Lake County Sentinel
Hornets sting Smithies 39-0 to advance in playoffs
JOEY SCHNEIDER
STAFF
(KIRTLAND, OH) - The reigning state champion Kirtland Hornets (11-0) hosted the Smithville Smithies (8-3) in Kirtland Friday night in the second round of the OHSAA high school football playoffs at Wilson Stadium.
The first quarter was all defense. Kirtland struggled to move the ball and fumbled on the second drive of the game which was recovered by Smithville senior defensive lineman Jake Johns. Kirtland stopped the Smithies on fourth down midway through the first quarter on a long drive that seemed to take some of the confidence out of Smithville.
The game went back and forth until Kirtland exploded in the second quarter. Leaning heavily on senior running back Danny Alfieri on an 11-play drive, which was capped off by an Alfieri five-yard touchdown run Kirtland took the lead. After a successful two-point conversion the Hornets lead 8-0 halfway through the second quarter.
Kirtland's senior defensive back Nico Samec would give the ball right back to the Hornets on the first play of the Smithies next drive.
It only took three plays for the Hornet's to score once again. Danny Alfieri dashed up the middle and cut to the sideline before being pushed out at the four yard line. Kirtland's junior running back John Silvestro finished it off walking into the endzone. Another converted two-point attempt made the score 16-0.
Kirtland's defense again stepped up this time forcing a fumble and recovering on their own 21- yard line. Two plays later John Silvestro would get his second touchdown of the game on a 15-yard rushing score. A connection between senior quarterback Max Paul and senior wide out Jack Lessick for another two-point conversion would push the lead to 24-0 with 3:41 left in the half.
Kirtland would stop Smithville and force them to punt later in the quarter. Two big plays is all that was needed to put up another score. A 42-yard strike between Max Paul and Jack Lessick set up the Hornets, and on the next play Danny Alfieri would run through a massive hole cleared out by the Hornet offensive untouched for a 34-yard touchdown. The two point conversion this time was no good, but Kirtland led 30-0.
Kirtland would get the ball one more time in the explosive second quarter and was able to get into range for senior kicker/DB Noah Runyan who would drill a 32-yard field goal through the uprights with the time expiring in the half.
The second half saw the running clock start as Kirtland was up 33-0 and a Smithville team that didn't know what hit them in the second quarter.
The only score of the second half came in the third quarter as sophomore running back Carter Luzar took the ball around the tackle and down the sidelines for a 71-yard touchdown.
The running clock sped up the game and the defenses wouldn't give up another point as the clock stuck zero and the Kirtland Hornets advanced to the regional semifinals with a final of 39-0.
The second quarter of the game was where Kirtland stunned Smithville scoring 33 of their 39 points in 7 minutes and 23 seconds. Running back Danny Alfieri finished the game with 13 rushes for 186 yards and two touchdowns, almost all of which came in the first half.
Kirtland Head Coach Tiger LaVerde was asked after the game how he keeps the team focused game to game and not looking ahead to what could be their eighth state title. "I think these kids fear failure. They’re afraid to be that team who fails, so that motivates the heck out of you. You want to get out into the weight room or out into practice and want to get better because you don't want to be that team. So, I think that's a big, big motivating factor for these kids.”
Kirtland will play next week in the regional semifinal against the fourth seeded Colombia Raiders at a neutral site that has yet to be determined.
POSTED 11/09/2024 00:18
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Photo by Joey Schneider
