OHSAA state football finals: Carson Bey, Versailles snap Kirtland's winning streak, win Division V championship

CANTON — The rich history of memorable Ohio high school football championship games just added another chapter. It'll surprise many.

Versailles knocked off Kirtland in the Division V state finals to wrap up quite a state championship weekend at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. The Tigers won 20-16, holding off a comeback attempt by Kirtland. They snapped Kirtland's winning streak at 55 games — the longest active high school football winning streak in the nation.

"I can't even understand it, it's all happening so fast ... oh gosh, it's amazing," quarterback-linebacker Carson Bey said to Spectrum News 1 when asked how he felt after the win.

Kirtland hadn't trailed since the third quarter of a 2019 regional quarterfinal game against Sandy Valley. That deficit, however, was just a footnote in what the Hornets had built into their 55-game win streak, which included three straight state titles.

Just under six minutes into Saturday's final, the Hornets found themselves on the wrong side of the scoreboard for the first time since that night against the Cardinals. Unlike that night, though, Kirtland would not be able to extricate itself out of the jam.

Versailles took the opening kickoff down for a touchdown Saturday, and led from that point forward, controlling most of the game to end the streak in front of 4,465.

The Hornets lost for the first time since Marion Local defeated them in the 34-11 in the 2017 Division VI state title game in Canton. Kirtland finishes 14-1.

Versailles, which won its seventh state title and first since 2003, finishes 15-1. The Tigers know a lot about taking long winning streaks into title games. They had a 54-game win streak previously in their program from 1993 until Marion Pleasant beat the Tigers in the 1996 Division V state championship game.

Here’s a look at some of the key things to know about this game:

Player of the Game: Carson Bey, QB/LB, Versailles

What didn't the Tiger senior do on Saturday night? Obviously, Bey expertly piloted the Versailles offense. He was effective and efficient throwing the football, including a huge 24-yard touchdown pass to Michael Osborne to give the Tigers a 13-3 second-quarter lead. Bey also ran it well, including a 15-yard run that gave Versailles a 6-0 lead with 6:24 left in the first quarter. Bey also made an incredible interception late in the third quarter that required video review to overturn what originally had been ruled an incomplete pass on the field.

Play of the Game: Michael Osborne's two-way show

Consider this two for one in terms of key plays in the game. The first came with 9:25 remaining in the second half, when Osborne was able to pull in a Carson Bey pass just inbounds on the left side of the end zone. That provided Versailles with the all-important two-score lead at 13-3. Osborne stepped up again three plays later, this time on defense, when he fell on a Ramon Lescano fumble at the Kirtland 46. The fumble was forced by Taran Tyo. The Tigers gave the ball back shortly after on an interception of their own, but it still cut short a Hornet possession after they had opened up a two-score lead. Osborne added to his defensive stats with 7:58 left, intercepting a pass when Kirtland showed signs of life down 20-10.

Three stats to a title

1-for-8: That was Kirtland's success rate on third down, as compared to Versailles' 6-of-12. It's what set in motion the overwhelming advantage the Tigers would have in plays run – 63 to 44 – and a time of possession, which was nearly 20 minutes in Versailles' favor.

4-1: That was the turnover margin in the game. The four giveaways belong to Kirtland, which had three interceptions and a fumble lost on the night. Between an opening-drive field goal and a final-drive touchdown, the Hornets had seven drives. Four ended in turnovers, one ended in a turnover on downs, one ended in a punt and one ended in a touchdown.

134-129: That's the yardage breakdown for Versailles between run (on 51 attempts) and pass (on just eight completions) for the night. It was that balance that allowed what its fans proudly call "Tiger Ball" to keep what had been a virtually unbreakable Kirtland defense off balance all night.

They said that

Versailles quarterback Carson Bey on ending Kirtland's win streak, which was one game longer than the Tigers' own streak in the early-to-mid 1990s: "That's exactly what we had in mind all week. We knew they beat our record, that they had 55 straight. There were signs all over town, '55 and 1.' We knew we could make it happen."

Kirtland coach Tiger Laverde on the 55-game win streak coming to an end: "These kids go out every day and do the best they can year around. Result come. The streak, that's not the goal. The goal is to have fun every day with these kids and they work as hard as they do and we compete as hard as we can. I think we competed right to the end. It didn't happen for us today. That's a good football team and they deserved to win the game."

Versailles receiver Michael Osborne on the defensive performance: "Our defense stepped up big time. Big time moments. We played an overall great game."

Versailles coach Ryan Jones on quarterback Carson Bey: "When you got a guy there you can trust, you can do some more things. It gives you flexibility because he can run and throw. Even more important than his ability is that he's a fantastic leader on and off the field. He does a great job. Nobody outworks him. He sets a great example. If people follow him, then they're going to be better for it."

Reach Chris at chris.easterling@indeonline.com.

On Twitter: @ceasterlingINDE

This article originally appeared on The Independent: Versailles football upsets Kirtland, ends longest active win streak