Conneaut excited to play perennial state power Kirtland

KIRTLAND — Undefeated through their first four games of the 2026 football campaign, the Conneaut Spartans are off to their best start since Rocco Dobran took over the program 16 years ago.

It's also the best start in school history since the early 1980s.

Led by a strong senior class and, according to Dobran, depth like he hasn't had before, the Spartans have used that to record some impressive wins to open the season.

Cuyahoga Heights, Jefferson, Edgewood and Berkshire — Conneaut's first four opponents — all were quality wins for the Spartans.

On Friday, however, Conneaut will be presented with a challenge it has not encountered yet.

The Spartans will go to to Kirtland High School in a Chagrin Valley Conference Valley Division game.

When Conneaut and Kirtland kick it off at 7 p.m. Friday at Wilson Stadium, Dobran's crew not only will be facing the best team it has played this season — it will go against one of the best in Ohio.

"The end goal for everyone is a state championship, so this is a chance for us to see 'where do we stack up?'" Dobran said. "We are excited to see where we fall."

Dobran said much of Conneaut's early success this season is due to the leadership displayed by his senior class.

"We're more athletic than we've been in a long time," he said. "And, this team is a little more player-led than coach-led, which is a good thing."

That leadership has been on display all season, according to Dobran, and especially in practice this week.

"They are excited," he said. "The kids are taking practice seriously, but they are also having a good time with it. We are going to give it everything we've got. We are not going to worry about the scoreboard, and at the end, we will see what it says."

Dobran said his players believe that "anything can happen in any game," and the Spartans are approaching this week with that mindset.

The coach also knows that seeing the best — regardless of that scoreboard — will pay dividends for his program.

"Even if things don't go our way, it allows our kids to say, 'what do we have to do to get to where they are and what is it that they do that gets them to that spot every year?," Dobran said.

Kirtland returns its entire starting line from a year ago, but has had an overhaul among its skilled positions, having graduated the entire group from its 15-0 team which won the Ohio High School Athletic Association Division VI state title last season.

This season, however, the Hornets — except in the second half against Perry in which it was held scoreless — have not missed a beat. Kirtland is averaging nearly 37 points a game, and has punted just twice through the first four weeks.

"I guess that's a good sign," Hornets coach Tiger LaVerde said of how quickly his new crew has put it together in attaining a 3-1 overall, 1-0 conference record.

Junior Ben Loncar has been efficient in his first year as a varsity quarterback for the Hornets.

He, along with senior running backs Zander Perkins, Sebastian Becker, and Tommy Caimi, were all standouts on defense last year. This season, they've taken on pivotal roles on offense, running behind an experienced line led by four-year starting center Luci Cantini.

From watching Kirtland on film, Dobran summed up the formula for Kirtland's success.

"They coach fundamentals and effort," he said. "Their players are in great shape and they go hard to the whistle on every play. And, they really simplify what they do. They aren't fancy. Many times you know what they are going to do, but they just do it really well."

LaVerde said Conneaut also does a lot well, and is impressed with the size and athleticism he saw from the Spartans on film.

"I think they have good size at the skill positions," LaVerde said. "Rocco's son [Wyant] is the quarterback. He is smart and makes really good decisions. They put him in a lot of RPO's [run-pass options] and he makes good reads and puts them in good situations."

Senior Wyant Dobran has amassed 531 yards passing and five touchdowns, to go with another 187 yards rushing and four more scores on the ground.

Three Spartans — 6'3" senior Davonte Harris, 5'10" senior Aiden Goudge, and 6'1" junior Jacob Thompson — each have more than 100 yards receiving on the year.

And, 5'11" senior running back Isaiah Boles continues to be a focal point of defenses, catching the eye of opposing coaches with his athleticism and hard running style.

"Their running back has good size, good wheels and runs downhill hard," LaVerde said of Boles. "It will be a great challenge for us."

Friday's game also marks Kirtland's first home contest this season.

"It should be a fun game," LaVerde said. "We haven't played them [Conneaut] since I have been here. It should be a fun night for us regardless because it is our first home game. The town's going to be excited to host a game, finally."

For even those familiar with the task at hand, it's worth noting Kirtland's dominance under the leadership of LaVerde since he took over the program in the 2006 season.

He has compiled a 262-22 overall record in his tenure at the school, becoming the fastest coach in OHSAA history to reach 200 and 250 wins, respectively.

The record includes eight OHSAA championships.

In his 21st season leading the Hornets program, LaVerde has lost just nine regular-season games.

The Hornets have lost more than one regular season game only one time, and that dates back to the 2009 campaign, in LaVerde's tenure at Kirtland.