By Dave Alligood
PARMA, OHIO – On a blustery frigid night at Byers Field, two great teams met in the Division 1, Region 1 semifinal for the opportunity to play for a regional championship. This game featured the high-octane offense of the Mentor Cardinals versus the stingy defense of the St. Edward Eagles.
However, the game did not follow the prescribed script, as the weather and penalties combined to keep the scoring low, and the Cardinals utilized a stingy defense of their own to pull out a teeth-chattering 21-13 victory.
Penalties would play a factor all night as Mentor was hit with 8 penalties for 69 yards, and St. Edward was flagged 9 times for 101 yards.
And in a game in which senior QB Tadas Tatarunas battled both the wind and the cold for an uncharacteristically ineffective passing night, the Mentor running game stepped up in crunch time to pave the way to victory.
Senior RB Eli McDougal had a huge game with 121 yards on 15 carries and 1 touchdown. While most of the damage came in the first half, he still provided key runs in the second half to keep Mentor’s offense on the field.
Mentor’s leading rusher on the season, senior Chris Edmond, had a quiet first half, but picked up the pace in the fourth quarter, scoring at the 5:17 mark from 2 yards out to give Mentor its final margin, 21-13. Edmond finished with 59 yards on 14 carries and the one touchdown.
For the game, Mentor outrushed the Eagles 221 yards to 187 yards, and outgained the Eagles overall, 311 yards to 262 yards. Entering the night, the Eagles were giving up an average of just 87 yards on the ground per game.
Mentor Coach Steve Trivisonno credited his offensive line with their edge on the ground. “That was the key, they’re a very good defense—we handled it up front, and we handled it well up front. Not much I can say other than that was a great job.”
St. Edward Coach Tom Lombardo echoed Trivisonno’s comments: “We had some trouble stopping the run tonight.”
On offense, the Eagles normally solid running game was stymied at times, gaining 187 yards, most of them by senior back Tylan Rice (19 carries, 121 yards, 1 touchdown).
For St. Edward, they started the game positively enough. Their first drive did not result in points, but their defense began with a sack followed by an interception on a poor Tatarunas pass just two plays later, giving the Eagles possession at Mentor’s 42-yard line.
From there, the Eagles would need just six plays to score on a Tylan Rice 18-yard touchdown run. The PAT put the Eagles up 7-0 at the 6:37 mark.
Mentor again struggled on their next possession and faced 4th and 25 following a sack.
Following the Mentor punt, the Eagles would take over at the Mentor 45-yard line and march 33 yards in nine plays before Blaine Stencil kicked a 29-yard field goal. The Eagles would maintain their 10-0 lead for the rest of the quarter.
From here, the tenor of the game changed, as Mentor adjusted on offense by focusing on the run and a short-passing game to take control of the game.
A 13 play, 87-yard drive resulted in an Eli McDougal 8-yard touchdown run at the 10:29 mark to close the score to 10-7.
The penalty bug hit St. Eds on their next drive. A big pass play was nullified by offensive pass interference, pinning the Eagles back with a 2nd and 30. The next two plays did not net the first down, and Eds had to punt near the midpoint of the quarter.
Mentor would then go 91 yards in 11 plays, as Tatarunas would connect with senior wideout Logan Shea for a 13-yard touchdown play, giving the Cardinals a 14-10 lead with about two minutes in the half. This lead would hold up going into the half.
Mentor used their first drive of the second half to attempt a 45-yard field goal that came up well short, giving the Eagles possession at their 20-yard line, but their drive would stall.
On the Eagles second possession of the 3rd quarter, they seemingly took the lead on a 46-yard scoring pass from QB Garrett Dzuro to junior wideout Quintel Kent, but the score was called off by the officials because Eds did not have enough men on the line of scrimmage.
Mentor’s defense held, and the game stalled until early in the fourth quarter, when St. Edward kicker Blaine Stencil kicked his second field goal of the night, this time from 26 yards out to cut the lead to 14-13 with 10:10 left in the game.
Then the Cardinals would go on their most impressive drive of the game, 80 yards on 12 plays, running almost five minutes off the clock. Chris Edmond would cap the drive with a 2-yard touchdown run, and Mentor would have their biggest lead—and ultimately the final score—21-13 with under six minutes left in the game.
Mentor’s defense took over at this point, as they would stop the Eagles on 4th and short to take over on downs and close out the game.
After the game, Coach Trivisonno was ecstatic of his defense’s effort: “That was a great defensive performance . . . It was big time, I couldn’t be more proud of those guys because they’ve lived in the shadow of a really good offense, and when we needed it, they stepped up and did a great job!”
Mentor’s defense was led by junior standout Noah Potter and the rest of the defensive line, as the Cardinals hounded QB Dzuro for three sacks and numerous knockdowns.
Though Mentor fell far short of their typical offensive output, Trivisonno was obviously pleased with the overall result. “If you would have told me we would have won 21-13, I might have questioned that one, but we’ll take it. You gotta win however you can in the playoffs.”
For his part, St. Edward Coach Tom Lombardo faced the bittersweet task of assessing his team’s season as they fell short of their goals. “The seniors put so much into it and that’s why it hurts so bad. It was a good year, we got a lot out of these guys. Just didn’t end well, we didn’t play a good game tonight.”
The Eagles finish the season 10-2, a very good record, but still one that was painfully shortened by the loss.
Mentor improves to 11-1 and will face St. Ignatius in the Region 1 Final, as the number 1 seed Wildcats easily handled the Euclid Panthers 45-22.
Box Score
Mentor 0 14 0 7 – 21
St. Edward 10 0 0 3 – 13
Scoring Summary
St. Eds 18-yard TD run Rice, 6:37 1Q (Stencil PAT)
St. Eds 29-yard FG Stencil, 1:54 1Q
Mentor 8-yard TD run McDougal, 10:29 2Q (McIntosh PAT)
Mentor 13-yard TD pass from Tatarunas to Shea, 2:06 2Q (McIntosh PAT)
St. Eds 26-yard FG Stencil, 10:10, 4Q
Mentor 2-yard TD run Edmond, 5:17 4Q (McIntosh PAT)
Player of the game: Mentor senior RB Eli McDougal was the leading rusher for the game with 121 yards on 15 carries and one touchdown. He provided big plays and tough runs that battered the stout Eagle defense. His longest play came on a 52-yard run that he almost carried all the way to the house. His big-play capabilities kept the Eagles honest and provided a spark early on when Mentor’s offense was struggling to get into a rhythm.
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