by The Eagles didn’t complete a pass tonight, and it didn’t matter as 252 yards on the ground were enough to capture a 13-7 win over top seeded Mentor. It was a driving rain that never let up, and in the end, the defense of the Eagles got it done by forcing 3 Mentor Cardinal turnovers in a wild win to capture the Division 1 Region 1 championship.
With Brandon White and Zach Hackleman not in the Eagles lineup again tonight, they relied on points and yards anywhere they could get them and those yards on points came on the legs of Bradley Eaton who had 181 rushing yards on 19 carries with both Eagle touchdowns. Eaton was even better on defense as he and Nate Gregory made one huge play after another. Speaking of Gregory, he rushed for 32 yards on 8 carries while Thomas Csyani went for 38 yards, also on 8 carries.
The Cardinal attack was well balanced, but it was clear their main threat would be tailback Jackson Farley who finished his amazing season with 176 more yards on 27 carries. Scotty Fox had some big yards as well on the ground, but because of the multiple sacks he took, his stat line finished at only 2 yards on 16 carries with a touchdown. Fox also went 9 of 19 passing for 122 yards as well.
The Eagles started with the ball and went to the run game to quickly move the ball. Key runs to Nate Gregory and Bradley Eaton moved the chains several times. The drive eventually stalled at the Mentor 31-yard line, as after 10 plays and nearly 50 yards, the Cardinals stopped them.
The Cardinals took advantage of the momentum and plowed down the field in no time flat, going 69 yards in 6 plays with the scoring blow coming on the legs of Scotty Fox who floored it to the endzone from 31 yards out. Fox saw a hole in the middle of the Eagle line and just took off with it.
It took the Eagles exactly one play to respond as Eaton took it from 80 yards away into a driving wind as he blew past the Cardinal defense. He broke off contact at the line, and took off from there as it began 11 chasing 1. It was the longest rush of the year for the Eagle attack.
The next time the Eagles got the ball back, it was the exact same thing. This time, Bradley Eaton took off like a jet out of the backfield and went 68 yards to score. The fault however was on the extra point, as the Eagles botched it and had to settle for a 13-7 lead with 11:15 to go in the second quarter. The game went to break with that same score.
A bad snap on a Cardinal punt, allowed the Eagles to start their first drive of the second half on the Cardinal 24-yard line. The Cardinals dodged the Eagle bullet however, as the ball was turned over on downs as the Eagles simply couldn’t move the ball.
The third quarter ended with the Cardinals driving, having a first and goal from the Eagles 9 as we entered the fourth and final quarter. A huge sack by Colin Crocker forced the Cardinals to try a 47-yard field goal into the wind. The kick wasn’t close and the game remained 13-7 St. Ed’s.
Mentor had the ball at their own 20-yard line, down 13-7 with 2:52 left in the game. A wheel route to Farley got them cooking. Colton Fee ended the Mentor bid however by jumping up and picking off a screen pass to seal the deal for the Eagles as the second half ended with neither team scoring.
The Eagles will now go on to play Liberty who won earlier tonight as well. That game will most likely be played at Arlin Field in Mansfield.
