Big plays when they wanted one…Cadin Obringer hauls in a 55-yard strike to set up a Coldwater touchdown. (Press Pros Feature Photos by Sonny Fulks and Julie McMaken Wright)
The surprise of the tournament was emotional and unexpected. Coldwater shuts down Kirtland to capture its eighth football title and win the hearts of even the unaffected.
Canton, OH – No one saw it coming, but when two teams with seven titles each play for their respective eighth nothing should come as a surprise.
That said, it was the way Coldwater shut down defending champion Kirtland Saturday that turned heads…and hearts…a 31-7 win for the Division VI title that left a confident Kirtland community flummoxed, and emotionless.
Except for one irrelevant touchdown drive in the fourth quarter, they had nothing to cheer about.
A third quarter fumble recovery by Coldwater’s Noah Welsch in the end turned out to be a game turner, and apropos for the fact that Welsch (it was later revealed) believed that his fortune to recover the fumble for a touchdown was a moment of ‘Divine’ nature.
Welsch, you see, was a closer-than-close friend of fallen teammate Cale Wenning, who died prior to the first game of the season, and after Saturday’s game he confidently said: “I was the right guy in the right place, but my boy upstairs, Cale, was the one who put me in the right place at the right time.
“Cale’s the only reason that ever happened. All the honor to him, and I fully give him the respect and gratitude for bringing this team to where we are today.” – Noah Welsch explains to post-game reporters.
“He’s the only reason that ever happened. All the honor to him, and I fully give him the respect and gratitude for bringing this team to where we are today.”
To the surprise of most, Coldwater dominated the game, and Kirtland…despite the statistics being relatively close. Both teams rushed the ball effectively – Coldwater for 253 yards to Kirtland’ s 295. But it’s when they rushed the ball that mattered. That, and the fact that Kirtland couldn’t throw it, while Coldwater’s Baylen Blockberger completed 8 of 12 for 133 yards and two touchdowns.
“This wasn’t the way we prepared to play,” said Kirtland coach Tiger LaVerde, afterwards. “We didn’t execute even close to the way we [normally] play. We didn’t block and tackle, and give Coldwater credit for that. They’re a good football team with a lot of weapons. They’re a typical MAC team and they deserved to win. But I love these kids…love my seniors at this table.”
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Coldwater drew first blood, scoring on a 14 yard run by Miles Pottkotter at 1:48 of the first quarter…a play out of a timeout that Chip Otten had rehearsed to take advantage of some Kirtland tendencies.
Miles Pottkotter dives for the end zone to score Coldwater’s first touchdown.
“The safety followed our receiver in motion and we had seen that on film. Baylen did a great job of being patient, optioned the ball to Miles, and he took it to the house.”
7-0, Coldwater.
But the Coldwater defense was giving Kirtland fits – hustling, pursuing, and taking advantage of the Hornets’ inability to throw.
“We’re a running team, that’s our identity,” said LaVerde. “It’s how we’ve played throughout the season and the playoffs. We weren’t going to change [that today.]”
And as it turned out, it was what put them in an unfamiliar position of trailing as the second quarter began.
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Driving again after a Kirtland punt, Blockberger hooked up with Mason Welsch on a 5-yard touchdown pass after a ten-play, 70-yard drive to increase the lead to 14-0.
The fumble…that started the ‘divine’ recovery by Noah Welsch, and put the game and the championship on ice.
Once again Kirtland failed to move the ball, turning it over on downs…one of three times on the afternoon. It was that frustrating.
Blockberger went back to work, engineered a 73-yard drive, this time in six plays before he found teammate Cadin Obringer on a 55 yard strike downfield to again give the Cavaliers the ball in point-blank range of the end zone. On the second play Blockberger again hit Welsch from 15 yards and just like that the deficit was 21-0.
Still, Kirtland is a team that as one described, “never quits.” And down 21 at the half, all of Lake County was confident that the Hornets would generate something to turn it around.
Mason Welsch hauls in the second of his two touchdowns catches in the first half.
But Coldwater took the second half kickoff, ran off nearly seven minutes of clock, flipped the field and made Kirtland start from its own five yard line after an Owen Kunk punt.
Enter Cale Wenning, and his best friend.
Kirtland ran a reverse play, and one that Coldwater’s line got penetration on, forcing a fumble at the goal line. Noah Welsch just happened to be in the vicinity, plopped on the ball for the recovery and a crushing touchdown…one that sent some Kirtland fans streaming for the parking lot at 6:56 of the quarter. Quit, or no quit, it’s hard to come back against a team like Coldwater when you’re down four scores and have 12 minutes to play.
Bryce Couchot added a 25 yard field goal at 4:15 to make it 31-0, and deal was done – a running clock, of all things. Spectrum Television later confirmed that it was the first running clock of Tiger LaVerde’s 19-year tenure of coach at Kirtland.
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Kirtland did avoid the shutout, finally rallying for a 75-yard drive and a Jake LaVerde touchdown in the fourth quarter, but with just four minutes remaining.
Baylen Blockberger runs for a first down in Friday’s 31-7 win over Kirtland.
Coldwater ran out those four minutes, and claimed its eighth state title in football, along with its second title win over Kirtland after three meetings.
The ‘Twelfth Man”…….
As much as 31-7 had to do with Coldwater winning, more than one joined Noah Welsch in claiming that Cale Wenning had a smiling hand in as memorable a win as there’ll ever be in Coldwater football. It marked not only the school’s eighth, but the 150th for the Midwest Athletic Conference.
“I thought it was a cool moment for Noah,” said teammate Cody Depweg. “Those two have been tight since elementary school, even before. Noah was really close with him, and it really hurt Noah when he lost Cale. And when he came off the field after that play he told us, ‘Cale sent this one to me.’
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“I knew then there was no way we’re going to lose this football game,” added Depweg. “I said to Cale last night, ‘We need you to be the twelfth man tomorrow’, and that moment proved to me that he was right there with us. He watched over us for the win.”
This pass interference call extended a Cavalier drive that led to their second touchdown.
Chip Otten is as gracious as they come among high school football coaches…respectful of Friday’s outcome against a quality opponent in Kirtland, and one that he knew well.
“They’re really stout,” said Otten of the Hornets. “Coach LaVerde has been there a long time and they play hard-nosed football. We knew today that we would have to play to our advantages to win.”
Quicker, athletic, and the dual-abilities of Baylen Blockberger at quarterback….it all played a hand. Ironically, when LaVerde lost to Minster in 2014 he credited the Wildcats for being multi-dimensional.
“We’re accustomed to playing teams that throw because they have to,” he said of Minster. “Today we lost to a team that throws because it wants to.”
Cadin Obringer turns for a Baylen Blockberger pass in the first half that set up Cavalier touchdown.
That’s always defined Otten’s Cavaliers, and those who believe that Chip plays the game with 54 cards – the option play that scored the game’s first touchdown…the skinny post play to Cadin Obringer that set up the third touchdown.
“We try to make it fun,” he said with a smile, Friday. “And I thought it was the time on short yardage (the first touchdown). Bay was smooth, rode it out, and gave Miles a chance to make a play, and he took it to the house. It was just the right time to call it.”
It all contributed, swore Baylen Blockberger, Miles Pottkotter, Cody Depweg, and Mason Welsch – every one of them.
You never take a MAC team for granted.
And you’ll never convince any of the 3,472 people that were there that the 12th man didn’t impact the outcome.
“There was no way we were going to lose this football game,” said Depweg.
Divine!
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