Solon Comets set to face Kirtland Hornets Friday in Solon
Photo courtesy of Doug Wolfe
September 24, 2020
The No. 18 ranked Solon Comets host the No. 6 Kirtland Hornets this Friday, Sept. 25, at Stewart Field. The first meeting between the teams in 72 years is featured as the WKYC.com’s High School Game of the Week.
SETV will be live streaming the highly anticipated matchup on their YouTube channel. Kickoff coverage begins at 7 p.m. with the Solon Comet Marching Band playing at halftime.
The Comets are coming off a 28-7 loss to the 3-1 Saint Vincent Saint Mary Fighting Irish. They struggled both offensively and defensively in the loss. Without their regular preseason and going up against opponents not as affected by the pandemic, the struggles were expected.
Coach Ed Bubonics thinks they will find their groove with time.
“For most teams, this is their fourth or fifth game,“ Bubonics said. “Last week was our first scrimmage.”
In the young season, the Comets aren’t worried about their week one loss. Senior Captain Defensive End Najee Story is only concerned about one thing, being ready for the playoffs.
“We want to be playing our best come October,” Story said. “We are just trying to get used to the game contact we haven’t had for so long.”
During the pandemic, the Comets found themselves not able to have their full preseason with most summer practices limited to lifting in the outdoor weight room created by strength coach Cody Coley. At one point there were even doubts about having the season at all.
Friday, the Comets have their work cut out. The Hornets are coming to Stewart Field on a 34 game winning streak and back-to-back D-5 state championships.
“We aren’t taking them for granted,” Senior Halfback Khalil Eichelberger said. “They will do whatever it takes to keep their winning streak alive.”
The Kirtland Hornets are 4-0 this season, but have yet to play a high caliber team. To the Solon coaching staff, it doesn’t matter.
“We have a ton of respect for them,” Bubonics said. “It doesn’t matter if they are D-5 or D-1, we would be fools to take them lightly…They play hard-nosed, tough football. Friday is going to be a dog fight.”