2008 Ursuline Vs. Kirtland

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Ursuline

Record	Div.	Conf.
2/8	Div. IV	Independents

Ursuline vs. Norwayne

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Ursuline Vs. South Range

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Ursuline vs. SVSM

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Mooney @ Ursuline

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Ursuline wins 44-7

Kirtland coach talks about the tough task that is Ursuline

By John Bassetti

bassetti@vindy.com

KIRTLAND

For a team that’s allowing just 8.8 points-per-game, Kirtland (12-0) makes a statement.

But Kirtland coach Phillip Laverde also makes a statement.

Or rather, an understatement.

“It’s a tough matchup,” Laverde said, followed by a slight chuckle to punctuate the obvious difficulty his Hornets face against Ursuline (12-0) on Saturday.

Then, talking from a team bus en route to practice on a turf field, Laverde put his voice through another exercise.

“We can’t turn the ball over and we can’t make mistakes,” he said.

With all the platitudes out of the way, the coach got down to the nitty-gritty by saying: “and we’ve got to get first downs. If we can’t get first downs, we’re probably going to get whipped.”

But Kirtland isn’t rolling over for anyone, including Ursuline, a team the Hornets almost rolled over when they met in 2008.

In that Region 17 championship game, Ursuline eked out an 18-17 win en route to an unbeaten season, capped by winning the Div. V state title.

But Kirtland gave the Irish their biggest scare.

“The last time we played them,” Laverde said, “we ran 72 plays and they ran 31. We almost pulled an upset, but they scored with a minute left to beat us.”

So, Kirtland’s defense can’t be taken lightly, even if its schedule include wins over Geneva, Jefferson, Berkshire, Cardinal, Fairport Harbor and Newbury and the like.

“We certainly don’t play the schedule that Ursuline plays,” said Laverde, Kirtland’s fifth-year coach. “We don’t play Cardinal Mooney and St. Vincent-St. Mary’s and Lake Catholic.”

Kirtland’s closest game was a 34-32 win over Cuyahoga Heights during Week 5, but the Hornets proved that they got better by beating the same team last weekend, 31-10.

“We certainly did a better job this time,” said Laverde. “We knew the mistakes the first time around, so we didn’t make them again, and it certainly helped us.”

But Ursuline may be a different animal.

“Talent-wise, there’s not many guys on my team who could even start for them, to be honest. They’re 300 pounds across the front; that [Akise] Teague is unbelievable and the quarterback’s really good. They’ve got fast guys all over the defense.”

Christian Hauber is Kirtland’s top rusher with 1248 yards on 175 carries, while quarterback Paul Guhde, Damon Washington and Zach Hill each have half that yardage.

Hauber is also Kirtland’s top scorer with 120 points on 16 rushing touchdowns and three via receptions. His other points came on conversion runs.

Guhde has passed for 1204 yards on 62-of-122, while Washington is the top receiver with 20 catches for 535 yards. Guhde and Washington have also gained 538 and 490 yards, respectively, on the ground. Hill has rushed for 467 yards.

Guhde was dinged up in the latest win over Cuyahoga Heights, but Laverde says his signalcaller should be ready.

“He came out [against Cuyahoga Heights], but we had a big lead, so we didn’t want to put him back in and chance anything. If things would have gotten tight, I think he would have gone back in.”

Guhde has thrown only two interceptions. That, along with Kirtland’s stingy defense, has helped the Hornets register a turnover ratio of plus-16.

Kirtland may need that strong suit this week.

“Yeah, we’re really going to need to hold that up this week if we want to have a chance, because Ursuline is awfully talented for Div. V.”

Another understatement.