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All throughout the Mahoning Valley, it has become somewhat of a November ritual.
An area high school football team makes a run in the playoffs, only to run into a hornet nest.
Since 2008, South Range (three times), Columbiana (twice), Liberty, Springfield, Western Reserve, Brookfield, McDonald, Garfield, Crestview, United and Ursuline have all felt the sting of having their seasons end at the hands of the Kirtland Hornets.
In Brookfield's case, the Warriors fell to Kirtland 27-17 in a second-round game in 2015. The Tigers went on to win a Division VI state championship.
Tonight, Brookfield (8-3) gets another shot at swatting down the Hornets. Following a first-round 49-0 home win over Columbiana, the Warriors will travel to Lake County to take on Kirtland (9-1) in a Division VI, Region 21, second-round game.
Kirtland earned a first-round bye after finishing atop the Region 21 standings.
"The kids are excited, they are ecstatic about this opportunity," Brookfield coach Randy Clark said. "This is a huge challenge. Kirtland is a machine. Everything you hear about them, it's true. They don't change anything, they don't do anything exciting. They aren't overwhelmingly fast, they aren't bigger than most teams, they aren't hard to figure out. But they excel at everything they do."
Of course, Kirtland's dominance stretches far beyond the Mahoning Valley.
Since 2011, Kirtland has been the winningest high school football team in the nation. Over the 16-year stretch, the Hornets own the most wins (222), the best winning percentage (.995) and the fewest losses (11).
Kirtland has lost just four regular season games since 2011. Last year's state title was the school's eighth since 2011. During that time frame the Hornets also claimed six state runner-up finishes.
"Our kids are probably tired of hearing about Kirtland," Clark said with a laugh. "But practice this week has been fantastic. The team is upbeat. They know what they're up against, but we wouldn't even be practicing this week if we didn't feel like we had an opportunity to win this game. I think some of the excitement comes from knowing we get to prove ourselves against the best of the best."
Kirtland's lone loss this season came in Week 3, a 31-10 setback at Perry (10-0). The Hornets have since won seven straight, outscoring opponents 323-17 during the winning streak.
As for Brookfield, the Warriors "were clicking in all three phases" last Friday against Columbiana, according to Clark. The Warriors defense handed the Clippers their first shutout of the season. In the regular-season finale, Brookfield fell to unbeaten Garrettsville Garfield 21-13. It was Garfield's closest game of the season, and its lowest offensive output by 16 points.
Brookfield has limited six of its opponents to one touchdown or less.
"We had high expectations for our defense, but we're playing even better defensively than we anticipated," Clark said. "I love the way we play together as a team, I love the way we run around on defense and our athleticism has been good for us."
Offensively, the Warriors are paced by senior running back Rico Smith, who has rushed for 1,220 yards and 18 touchdowns. Smith is averaging 10.2 yards-per-carry.
Junior Blake Hammond has completed 44-of-60 passes for 819 yards, including nine touchdowns passes.
"Coming into the season, we knew we had something pretty special, but you never know how long it might take for everything to click," Clark said. "But this group progressed well all throughout the season. Even in our three losses, we played really well and we were in two of those games.
"I feel like we're peaking at the right time. We're playing our best ball of the year right now, and that's a nice spot to be in when you're playing in November."
Brookfield senior center and linebacker Devin Reardon is one of 16 lettermen and seven seniors on the roster. Reardon says the '26 season "has played out as expected," noting that he sensed a "different vibe" during the offseason.
"This current group, we've all been together for a long time and we just knew this was going to be a special year," Reardon said. "So much work and dedication was put into the offseason. Then with both of our scrimmages this summer, we were just flying around and playing with a ton of focus and intensity.
"I kind of knew after that second scrimmage that we were heading in the right direction."
Following a 5-5 finish a year ago, Brookfield opened the season by defeating backyard rival Hubbard 14-7. It marked the first Brookfield win over Hubbard in 28 years, and it snapped a 14-game losing streak against the Eagles. The Warriors then defeated another perennial power in Springfield before falling to Toronto (9-1).
Brookfield went on a four-game winning streak before the Week 10 setback to Garfield.
Like his coach, Reardon believes the Warriors are just hitting their stride.
"We had a great mindset going into the tournament," Reardon said. "There were no ups and downs this year. I feel like we grew stronger as a team each week. Even in our losses, we learned things to make us a better team and I feel like after each loss we came back stronger than before.
"I feel like we're at our best right now. I think we showed that last week. We're excited about (tonight) and we're excited to see how we match up against one of the greatest programs in the state."
Tonight's winner will play either Hillsdale or Mineral Ridge next Friday in a Region 21 semifinal game.