MENTOR, OHIO — The clock struck midnight for the Cinderella story of Region 1 on Friday night.
Ian Kipp led 2nd-seeded Mentor to a dominant 49-14 victory over 8th-seeded Medina, propelling the Cardinals to another Final Four berth.
Despite the lopsided final score, a good portion of the first half was very competitive.
After Medina fumbled the ball away on their first drive, Mentor quickly took advantage with a touchdown pass from Kipp to Evan Harper.
Friday Featured Game 🏈
*Division I, Region 1 Final*1Q | 10:09
(2) Mentor Cardinals – 7
(8) Medina Battling Bees – 0Mentor quickly strikes on a TD pass from Kipp to Harper.@MentorAthletics @MentorRedline @medinaathletics @MedinaFootball_ pic.twitter.com/4eGqzjGmRZ
— Northeast Ohio HS Sports (@NEOhsSports) October 30, 2020
On the ensuing Medina possession, Dorian Boyland led a strong drive that was capped off by a 3-yard touchdown to tie the game up 7-7.
Friday Featured Game 🏈
*Division I, Region 1 Final*1Q | 6:23
(2) Mentor Cardinals – 7
(8) Medina Battling Bees – 7Medina goes run heavy on this drive, capping it off with a 3-yard TD by Dorian Boyland.@MentorAthletics @MentorRedline @medinaathletics @MedinaFootball_ pic.twitter.com/eOtDHbZb6q
— Northeast Ohio HS Sports (@NEOhsSports) October 30, 2020
After Kipp threw a touchdown pass to John Sierputkowski late in the 1st, Medina would come right back to tie the game 14-14 on a fourth down connection from Drew Allar to JaJuan Jackson.
Friday Featured Game 🏈
*Division I, Region 1 Final*2Q | 9:40
(2) Mentor Cardinals – 14
(8) Medina Battling Bees – 14On 4th down, Allar finds JaJuan Jackson for a huge Medina TD.@MentorAthletics @MentorRedline @medinaathletics @MedinaFootball_ pic.twitter.com/Vkllrq5HJU
— Northeast Ohio HS Sports (@NEOhsSports) October 30, 2020
Unfortunately for Medina, this would be one of their last highlights of the game.
Kipp threw for two touchdowns and ran for one more in the second quarter, pushing the Mentor lead to 35-14 at halftime.
Friday Featured Game 🏈
*Division I, Region 1 Final*2Q | 0:29
(2) Mentor Cardinals – 35
(8) Medina Battling Bees – 14Ian Kipp now has four passing TD’s in the first half after this pass to Hutch Baird!@MentorAthletics @MentorRedline @medinaathletics @MedinaFootball_ pic.twitter.com/3FOK2VgSKB
— Northeast Ohio HS Sports (@NEOhsSports) October 31, 2020
Ian Kipp had five of his six scores in that first half, finishing an efficient night with 196 yards passing and 66 yards rushing.
The Medina offense continued to struggle in the second half.
A big reason for that was Mentor’s ability to lock down receivers, and a relentless pass rush that barely gave Allar any time in the pocket.
Allar, who was coming off of a career night against St. Ignatius, only completed 15 of his 40 attempts. A relentless attack from the defensive line forced Allar to throw many hurried balls either to covered receivers, or over the bench and into the sidelines.
Touchdown carries by Kipp and Brenden Panhorst would put the running clock into effect, and the Cardinals would go on to win 49-14.
Friday Featured Game 🏈
*Division I, Region 1 Final*3Q | 3:06
(2) Mentor Cardinals – 42
(8) Medina Battling Bees – 14Ian Kipp runs it in for a 10-yard TD. He now has 6 total TD’s on the night. @MentorAthletics @MentorRedline @medinaathletics @MedinaFootball_ pic.twitter.com/YvKBQORAmJ
— Northeast Ohio HS Sports (@NEOhsSports) October 31, 2020
This is the second consecutive regional title for Mentor (9-1), as they earn a spot in the Final Four once again.
Next Friday they’ll go up against the 2019 state champions Pickerington Central (10-0). Pickerington Central defeated Mentor in the Final Four last season by a count of 28-21.
This year, the game will be played at New Philadelphia High School.
As for Medina, they end their season of dreams with a record of 6-4. The Bees return many of their key players next season, including 3-star quarterback Drew Allar.
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