MINERVA — Kirtland showed why they are Ohio’s No. 1 team in Division VI and the defending state champions.
The Hornets (15-0) are headed to their 13th state football championship game and eighth straight after Friday night’s 41-7 state semifinal victory over Northmor in Minerva.
“To be back here playing in Week 16 is pretty amazing. It’s a testament to the hard work these kids put in,” Kirtland coach Tiger LaVerde said.
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Northmor (14-1) recovered a fumble in the red zone to stop Kirtland’s first possession, but it couldn’t capitalize on the emotional momentum.
The Hornets put together a 14-play drive late in the first quarter to take a 7-0 lead, and the Golden Knights responded immediately when AJ Bower found Cowin Becker for a 62-yard bubble screen to tie the game at 8 :54 to play. in half.
However, Kirtland didn’t give up, scoring two more goals and picking off a Northmor pass to take a 20-7 halftime lead. The Hornets recovered an onside kick to start the second half and scored seven plays later for a 28-7 lead. Kirtland scored two more times before the end of the third quarter to start the clock.
“Offensively, we weren’t able to make plays when we needed to,” Northmor coach Scott Armrose said. “We knew coming in we had to take advantage of every possession. We just didn’t do that tonight. We even got them to turn the ball over, and we knew that extra possession could be huge. We didn’t just couldn’t finish driving it.
“We made some mistakes offensively that we haven’t made all year. We just didn’t do a good job executing on them when we needed to.”
Kirtland did not attempt a pass, completing it 58 times for 447 yards. It was also 5-for-6 on third down and 1-for-1 on fourth down. The Hornets had 30 first downs to Northmor’s 12. Danny Alfieri finished with 150 yards on 25 carries and two touchdowns, and Jake LaVerde added 142 yards on 16 carries and three touchdowns.
For Northmor, he was held to 12 rushing yards on 15 attempts. Bower was 17 of 32 for 211 yards, while Bo Landin had eight catches for 87 yards and Jax Wenger had six catches for 44 yards. The Knights were 5 of 12 on third down and 1 of 4 on fourth down.
“The DBs did a good job, the linebacker and D-linemen had just enough pressure. I think our defense got better as the year went on,” LaVerde said. “They are good up front. They have a good running game and very good balance. They have very good offensive players and their quarterback is a special kid. He throws with accuracy and speed. I think we upset him tonight with a little pressure and that helped us.”
Kirtland will face No. 2 Coldwater for a state championship in Canton next weekend. Northmor finishes its season as the best football team in Morrow County history, making its first Final Four appearance with its first Knox Morrow Athletic Conference title and first league championship since 1982.
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This article was originally published on Marion Star: Northmor’s playoff run ends in Final Four football Friday night
