Kirtland Will Play Garaway in State Semifinal after Dominant 42-0 Victory Over Mogadore

Photo by Al Kornspan

The Kirtland Hornets cruised to a 42-0 victory on Friday night in the OHSAA Division Six Regional Final game at Nordonia High School.

The Hornets got off to a quick start as they scored 42 unanswered first half points.  

After two touchdowns in the first quarter, the Hornets added 4 touchdowns in the second quarter to complete the scoring for the night.

After the game, Kirtland’s Head Football Coach Tiger LaVerde talked about how important it was to get off to a quick start against Mogadore.

“With the first play of the game, Willie Beers ran 50 yards and we ended up punching it in and then got a stop and a score, and a stop and a score,” said LaVerde. “That momentum is what was important tonight, to get off to a great start.”

@kirtlandFB Tiger LaVerde talks about the Hornets 42-0 victory over the Mogadore Wildcats. With the victory, the Kirtland Hornets will now play in the State Semifinal Game on Friday, November 24th.@NEOSportsInside pic.twitter.com/JUL7ePjsYu

— Alan Kornspan (@careersinsports) November 18, 2023

And as Coach LaVerde said, the Hornets got off to a great start as Rocco Alfieri ran for two touchdowns in the first quarter to give Kirtland a 14-0 lead.

@kirtlandFB leads 35-0 with 4:15 left in the first half. Here is video of Kirtland taking the field and scoring a quick touchdown.@NEOSportsInside pic.twitter.com/g23Z4vCXQq

— Alan Kornspan (@careersinsports) November 18, 2023

 

In the second quarter, Jake LaVerde threw the first of his two touchdown passes, a 23-yard touchdown pass to Gino Blasini, to give the Hornets a 21-0 lead early in the second quarter.

The final three touchdowns of the game were scored by Will Beers.

Beers had a 6-yard touchdown run and a 29-yard touchdown run to give Kirtland a 35-0 lead.

Beers then caught a 50-yard touchdown pass from Jake LaVerde to make the final score 42-0.

With the victory, the Hornets will face Garaway in the OHSAA State Championship Division Six Semifinal Game on Friday November 24, at Louisville High School.