As a program, the Kirtland boys know the route toward district finals well — no GPS is necessary for that trip. The Hornets’ 2024 side, with so much new and evolving throughout their 11? Not quite as much. That’s why there might be a little more satisfaction emanating from Route 306, as the footprints lead in a similar direction anyway. Eli Johnson notched a brace, Xavier Lasecki had the go-ahead strike approaching the hour mark and the Hornets dispatched visiting neighborhood rival Wickliffe, 4-1, in a Division V district semifinal. Kirtland junior striker Eli Johnson discusses his side's 4-1 D5 district semi win over Wickliffe to get to 12-3-3Bagged a bookend brace & was generally lively in the attack& yeah, as Eli's breath indicates here, it was brisk tonight pic.twitter.com/SM87yDbAEP — Chris Lillstrung (@CLillstrungNH) October 25, 2024 Kirtland (12-3-3) will take on Lake Center Christian in the D-V Northeast 3 District final at 2 p.m. Oct. 26 at Gilmour. Hornets coach John Valentic had to be a bit more vocal than usual on the touchline in the opening 40. But his side did well to limit the Blue Devils (10-10) and their senior stalwart Kurt Boergert, particularly after halftime, and adjust with improving efficiency through the 80 to off-ball runs vs. a high line. PHOTOS: Kirtland-Wickliffe boys soccer, Oct. 24, 2024 "Gutsy is a good word," Valentic said. "I was frustrated because we had practiced and what we had seen on film, we were not doing. So it was a wasted session. So that was the frustration. I anticipated certain things. The last time we played, Kurt played in the midfield. They put him up top. We adjusted. "So yeah, I think that for a lot of young guys, not a lot of returners, missing a starter, it was gutsy. And we showed some grit and resilience. Yeah, it was close. It's a playoff game, right? And so for some of these young guys, they don't understand that it's not going to be mercy rule every game." Locked in a 1-1 match at the half, on a bitterly cold evening, Lasecki netted the go-ahead strike in the 53rd minute. The junior put a lovely right-footed inswinger on target from distance for his fourth goal of the fall. "So it was a long corner," Lasecki explained. "Coach said, 'The extra outside backs, come in.' So I came in on the corner. It got a little deflection. Eli played it back out to me, and I hit it over the top and it went in." Then in the 63rd, Marko Valentic capped a weaving run into the box by putting a strike on frame. Fellow freshman Bram Crisci barged in to clean up the rebound and make it a 3-1 match. Johnson capped his brace with a slick left-footed finish low-90 and side net in the 78th. Wickliffe operated with Boergert, one of three News-Herald coverage area players to net 30 regular-season goals, as a striker as Valentic noted, complemented by junior Drew Rossman providing danger primarily through width in midfield. ⚽ Kirtland 1-0Eli Johnson 16th min pic.twitter.com/BTFQBBUw2a — Chris Lillstrung (@CLillstrungNH) October 24, 2024   The Hornets got their account opener in the 16th minute through Johnson, finding space against that aforementioned high line with his run placement, playing his first touch in and banging home the finish. Wickliffe was promising in locating diagonal service and generating corners, which was where it found its equalizer in the 28th. On a corner, the Blue Devils' fourth of the match, Rossman served far post for Boergert, who made no mistake with a quality header to level the proceedings, 1-1. Much like 2024, though, Kirtland grew into the match and, eventually, the result. The Hornets are bound for a district title tilt for the seventh straight season and 11th time since 2013. They are also now 13-1-2 against Wickliffe since 2013. So much is new, with one of the youngest sides Kirtland has had in recent memory. And yet, the destination remains the same. "Last year, I was one of the only two or three remaining starters that came back," Lasecki said. "So this year, being with the new guys, it really took some — it was a lot of time. But I mean, it paid off. We're going back to the district final. So yeah, it's really exciting. "It's fun to see the young guys grow, because I haven't gotten to play with a lot of my friends since eighth grade because I played up and we had all of those older guys. So yeah, it's just been fun to see us grow." PHOTOS: Kirtland-Wickliffe boys soccer, Oct. 24, 2024