Stout defense and a fast tempo on offense led to success for Kirtland against Chagrin Falls on Oct. 10. The Hornets’ two-minute drill at the end of the half highlighted a five-score first half. They added two more scores in the second half for a 49-0 victory. Kirtland improved to 8-0, while Chagrin Falls fell to 5-3. The Hornets’ defense forced a Chagrin Falls punt at midfield, but they started their possession pinned inside their 5-yard line. The Hornets ran the ball on nine plays in the 10-play drive, including a 16-yard score by John Silvestro. Kirtland’s second drive of the contest had a similar tone, featuring 13 running plays, capped by a Danny Alfieri 1-yard score. PHOTOS: Chagrin Falls vs. Kirtland football, Oct. 10, 2024 Both added another rushing score in the first half, Silvestro on a 50-yard breakaway and Alfieri had a 2-yard score. "The line blocked great for us," Alfieri said. "With the holes that they made, it makes getting yards a whole lot easier. You can't just target one of us, a number can get the ball." Tyler Turk and Jack Lessick also had big runs in the first half. Lessick's 17-yard dash capped the two-minute drill, which went 94 yards in 12 plays. The quartet of running backs finished with 293 rushing yards and five scores. The Hornets' versatility in the backfield is a challenge for opponents to figure out. "There were big holes and we were all able to get extra yards," Silvestro said. "Being able to have so many backs be able to impact the game with how good our offensive line is makes it difficult too. They can get any of us holes that we can work with." While the offense was humming, Kirtland's defense buckled down on several strong drives by Chagrin Falls. The Tigers only crossed midfield twice, on the opening drive and their third drive of the game. Jacob Kay found Cole Ducas for a 20-yard completion, the only completion of the night for the Tigers. Kirtland forced four straight incompletions for the turnover on downs. Coach Tiger LaVerde was impressed with how the defense handled a Chagrin Falls team that was averaging 25 points a game and was on a three-game winning streak. "They did a nice job today," LaVerde said. "Chagrin had a couple of first downs, we tightened up. I think our coverage was pretty good. They didn't have a lot of open receivers but their quarterback had some good runs and bought time. We did a good job of covering the receivers all game." Even with a big lead, the Hornets stayed aggressive. They sent pressure, continued to press receivers and stalled out the Tigers offense. The aggression did have some backfire, highlighted by a pass interference call in the second quarter. But that was nullified by a Niko Samac interception two plays later. "They practice all week to come out and bring our brand of football," LaVerde said. "For us, that's our game, we have to block and tackle better than the other team if we want to win. We need to out physical, out block and out tackle them and I think we did a good job tonight." Teddy Prusock added a 3-yard score, while Tommy Caimi scrambled to find Landon Oppenheim for a 3-yard score to cap the contest. The Tigers aim to get back in the win column against Cardinal on Oct. 18. Kirtland aims to continue its perfect season with a trip to Crestwood on the same date.