The Cavaliers are seeking their eighth state championship and first since 2020.
The season began with tragedy when Coldwater senior center Cale Wenning died in August from injuries sustained in a bike accident. The community rallied around the players as they began their journey back to Canton, said Coldwater coach Chip Otten.
“It was a rough couple weeks for us,” Otten said. “We all kind of helped each other throughout it and got off to a good start. This senior class is a really good group.”
Throughout the season, the Cavaliers have carried a flag with Wenning’s No. 70 on the sidelines.
“He’s been traveling with us wherever we go,” Otten said.
The Cavaliers won back-to-back non conference games against Valley View and Clinton-Massie en route to a 9-1 start. The program’s lone loss came at the hands of Division VII finalist Marion Local in Week 10.
Coldwater is led by 15 seniors who are as strong as any class Otten has had during his tenure as head coach.
“The senior group is a really good group,” Otten said. “This group is really, really tight. This group is really unselfish. We call it spreading the wealth offensively. … It’s been a really positive influence on our team.”
Kirtland, the defending Division-VI champion, is playing in its 13th state championship game. The Hornets beat Versailles 32-15 in last season’s D-VI state title game.
On their way to Canton, the Hornets won two games against last year’s Division VII state runner-up Dalton and a win over last year’s Division V state champion Perry.
The key, Otten said, will be stopping Kirtland’s run game. They average 42 carries per game and have rushed for more than 5,100 yards this season.
“Everybody knows they’re going to run the ball,” Otten said. “We’ve got to be disciplined in keeping our pads low. As one of our former coaches used to say, ‘You’re going to have to get your nose bloodied today, boys.’ … Hopefully we can get enough stops. We’ve been good against the run all year and hopefully that continues.”
Kirtland is facing a school from the Midwest Athletic Conference for the 10th time. They’ve gone 5-4 all-time against the conference, Otten said.
“They would fit right in with the MAC in the football realm,” he said. “There’ve been a lot of good battles with them and I’m sure they love it because a lot of their games up there aren’t really competitive. They probably love coming and having to play really competitive games.”
All seven state title games will be televised live on Spectrum News 1, as well as online at OHSAA.tv.
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