Division V State Semifinal: Kirtland (13-0 (54-0)) vs Ottawa Glandorf (11-3)
- Thread starter EagleFan
- Start date
falcon6766
Active member
yes
Michael Hirn
Well-known member
Kirtland says this game will be at Carey where the Titans just won.
You sure it isn’t Clyde?
Jaws31
It had to be done
Its clyde
Bluestreak1980
Well-known member
Clyde great place for a game!
Quest4Gold
Well-known member
When the closest game was an 18 point win to a previous undefeated (5 of their opponents were playoff teams) Garrettsville Garfield team, I don't think there will be much of a game for Kirtland in the 2nd half. Kirtland by 24 points at the least.
Seriously =- you are comparing the schedule of Garfield to O-G's - BTW O-G had 6 teams make the playoffs in D5, D4 & D3 ? NO offense to Garfield, and their fine season - however they played one school that was a D4 ( that didn't win a game all year) all the rest are D5& D6?
Kirtland has a fine tradition and rightfully should be the favorite, however unless the Titans turn the ball over 2-3 times I think this will be a much more competitive game.
Every team has a plan on how they are going to beat Kirtland - until they play them. The Hornets for two weeks now have had scoring drives over 9 minutes long. It's hard to beat them when they get the lead and then just take the air out of the ball like they do. It's like death by paper cuts. They just grind out play after play and the sticks keep moving. It's very frustrating for teams because they know the run is coming and they just cant get off the field. The style of offense and defense that Kirtland plays is also aided by the fact that weather is a none factor.
Quest4Gold
Well-known member
Yeah of those 6 opponents, three were losses (two pretty bad). Kirtland is a whole different monster
Early in the season - true as in the opener with O-G, but they are not the team they were 13 weeks ago either - but to compare schedules - please ..... regarding Kirtland this year - they are younger than they have been in some time, but do have a great tradition in winning - 54 straight now I believe. O-G is playing at a high level on defense and this will be competitive ! I would not be surprised if O-G pulls the upset.
Kirtland doesn't look like much getting off the bus. But then you watch them play and execute. Their offense isn't particularly complicated, but they are so fast and quick that even when you feel like you stop them they still end up with 4 yards.
The one potential weakness is their DL is really undersized. They play fast and quick and they have a great back 7, but I could see a team eventually taking advantage of that.
I think every team left in D5 is going to have a hard time dealing with their offense.
The one potential weakness is their DL is really undersized. They play fast and quick and they have a great back 7, but I could see a team eventually taking advantage of that.
I think every team left in D5 is going to have a hard time dealing with their offense.
Bless Em All
Well-known member
OG is a very physical team. In think they match up well vs Kirtland but the confidence that Kirtland has will help them pull out a very close win. If OG can stay close in the second half, it will be very interesting. I think this game goes to the very end.
Stirred not Shaken
Well-known member
Schedules are basically meaningless, WBL was weak this year, only OG and Van Wert went far in the play offs and VW lost Friday. K schedule in the past was never that challenging but did not stop them from doing well in the play offs. If OG can match K's physicality the Titans can win but I will believe it when I see it, OG lost to Wapak by 2 Td's a team Marion Local ran all over, K and ML are very similar in style of play. K 28 - OG 7.
Agreed on schedules = my point was IF they wanted to go there - on paper - O-G 's schedule is superior. You are using Wapak as an example , O-G's 2nd game of the year - honestly I did NOT see them progressing the way they have after seeing them play Eastwood in the opener. MLMS with Goodwin at the helm are special and play that way. Kirtland is similar - no question as one from Coldwater would understand!
Defensively I see this Titan team as different, much different from those first two games, and that will keep them in the game IMO. BTW Kirtland plays like champions 54 straight is special- no question, but to say O-G hasn't seen anyone like that is just stupid.
I have seen a lot of football and you have to ask yourself how will this younger Kirtland team respond IF they trailing.. .the Titans have to make that happen - but I am old enough to have seen it time and time again?
Your Cav's - VS Mooney are one example, Lima Senior -VS St. Ignatius is another I could go on and on, but you get it - but I know the Titans have tremendous confidence - and a solid defense, this is HS football after all.
Last edited:
Raylan_Givens
Always right, unless I'm wrong
Kirtland is literally like watching Belicheck quit the NFL & come to OHSAA football - they're going to score on you right away and then they're going to choke the life out of the game and win. It will be visually unsatisfying (aside from any Parents or Boosters watching), but it will also be a football masterpiece.
OG has the "profile" of a team that could end this streak, but will they be willing to play the game at Kirtland's pace? You can see the opposing players get frustrated at the 3, 4, 5 yard runs but what you don't see is the coaches who start to lose their focus and try to make up points & clock at the same time.
OG has the "profile" of a team that could end this streak, but will they be willing to play the game at Kirtland's pace? You can see the opposing players get frustrated at the 3, 4, 5 yard runs but what you don't see is the coaches who start to lose their focus and try to make up points & clock at the same time.
Awesome analogy!
Stirred not Shaken
Well-known member
To beat K you need to be just as " physical " and disciplined as they are. This is what sets Kirtland and the MAC schools apart from the rest of the state not talent alone but discipline and physicality. OG may have better skill players overall than Kirtland but can they match K's physicality, we will see.
Kirtland4580
Well-known member
The short answer is yes, they certainly have a chance. The long answer is that their schedule has more than prepared them for this matchup. Four of their first six games came against Eastwood, Wapakoneta, St. Mary’s Memorial, & Van Wert. Are you kidding me?! That is some awesome competition; and that’s where they got those three losses. The only question mark I have is that 9-7 win over Shawnee who won a playoff game in R12…
The point is that the Titans are surely better than their record indicates; otherwise they would not be here. Considering they beat Otsego who brought back at least three All-Ohio weapons and more, I expect Kirtland to have their hands full this week.
Looking forward to learning more about the Titans this week! Expecting a closer game than South Range.
The Shawnee game was played in a monsoon
The big misconception is that some of these schools have better "athletes" then Kirtland does - that just is not true. They may lull you to sleep a bit with their style - but make no mistake, they have studs. These kids are ridiculously strong - every kid on the roster. They also do extensive flexibility and quickness excercises. People will tell you that in the past few preseasons Kirtland has won many 7 on 7 previews against D1 and out of state schools. We are talking about the likes of Ed's, Iggy, Glenville, etc. They also have in the past clean swept the individual contests - 40 yard dash, bench press, squat, etc. Ask people from Ironton who the best player was in their preseason event - it was Gage Sullivan. This latest team with Russ and Co are tough and talented athletes. I think this is a point that gets overlooked because they are so disciplined and because of the style they play.
Kirtland4580
Well-known member
That was one of my guesses. I am expecting a game much like the first half of the Otsego matchup with Kirtland last year; only this time, two halves of that.
(For reference, Kirtland led Otsego 15-13 at half, then pulled away 39-13 after one of their stud LB/RBs got hurt)
(For double reference, I believe the Knights were without their leading rusher that entire game)
fini316
Well-known member
As a Kirtland fan I am definitely guilty of underestimating the quality of athletes they have. I am guessing because they do look small compared to many of their opponents…but they are strong as hell, fast, twitchy, and incredibly disciplined in their technique
The Western Buckeye League had four 9+ win teams this season, three 10+ win teams, and two teams in their regional championship, including one winner - O-G - while D-IV defending state champ Van Wert lost their regional championship game. The WBL, as a league, won 11 playoff games this season. To say the WBL is weak this year shows your judgment is questionable to say the least, Stirred. Sure, WBL isn't the MAC or GCL or some of those other fantastic top tier elite leagues, but they're competitive in their own right. O-G is showing just how battle tested they are with back-to-back upset wins over Otsego and shutting down a high powered Elyria Catholic offense. Now, Kirtland is a different animal.
fini316
Well-known member
I recently heard an interview Tiger did talking about when he played high school football and some of the older kids on the team “bullied” him, but another older kid on the team always asked him
If he needed a ride home. He said it stuck with him and that is why he tells his players if you act like the former than your just a chump.
Watch Kirtland’s sideline before, during and after games. Their star players such as Sullivan and Rus are always talking to the younger kids (even kids on the grade school team). They make these kids feel so important, which tells you a lot about both the parenting they get and the kind of program Tiger is running.
If he needed a ride home. He said it stuck with him and that is why he tells his players if you act like the former than your just a chump.
Watch Kirtland’s sideline before, during and after games. Their star players such as Sullivan and Rus are always talking to the younger kids (even kids on the grade school team). They make these kids feel so important, which tells you a lot about both the parenting they get and the kind of program Tiger is running.
Ottawa-Glandorf and Kirtland have a few similarities in that both are small schools that play in a larger league. Kirtland plays, and pounds, the larger schools in the CVC while O-G is the second smallest school in the 10-team WBL which spans D3-D5. Both are well coached teams that punch up a few weight classes. I'd also say that both teams have a lot of confidence. It's certainly difficult to match Kirtland's confidence of having won 54 straight games and owning a lot of state championship hardware, but O-G as a school and community has had a lot of athletic success over the years with trips to state, notably their boys and girls basketball teams (both were in the state final 4 this past spring and are regular contenders). The O-G community is used to playing on a big stage, but just like their girls basketball lost to perennial power Berlin Hiland in the state title game this past year, I think the Titans have a stiff matchup against the Hornets.
Stirred not Shaken
Well-known member
Kirtland is on the same level as the MAC. Competition has a lot to do with a teams record. VW did win state last year but as you said the WBL is not on the level as other top leagues ( Wapak which tied VW for the WBL title would finish 4th or 5th in the MAC this year ) in the state , Kirtland is. Trust me I would be very happy with an OG victory, just a matter can OG match Kirtland's physical play and discipline, we will see.
Over the last 10 years and more Kirtland's offensive and defensive lines have been for the better part, much smaller. It hasn't matter at all. There a bunch of pics of these units lined up against other schools and Kirtland just seems to be dwarfed. I understand looking at the roster and the weight and height would puzzle some people that these units have been so damn good. This is what the dedication to the weight room and the focus Coach Sullivan bring to the program. A great tradition the Hornets have is, the day after their last game ( usually a state championship) no matter what time they got home the night before, around 10am all the players show up to weight room and start to get ready for the next season. After that they go celebrate. Not a mandatory thing, the kids do it themselves.
Last edited: