Lake County Sentinel
Kirtland Overpowers Perry, 44-24
BY KEN KRIZNER
STAFF
(KIRTLAND, OH) - Kirtland withstood an explosive start by Perry and slowly imposed its will as the game went on, both offensively and defensively, defeating the Pirates 44-24 before a capacity crowd at Wilson Stadium.
Not only did the Pirates (2-1) lose their first game of the season – and suffer their first regular season defeat since last season’s loss to Kirtland – their senior quarterback McKoy Richards suffered an apparent leg injury near the end of the game and had to be carted off the field.
Fans could hardly have of asked for a more explosive first quarter.
The Pirates scored on the opening kickoff when sophomore Traxton Richards went 97 yards for a quick 7-0 lead.
But on the first play from scrimmage following the ensuing kickoff, senior Ty Bledsoe took a handoff and raced 65 yards for a Hornets (3-0) touchdown to tie the score. Perry immediately answered by going 58 yards with Richards hitting junior Greg Mechenbier on a 30-yard touchdown pass to regain the lead.
On Kirtland’s next possession, the Hornets got to the Perry 25 and faced a fourth down. That’s when senior quarterback Jake LaVerde called his own number, running 25 yards for the tying touchdown.
It took the Pirates only four plays to regain the lead as Richards connected with a wide open Justin Costello for a 23-yard touchdown pass.
In the first quarter, Kirtland could not stop Perry’s passing game and Perry could not stop Kirtland’s running game.
“All week, we said it was going to be a four-quarter game,” said Kirtland Head Coach Tiger LaVerde. “We knew we were going to be in a dogfight. I was so proud how we responded to that opening kickoff touchdown.”
The Pirates could only manage a field goal the rest of the game as the Hornets defense stiffened.
“The start was a little exciting, but you knew it wasn’t going to keep that pace,” Perry Head Coach Bob Gecewich said. “Once we settled in, they executed and we didn’t make enough plays.”
After watching Perry go up and down the field in the first quarter, LaVerde said the Hornets defense just kept doing what it is coached to do. “We got pressure on the quarterback and our secondary did a great job keeping everyone in front of them,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Hornets offense, behind the running of LaVerde and senior running backs Ty Bledsoe and John Silvestro, picked up big play after big play.
“Kirtland is not a one-man show,” Gecewich said, “We talked about it all week.”
On the first play of the second quarter, LaVerde went around the right end for 22 yards and his second rushing touchdown of the night to once again tie the game.
This time, however, the Hornets’ defense stiffened, forcing Perry to punt twice in the second quarter. After the first punt, which pinned the Hornets back at their own 16 yard line, LaVerde raced 60 yards around the right side on a third-down play to put the ball on the Pirates’ 13 yard line. Two plays later, Bledsoe went in from 10 yards to give Kirtland its first lead of the night – a lead it would never surrender.
When Perry regained possession, junior quarterback Nate Trefzger came into the game. Gecewich has alternated between Richards and Trefzger early in the season. Trefzger marched the Pirates from their own 35 to the Kirtland 41 and faced a fourth down after Trefzger missed Mechenbier in the end zone. A fourth down pass to Brody Krantz fell incomplete.
Kirtland averted trouble on its next possession when LaVerde recovered his own fumble after a 10-yard run. A holding penalty on first down pushed the Hornets to their own 46. And a LaVerde 54-yard touchdown pass was nullified by a second straight holding penalty.
The half ended with Kirtland having the ball at midfield, the only possession of the first half where the Hornets did not score, and a 28-21 lead.
LaVerde and Bledsoe combined for 266 yards rushing and four touchdowns in the first half.
After LaVerde and Bledsoe carried Kirtland in the first half, senior John Silvestro took up some of the slack in the second half. The Hornets took the second half kickoff and went 79 yards behind the running of the three seniors, with Silvestro ending the drive with a 12-yard touchdown run. Following a Perry encroachment penalty on the point after attempt, Kirtland decided to go for two, with Silvestro converting to extend the lead to 36-21.
Perry could only pick up one first down on its next possession and was forced to punt. But the Pirate defense forced a 3-and-out and LaVerde punted – the Hornets first of the night – with about 5 minutes to go in the third quarter.
A good return by Richards was nullified by a holding penalty, which put the ball back to midfield. Back under center, Trefzger completed an 11-yard pass to Richards giving Perry a first down at the Hornets 18. The drive stalled and sophomore Colton Crissinger kicked a 33-yard field goal to pull the Pirates to within 12 at 36-24.
But that was a close as Perry would come.
Bledsoe went 53 yards less than a minute into the fourth quarter for his third touchdown of the night. Silvestro added his second two-point conversion to give Kirtland a 44-24 lead.
Quarterback Richards’ injury occurred with less than three minutes to go in the fourth quarter as he was tackled going out of bounds. The game was delayed for several minutes.
“He got hurt competing and that’s who he is,” Gecewich said of Richards. “It’s awful to see that happen. Unfortunately, it can happen anytime a player steps onto the field. For him to sustain an injury, that’s a morale blow we can’t wrap our heads just yet. But we have to line up and play in our next game.”
Next week, Perry is home to Chardon, while Kirtland travels to Fairview for a CVC matchup with the Warriors.
POSTED 09/05/2025 23:58
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Kirtland's Ty Bledsoe runs for a first half touchdown.
Photo by Ken Krizner
