OHIO — Coldwater senior quarterback Baylen Blockberger threw for 133 yards and two touchdowns while senior fullback Miles Pottkotter ran for a game-high 127 yards as the Cavaliers topped Kirtland 31-7 in the OHSAA Division VI football state championship game at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium on Saturday.
Pottkotter helped Coldwater (15-1) set the tone with a 14-yard rushing touchdown in the first quarter. The Cavaliers led by as many as 31 points after junior kicker Bryce Couchot drilled a 25-yard field goal as time expired in the third quarter.
Coldwater’s offensive balance of 162 rushing yards and 133 passing yards coupled with its defense that forced the Hornets (15-1) to go 3-for-12 on third and fourth downs helped lead the Cavaliers to their eighth state championship, which ties them with Newark Catholic and Cardinal Mooney for fourth-most in OHSAA history.
“Just going down the field and scoring right away just gave us confidence, like, 'OK, we can do this. We can go score on them whenever we want in any way,’” Blockberger said. “So just being able to run the ball, just run the ball. Our O-linemen did great. Run the ball opens up the passing game, so it was just all-around flow. The offense flowed well and that's why we scored so much.”
Defensively, Cavaliers senior nose guard Noah Welsch fell on top of a loose football fumbled by Kirtland at the goal line giving Coldwater a 28-0 lead midway through the third quarter. The Cavaliers backed up Kirtland after a 36-yard punt landed at the 5-yard line and Hornets junior running back John Silvestro lost control of the football.
Coldwater’s only blemish came in the fourth quarter as Kirtland junior quarterback Jake LaVerde rushed 11 yards into the end zone to avoid a shutout as part of an eight-play, 76-yard drive with 7:42 left to play. Coldwater outgained Kirtland 295 yards to 253 and allowed only 56 passing yards.
“It seems like defenses can be, when you have a really good one, can be more consistent,” Coldwater head coach Chip Otten said. “Sometimes the offense is getting those ups and downs, but when you got that solid defense, especially up front, and then the linebacker corps that you can be more consistent and keep you in those games and you can really count on those guys.”
LaVerde finished 4-of-11 for 44 pass yards and had a team-high 80 rushing yards.
“We did not play our best game tonight,” Kirtland head coach Tiger LaVerde said. “You got to give Coldwater credit for that. They had a lot to do with that. But these kids, I appreciate everything that they've done for our community and our team and our school, and all the seniors, really, but these guys are really, really special, special leaders.”