened the third quarter with the football and extended its lead to 17-0 when Powers threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to Gage Sullivan, who finished the day with three catches for 85 yards and he ran for another 23 yards.
“That’s why we defer, so then we can get the ball in the third quarter,” Kirtland coach Tiger LaVerde said. “You can go in the locker room at halftime and see what they’re doing to you. We had a good plan at halftime and we came out and a nice drive. We said if we can get 17 that’s three scores; that’s big. We got to 16 and jumped offside on the (extra point) and had to kick it again from the eight-yard line. That made me nervous but we made it.”
Ironton responded with a 10-play drive but, like those before it, it stalled on an incomplete pass at the Kirtland 44.
The Tigers forced a Kirtland punt and scored on the first play—a 77-yard pass from Salyers to Grizzle—to pull to within 17-7 of the Hornets.
Kirtland took over at its own 21 and moved to midfield before a Mike Alfieri punt was downed at the Ironton eight. Aside from flipping the field, the Hornets chewed up over eight minutes on that drive, leaving the Tigers just 7:34 to mount a comeback.
A big pass play on third-and-8 moved the Tigers to their own 42 but again the Kirtland defense stepped up as Gage Sullivan broke up a fourth-down pass attempt.
“They’re a big, big physical team,” LaVerde said of the Tigers. “Their size was impressive and that (Carrico) is a big dude and 44, their two full-backs, (Seth Fosson) and (Junior Jones) are big dudes. I was worried about that but I’ve been worrying about it all year and these guys rose to the challenge. They do what they’re coached to do. They use leverage and strength and quickness. They ran for 48 yards and that’s what they want to do. They want to line up and run the ball at you. If someone told me they were going to run for 48 yards I’d say we got a good shot of winning.”
Kirtland ran out the final 6:10 to win their 30th straight game and second straight state title.
“We’ve been working up to this moment game by game, working out in the weight room and executing our plays, everything, and it just feels great that we got the W,” said Mason Sullivan, who ran for a game-high 101 yards on 23 carries. “They were bigger than us but we were quicker and stronger and we’ve been through this already. We already played teams like this before and we always stopped them. We just do our job and never stop.”
Alfieri, the only lineman who returned from Kirtland’s 2018 state championship run, ended his career with two state titles as a starter.
“It feels beyond amazing,” he said. “These past two years have been the best years of my life and to have won back-to-back is just surreal.”
Despite being undersized, Kirtland’s offensive and defensive lines played a big role in keeping Ironton’s powerful offense in check.
“Up front, we knew what we were going against,” Alfieri said. “We’ve been up against bigger dudes for a lot of games this season. We knew what was coming and we just had to keep fighting every play. We just told all these kids that the best thing about football is a championship. They worked hard in the offseason and it shows on the field. Everyone stepped up and we couldn’t be happier.”
Ironton lost out on its bid to win a third state title in its 35th postseason appearance. The Hornets have qualified for the playoffs in 13 of the last 14 years and 15 times in school history.
