CANTON — Kirtland left no doubt who was Ohio’s best Division VI football team this season.
The No. 1-ranked Hornets dominated Versailles to the tune of a 32-15 victory on Friday morning in the state championship game before 3,959 fans at Canton’s Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium.
This marked the seventh state championship for coach Tiger LaVerde’s program.
Kirtland finished state runner-up the past two seasons, including in 2021, when Versailles halted the Hornets’ 55-game winning streak with a 20-16 decision in the state finals. The Tigers have seven state championships of their own.
But this time, LaVerde’s squad delivered the reckoning.
Kirtland got on the board first when Gino Blasini covered a Tigers’ fumble in the end zone for a 7-0 lead. The Hornets’ defense forced a three-and-out and senior Willie Beers raced in from six yards for a 13-0 margin.
Versailles fought back on Michael Osbourne’s 31-yard TD pass to A.J. Griesdorn to slice the gap to 13-7 with 10:55 remaining in the second period.
But it only took Beers 14 seconds to replenish the lead. He ripped off a record-setting 90-yard return on the ensuing kickoff that gave Kirtland a 19-7 margin it carried into halftime. It was the longest kickoff return in Division VI championship game history.
Rocco Alfieri’s 2-yard touchdown run with 4:23 showing in the third period pushed the Hornets’ advantage to 25-7.
Kirtland cornerback Will Sayle pounced on yet another Tigers’ fumble in the end zone to make it 32-7 with 3:07 remaining.
Osborne’s 5-yard TD run with 55 seconds left finished the scoring.
Osborne was a one-man gang for Versailles. He had 131 yards rushing on 25 carries, and completed 10-of-23 passes for 124 yards. Lane Bergman caught four passes for 70 yards.
But the Hornets dominated with 316 yards rushing.
Quarterback Jake LaVerde led the way with 124 yards on eight carries, including a 72-yard romp. Alfieri contributed 94 yards on 23 carries, and Beers chipped in 85 yards on 15 carries.
Kirtland (15-1) won its 13th straight game since dropping a 24-6 decision on Sept. 1 to undefeated Perry, who will play in the Division V state championship game on Saturday at 3 p.m.
The unranked Tigers saw their six-game winning streak snapped and finished the season with a 13-3 mark.