OLIVESBURG — High school football royalty will pay a visit to north central Ohio on Thursday night.
All eyes will be on Crestview’s Scott Bailey Memorial Field when defending Division VI state champ and small-school juggernaut Kirtland tangles with the Cougars.
Kirtland coach Tiger LaVerde has built a powerhouse in Lake County, fashioning an impossible 230-20 record since taking over nearly two decades ago. Last week’s 55-34 win over Dalton was his 250th career victory — he was 20-10 in three seasons as a head coach in Pennsylvania before landing at Kirtland in 2006.
LaVerde’s teams have won seven state championships and been runner-up five times — all since 2011. The Hornets have played in seven straight state finals dating to 2017 and won four state crowns, including three in a row from 2018 to 2020.
Crestview coach Steve Haverdill coached alongside LaVerde during the Ohio North South all-star game in the summer of 2023
“We coached together and we got to know each other,” Haverdill said over the summer. “Kirtland is as good as it gets.”
Just how good?
Since winning its first state title in 2011, Kirtland is 182-9 (.953 winning percentage). The Hornets have averaged 14 wins and less than one loss per season during that stretch.
Kirtland has only lost one regular season game since 2017 and that was to eventual Division V state champ Perry in Week 3 last season. The Hornets had a 55 game winning streak snapped by Versailles in the 2021 Division V state championship game.
Kirtland at Crestview, Thursday
The Hornets did all their damage on the ground in last week’s 55-34 win over 2023 Division VII state runner-up Dalton, piling up 506 rushing yards on 50 attempts.
Quarterback Jake LaVerde ran for 341 yards and three touchdowns on just 16 carries, averaging 21.3 yards per carry. Danny Alfieri rumbled for 54 yards and four scores on 10 carries. The Hornets gave up 294 passing yards, but intercepted three passes.
The Cougars led 7-0 less than a minute into last week’s opener against Seneca East thanks to Ayden Reymer’s 58-yard touchdown run, but surrendered 35 straight points in a 35-20 loss.
Reymer rushed for 138 yards, while quarterback Liam Kuhn threw for 49 yards and a touchdown to Tyson Ringler.
Hillsdale at Lucas
The Falcons opened with a resounding, 44-12 win over Black River as sophomore quarterback Kael Lewis completed 9-of-16 passes for 238 yards and a school-record six touchdowns.
Three of Brock Bower’s four receptions went for scores, while Holland Young had three catches for 102 and two TDs. Hayden McFadden caught three passes for 90 yards and a score.
Aiden Hoffman and Brady Heller each had 10 tackles, while Jesse Trevathan made nine stops and picked off a pass.
Lucas rumbled to a 48-12 win over Smethport (Pa.), making a winner of Jim Sweat in his head-coaching debut.
The Cubs piled up 453 yards on the ground, while quarterback Bobby Grover completed 4-of-5 passes for 115 yards. Zac Winters had three catches for 81 yards.
The Cubs fumbled the opening kickoff, but Buck Arnold returned an interception 75 yards for a TD. Dan Hockensmith rushed for 68 yards and three TDs.
Ashland at Marion Harding
Highly-regarded quarterback Nathan Bernhard completed 22-of-31 passes for 205 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 95 yards and a score on 21 carries in last week’s 41-27 win at River Valley.
The junior tossed a 5-yard TD pass to Gabe Baith for the go-ahead score then put it away with a 10-yard touchdown dash. Baith caught nine passes for 79 yards, while Dakota Kruty had four receptions for 52 yards and a TD. Senior speedster Michael Franz rushed for 71 yards and two touchdowns on seven carries.
Defensively, Gunner Lacy and Gavin Hoffman each had an interception.
Marion Harding’s Parker Davis had a career night in the Presidents 31-27 win over Mount Vernon.
Davis had 11 catches for 158 yards and two touchdowns, including the game-winning 78-yarder with 6:36 remaining.
Quarterback Conner Pennington completed 20-of-27 passes for 235 yards and two TDs. Senior linebacker Justin Long made 17 tackles, while Landon Keller had 15 stops.