Kirtland cruised to a 35-14 win over host Richmond Heights on Friday in the Chagrin Valley Conference Valley Division opener for both teams.
Dylan Fulco completed 3 of 3 passes for 37 yards and 18 different Hornets carried the ball at least one time to amass 224 yards on the ground in the win.
“We are flowing really well right now as a team,” Fulco said. “The line is doing a fantastic job up front and the backs are running the ball very well. We practice hard every day in order to get better as a group. It was fun to spread out the field and throw a couple passes as well.”
Joey Torok opened the scoring early in the first quarter with a 5-yard run. Brett Diemer then plunged in from a yard out to give the Hornets a 14-0 lead.
Antonio Rini’s 42-yard run in the second quarter pushed the lead to 21-0 and Luke Gardner’s 1-yard dive made it 27-0 at halftime. Jonathon Ridgeway added a 1-yard score in the second half to close out the scoring for the Hornets.
Torok led the ground attack with 51 yards on just five carries.
“I think our team has created a lot of chemistry and we've been playing really well together, especially the offensive line” Torok said. “They have done a great job. It's always great to have a lot of depth. If someone gets hurt or something like that we've got someone ready to step up and do their job.”
Torok and Jake Neibecker picked off pass in the win.
“On the interception we were in zone and the outside guy ran a post while the inside receiver wheeled out towards the sideline,” Torok said of his theft. “I read the QB's eyes and made a play on the ball. Every day in practice we work on covering that play so it's all because of the coaches.”
Kirtland improved to 4-0 overall and 1-0 in league play while Richmond Heights dropped to 0-4. Kirtland hosts Berkshire (2-2) next week. The Spartans travel to Hawken.
