Kirtland vs. Marion Local football: Hornets fall to Flyers, 14-6, in state championship game
Dec. 3—CANTON — The Kirtland football team's run for a seventh state championship came up short on Dec. 3 as Marion Local topped the Hornets, 14-6, in the Division VI state championship game at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium.
Kirtland ends the season 15-1, while Marion Local finishes the season 16-0 and with its 13th state championship in program history.
It was a defensive game throughout, with the teams combining for 20 total first downs and 103 total yards.
Marion Local held a 7-0 at the half via Darren Meier's two-yard touchdown run that came on the heels of a wind-blow, short punt by the Hornets near the end of the first half.
The Flyers took a 14-0 lead midway through the third when Nate Buschur stepped in front of a Jake LaVerde pass and returned the interception 57 yards for a touchdown.
Kirtland's defense, which played well throughout the game, got a key stop late in the third when Will Beers stripped loose the ball from a Marion Local ball-carrier, with Macguire Boyd recovering. That set up a 10-yard touchdown pass from Jake LaVerde to Will Sayle. The conversion kick was blocked, leaving the score at 14-6.
The Kirtland defense got a big stop late in the fourth quarter. But a 60-yard punt pinned the Hornets back on their own 2 yardline with 3-plus minutes to play. A fourth-down pass was short of the down-marker, turning the ball over the Marion Local to kneel out the final seconds of the clock.
Despite the loss, Kirtland outgained Marion Local, 161-142, and held the Flyers to 66 yards rushing on 37 carries. Rocco Alfieri carried 21 times for 80 yards to lead Kirtland. Gino Blasini and Boyd each had nine stops on the defensive side of the ball.
This story will be updated
