CANTON–Coldwater defeated reigning Division VI state champion Kirtland 31-7 to capture its eighth state title on Saturday at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton.
Kirtland finished the 2024 campaign with a 15-1 record along with Chagrin Valley Conference Valley Division and regional titles, and a state runner-up finish.
“It was a tremendous season,” said Kirtland head coach Tiger LaVerde. “I loved every day, every practice, every second of our time. We did not play our best game tonight; we have to give Coldwater credit for that.”
Miles Pottkotter put the Cavaliers on the board in the first quarter with a 14-yard rushing touchdown on fourth-and-one.
Coldwater picked up a two-touchdown lead with a Baylen Blockberger passing touchdown to Mason Welsch from five yards out for a 14-0 lead with six minutes left in the first half.
The Cavaliers found paydirt one last time before the half-ended with Welsch pulling in a 17-yard scoring pass from Blockberger in the corner of the endzone for his second touchdown catch of the half.
Coldwater pinned Kirtland back at its five-yard line, and the Hornets fumbled a snap that trickled into the endzone, and Noah Welsch recovered the ball for a 28-0 lead in the third.
Bryce Couchot nailed a 24-yard field goal with the clock hitting zeros at the end of the third quarter to initiate the running clock.
Kirtland got on the board with a Jake LaVerde 11-yard rushing touchdown to close out the scoring.
“(The Coldwater defense) played really well today,” Coach LaVerde said. “I wouldn’t say we executed even close to what we were capable of, but you have to give them credit. We didn’t block. We looked at the iPad at halftime, and we missed a lot of blocks. We were just out of sync all day. They made life difficult for us; that is a very good defense.”
During the Cavalier’s second scoring drive, the Hornets had them backed up and ready to punt, but a roughing of the punter flag plus a defensive pass interference penalty later in the drive helped set up the touchdown.
“That drive hurt,” LaVerde said. “And then, before the half (Coldwater) was just going to run out the clock, I was stupid and called a timeout to try and get the ball back, and then they just took a shot deep. In hindsight, I shouldn’t have called a timeout. Maybe we could get into halftime down 14-0.”
The high-potent Kirtland rushing attack was held to just 197 yards on the ground.
“Our blocking was off today,” said Kirtland senior tailback Danny Alfieri. “A couple of our guys missed some blocks, and I probably missed some holes. They had a good defense.”
Jackson Carestio, a senior offensive lineman, added: “They were a tough team; they were getting after it. They’re definitely the hardest guys I saw, but there’s not much you can do about it.”
Kirtland’s 13 seniors will graduate having won one state title to go along with three runner-up finishes.
“I appreciate everything that they’ve done for our community and our school,” LaVerde said of his seniors. “These guys are special. These kids are awesome; they have high character. This senior group is a special group, and I think what they did this year was fantastic. This was a heck of a lot of fun. These guys are all going to be successful in life. They are awesome young men.”
Jake LaVerde led the Hornets on the ground with 80 yards on 13 carries with a touchdown, and he completed 4-of-11 passes for 44 yards.
John Silvestro gained 49 yards on eight carries, Jack Lessick had 33 yards on five carries, and Alfieri finished with 40 yards on 11 attempts.
Ryan Caimi pulled in three passes for 34 yards.
