Around these parts, it seems to be a November ritual.

An area high school football team makes a run in the playoffs, only to run into a hornet’s nest.

Since 2008, South Range (twice), Liberty, Springfield, Western Reserve, Brookfield, McDonald, Crestview and Ursuline have all felt the sting of having their seasons end at the hands of the Kirtland Hornets.

This week, Kirtland (11-0) plays Garrettsville Garfield (12-0) in a Division V, Region 17 semifinal. The winner will play either South Range (12-0) or Garaway (12-0) next Saturday in the Region 17 title game.

Of course, losing to Kirtland certainly isn’t limited to local teams. Kirtland currently owns a 52-game winning streak, which is the longest active streak in the country. The Hornets have won three consecutive state titles.

Since Tiger LaVerde took over the program in 2006, Kirtland owns a record of 196-17. Over the past 10 years, the Hornets have appeared in nine state title games, winning six state championships.

The Hornets haven’t lost a regular season game since Oct. 21, 2016.

“If I could share the secret to our success I’d probably be a millionaire,” LaVerde said. “The truth is, these kids work hard, they love the game, they are passionate about everything they do and they have fun.

“These kids love being together. They love putting in the work when they’re doing it together. That’s a pretty special ingredient, and I’m blessed to be part of it.”

Teamwork is everything at Kirtland. LaVerde noted that during his 16-year stint at the school, he has had roughly three players go on to play at a Division I college. Last year’s 15-0 team included 20 seniors who were part of a 41-game winning streak and three state titles. Just one of those seniors went on to play at the next level, at John Carroll University.

“It’s not that we have a couple of superstar athletes, instead we have an entire team that works together toward a common goal,” LaVerde said.

The team also enjoys its time away from the football field. Whether it’s cornhole tournaments, playing dodgeball, field trips, or enjoying dinners together, LaVerde makes it a point to create a family atmosphere within the program.

“When I came to Kirtland, my goal never was to win a state title,” LaVerde said. “I wanted football to be fun, I wanted these kids to learn life lessons. I never wanted their careers to be defined by wins and losses.”

Kirtland entered the 2021 season with a lot of question marks. Just two starters returned on offense, and three on defense. Four starters were sidelined with season-ending injuries during the course of the season. LaVerde is starting a pair of freshmen — something he has rarely done in his career. He says this is one of the youngest teams he has coached while at Kirtland.

Still, the Hornets haven’t missed a beat, outscoring opponents this year 480-67. They have outscored two playoff opponents 93-0.

As they say, winning breeds winning.

“Around here, there’s a lot of peer pressure, and I mean that in a good way,” LaVerde said. “So many students here do things the right way, whether it’s in the classroom, on the practice field, away from school. It’s a set of standards others want to follow. It’s like that all throughout our district. I’m just lucky that so many of those kids happen to be part of the football program.”

While LaVerde goes out of his way to downplay the 52-game winning streak, he knows the spotlight will only grow brighter with each victory. And as the victories continue to pile up, the inevitable end to the streak will be that much more newsworthy.

“Each senior class doesn’t want to be that class that screwed things up, and that’s what bothers me the most,” LaVerde said. “One loss is never going to define these kids. When the streak ends I don’t want them ever thinking they let the community down or they failed, because that couldn’t be further from the truth.”

“If we lose this week, next week, whenever, these kids have already proven that they are winners. They are champions and not just because they won championships on the football field.”

Needless to say, LaVerde’s resume has drawn interest from other schools throughout Ohio and beyond. LaVerde admits that there was a time when he considered moving on from Kirtland. In fact, he was all set to inform an unnamed school that he would accept its offer until his family made him realize what he would be giving up in the process.

LaVerde has four children in the Kirtland school district. He and his wife both teach in the district.

“I spent some stressful nights thinking it over,” LaVerde said. “Eventually my wife and kids were all in. Then, the night before I was going to notify the school my one daughter started crying, then the other…then another child. I quickly asked myself, ‘what am I doing?'”

“You can’t put a price tag on the happiness of your children. And quite frankly, I realized what I would be missing. Kirtland, the school and the community, is a very special place.”

And, thanks to LaVerde’s leadership, the Kirtland High football program is in a very special place as it makes football history in Ohio.