Coldwater wins D-5 Championship

MASSILLON, Ohio (AP) - Austin Bruns and 22 other Coldwater High School seniors saved the best for last.

   Bruns passed for 233 yards and one touchdown as the Cavaliers took the Division V state football championship away from Kirtland 10-9 Saturday in a rematch of the 2011 title game on the same field at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium.

   "It's awesome to win our final game, something we will always remember," said Bruns, who also ran for 97 yards.

   The Cavaliers (15-0), ranked No. 1 in the final Associated Press poll, earned their third title, and first since 2007. They had lost in the title game each of the three previous years and the graduating class became the first in Ohio to play 60 games. They finally won it all in No. 60.

   "These 23 seniors won 18 playoff games," coach Chip Otten said. "Almost every high school team in every sport loses its final game somewhere along the line. These guys got their biggest win in their last chance."

   They did it with defense, holding Damon Washington, the AP's co-offensive player of the year in the division to 39 yards on 11 carries. Though Adam Hess ran for 86 yards for Kirtland (14-1), the Hornets totaled only 25 yards passing.

   "It's so very frustrating," Hornets coach Tiger LaVerde said. "Our defense came to play, did an outstanding job. But our offense never got into rhythm. I called a bad game. It is on me. I take the blame."

   Coldwater's senior-laden defense had more than little to do with it. The Cavaliers held 13 of 15 opponents to single-digit scoring this year, racking up six shutouts.

   "Our defense was the anchor," said Bruns, who passed 7 yards to Mitch Schoenherr for a 7-0 lead late in the first quarter.

   The Hornets (14-1) tied it on a 4-yard pass from Scott Eilerman to Matthew Finkler -- one of only four passes Kirtland completed in a paltry 11 attempts.

   Kyle Bergman's 28-yard field on the first half's final play put Coldwater up 10-7.

   "That won the game for us," Bruns said. "Kyle put in a lot of work on his kicking, and it is great to see guys who put in the work get the reward."

   Kirtland got within 10-9 when Sam Skiljan tackled Brody Hoying in the end zone for a safety in the fourth.

   Hoying intercepted a pass with 1:05 left to preserve the win.

   "Words can't describe the feeling," Cavaliers senior receiver Caleb Siefring said. "Each championship loss was like a dagger. Finally, we won."

   Kirtland now knows the feeling of despair in coming so close without winning.

   "We lost one game in two years," LaVerde said. "It stinks that it had to be today."