We had an incredible season and incredible career. “It’s hard to take at first, but you learn the most from your failures. “The family we built here with each other is pretty special,” he said. Rus indicated he is proud of the accomplishments he and his fellow seniors experienced, including a 55-1 high school career, three state titles and a state runner-up trophy. That’s a good team and they deserved to win today.” Of Versailles, LaVerde said, “It didn’t happen for us today. ![]() “I don’t want these kids to feel any bit they’re not successful, because this was a very successful season,” he said. LaVerde shrugged off the end of his team’s 55-game winning streak. Joseph Coleman (13), Rus (13), Phil LaVerde (11) and Lescano (10) all had double digit tackles. ![]() “I think the D-line is kind of the key to our success,” lineman Taran Tyo said.Īside from Sullivan and Rus running the ball, Ramon Lescano threw for 101 yards. The Versailles front seven gave Kirtland fits all night. We had a couple chances offensively but missed a block here and there. We just didn’t make enough plays in the secondary. “We couldn’t get off the field on third down. ![]() “I don’t know how many plays we ran (17), but it didn’t seem like very many. “We didn’t have the ball in the first half,” LaVerde said. Kirtland also turned the ball over four times, three on interceptions and one via fumble. While the yardage battle was even - each team had 263 yards - Versailles had a huge advantage in time of possession (33:16 to Kirtland’s 14:44) and plays run (63 to Kirtland’s 44). There was nothing more we could do than work hard to reach the goal where we are today.” “We had our eye on the state championship, but we preach process over product. “Coming into the year, we wanted to make it further than last year,” said Bey, who ran for 86 yards and threw for 129. Then with 37 seconds left, Mason Rus, held to 39 yards rushing on 13 totes, took in a four-yard run to make it 20-16 after the conversion kick was blocked.īut Versailles recovered the ensuing onside kick, kneeled on the ball once and the championship celebration began. Gage Sullivan, who had a game-high 118 yards rushing, tight-roped down the sideline for a 29-yard score at the 9:03 mark to cut the margin to 20-10. “We were just too far behind at that point.” “We made stops in the second half,” LaVerde said. Versailles extended that lead to 20-3 late in the third when Jack Osborne plowed in from the 1, giving Kirtland its largest deficit at 17 points since facing a running clock against Marion Local in the 2017 title game. Carson put it on the spot and he made an all-time catch.”‘ “We ran him on a flag route and he made a heck of a play,” said Versailles coach Ryan Jones. While Kirtland did answer with a Johnny Raguz 38-yard field goal late in the second quarter, Versailles scored early in the second to take a 13-3 lead on a highlight reel catch by Mike Osborne from 24 yards out from Bey. It’s the first time Kirtland has trailed since Week 11 of the 2019 season, a span of 1,416-minutes and 37-seconds of not trailing in a game. Versailles scored on a 15-yard run by Bey to start the game. All year, our defensive line has been little and quick. “They’ve got a great scheme and (QB Carson Bey) is tough to tackle one-on-one. Their undoing was a physically dominating performance from Versailles, one of three teams from the Midwest Athletic Conference to play for state titles this weekend, the others being Division VII champion Marion Local and Division VI runner-up Coldwater. Kirtland’s senior class exits with an amazing four-year record of 55-1. ![]() These (Kirtland) kids are fantastic on and off the field. “If anyone thinks this season is a disappointment, they’re crazy,” Kirtland coach Tiger LaVerde said after his team garnered its fourth state runner-up trophy in the past 11 years to go with their six gold state championship trophies. It’s Kirtland’s first loss since falling to Maria Stein Marion Local in the 2017 state championship game. The loss snaps Kirtland’s string of three straight state championships, as well as its 55-game winning streak that was the longest active high school winning streak in the nation. In doing so, the Tigers won their seven state title in program history. Versailles (15-1) used the same recipe Kirtland has used throughout its impressive streak - dominating time of possession and controlling the line of scrimmage and winning the turnover battle - to unseat the three-time champions. CANTON - The nation’s longest winning streak is over, and with it so is the Kirtland Hornets’ quest for a fourth straight state championship.ĭespite scoring the last 13 points of the game, Kirtland lost to Versailles, 20-16, in the Division V state final at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium on Dec.
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