CANTON — The Kirtland and Coldwater high school football teams kicked off Day 3 of the 2024 OHSAA state championships this morning with the Division VI title game at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium.
It was the first of three high school football championship games Saturday as the title games wrap up Saturday at the stadium. Kirtland, trying to finish off an unbeaten season, was denied a second straight state title by the Cavaliers, who rolled to a 31-7 win..
Here’s how the game, which started at 10:30 a.m., unfolded through our live updates.
The Coldwater Cavaliers are Ohio’s Division I state champions after routing Kirtland 31-7 Saturday.
Coldwater won its eighth state title, all in the last 20 seasons, before a crowd of 3,472 in Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium.
Kirtland quarterback Jake LaVerde scored on an 11-yard run with 7:22 left in the game to cut Coldwater’s lead to 31-7. The only real impact was that it stopped the running clock. Coldwater was back in scoring territory a short while later after sacking LaVerde on fourth down.
Coldwater’s defense made a fourth-down stop near midfield late in the third. The Cavaliers offense drove to a short field goal by kicker Bryce Couchot.
The boot gave the Cavaliers a 31-0 lead on the final snap of the third quarter and sent the game into the fourth quarter with a running clock.
Kirtland’s long day got worse to start the second half. The Hornets forced a punt, downed at the 5. A fumbled snap left a wild scramble for the ball at the end zone. Senior nose man Noah Welsch of Coldwater dove on the ball for a touchdown. The Cavaliers lead 28-0 with 6:26 left in the third quarter.
Coldwater’s defense finished a strong half by forcing a punt and the offense got to work again.
Quarterback Baylen Blockberger, working from a clean pocket, fired a perfect deep pass to Cadin Obringer for a 40-yard gain. He then found Mason Welsch open in the right corner of the end zone for a 21-yard touchdown with 39 seconds left in the half.
The Cavaliers lead 21-0 at halftime.
Coldwater bottled up Kirtland’s vaunted running game, forcing the Hornets into third-and-long passes that were well covered, with rush support that had quarterback Jake LaVerde throwing on the run.
The Cavaliers took over at their own 25 after Kirtland’s second punt of the day.
Kirtland’s defense stiffened and forced a fourth-and-19 punt, but a roughing penalty gave Coldwater an automatic first down.
The Cavaliers ran and passed to scoring territory, reaching a third-and-1. Off play action, QB Baylen Blockberger took a step back and threw a touchdown pass to Mason Welsch, who was open by a mile. It’s 14-0 with 6:18 left in the first half.
The Coldwater Cavaliers made the first big play of the game when quarterback Baylen Blockberger unloaded a 45-yard bomb down the right sideline to Cadin Obringer. The pass hit Obringer, open by a couple yards, in stride.
A reverse to Miles Pottkotter caught Kirtland off guard and went for a 24-yard touchdown. Pottkotter came around the right side and was untouched to the end zone. The Cavaliers lead 7-0 with 2:03 left in the first quarter.
The score stood as the first quarter ended.
Kirtland started on its own 39 after the opening kickoff and immediately got a 15-yard run from Jack Lessick. Lessick fumbled at the end of another nice run but the Hornets recovered.
Kirtland at times operated out of a classic I-formation with 6-foot-1, 260-pound Ted Prusock at fullback in front of tailback. The Hornets faced fourth-and-5 from the Coldwater 22 when quarterback Jake LaVerde rolled right but threw incomplete.
Coldwater answered the stalled Kirtland drive by advancing to midfield before a fumbled snap set back the Cavaliers. Kirtland took over at its own 29 after a punt.
The Coldwater Cavaliers wasted no time taking the field as the stadium music began and the first wave of fans showed up for today’s Division VI state championship football game against Kirtland. The temperature is 27 degrees, with mostly cloudy skies.
Coldwater knows the drill, having been in 14 state championship games, winning seven titles, the last in 2020.
Kirtland players waited a while to step into the cold, and none was on the field 57 minutes before kick. The Hornets have matched Coldwater’s seven championships and lost in the finals five other times.
There is no noticeable tailgating in this weather, and it appears the crowd will be late arriving.
Kirtland routed Northmoor 41-7 in a state semifinal, as all five Hornet playoff wins have been by 34 or more points. The Hornets have scored 41 each of the last three weeks.
Coldwater defeated Bluffton 28-6 in a state semifinal after scoring 45, 56, 56 and 58 points the previous four playoff games, which included two shutouts.
Kirtland, which has never lost a state semifinal game, is playing in its 13th state final, having gone 7-5 in the previous 12 title games, all under head coach Tiger LaVerde. Over his 19-year career, LaVerde is 244-20. Kirtland rolled to a 32-15 victory over Versailles in last year’s Division VI final for Kirtland’s first title since 2020. Kirtland continues to rely on its running game and arrives in Canton with 5,198 rushing yards this season on 630 carries, good for an 8.3-yard average. As can be expected, Kirtland has a big, strong and experienced offensive line, featuring Matthew Kahley (385 pounds), Jackson Carestio (345), Vince Prusock (315), Casey Carkhuff (315), Teddy Prusock (300), Jackson Turk (295) and Lucci Cantini (285).
The Cavaliers began the season one day after their starting center Cale Wenning (honorable mention All-Ohio in 2023) died from injuries suffered earlier in August. The team keeps a flag with Wenning’s No. 70 on it on the sidelines for all games. Coldwater’s lone loss is to Division VII state champion Marion Local, which finished its year 16-0 Friday. Aside from that 35-0 loss in Week 10, the Cavaliers have been pretty dominant. They’ve scored 31 or more points 11 times while holding nine opponents to one score or less in reaching their first state final since 2021. Head coach Chip Otten has guided the program to five state titles and Coldwater owns seven OHSAA state championships overall. Otten earned his 200th career win in 2024.
The Division VI state title game will be televised on Spectrum News 1. Kickoff is at 10:30 a.m.
OHSAA state finals: Ohio high school football state championships predictions, breaking down OHSAA finals
In addition to airing on TV on Spectrum News 1, the game can be streamed using the Spectrum News App or via OHSAA.tv.
