by Brunswick, Ohio – The Brunswick Blue Devils hosted the Mentor Cardinals at Brunswick Auto Mart Stadium for a conference matchup. The Cardinals went on to secure a 45-7 week four win over the Blue Devils on the road.
Brunswick started off the game with the ball on their own 15-yard line. The Blue Devils offense started off well on the ground and moved the ball into Mentor territory. The drive was ultimately cut short after the Cardinals defense intercepted the ball, setting the Mentor offense up on their own 33-yard line. The Cardinals offense methodically drove down the field into Blue Devil territory. The run game was too much in the redzone, resulting in a Jackson Farley 10-yard rushing touchdown to give Mentor a 7-0 lead with 7:55 remaining in the first quarter. Brunswick began their next drive on their own 20-yard line. The Blue Devils offense was bombarded by a strong Mentor pass rush, resulting in an early drive punt. Brunswick got a deep punt off, but the return was taken swiftly down to the Brunswick 1-yard line on a 74-yard punt return. This resulted in an easy 1-yard rushing touchdown punched in by Jackson Farley, giving Mentor a 14-0 lead with 4:08 remaining in the first quarter. Brunswick began their next drive on their own 10-yard line. Hoping to rebound from a tough drive previously, the Brunswick offense kept the ball on the ground and was held short by the determined Cardinals defense. Brunswick punted the ball again, setting Mentor’s next offensive drive up on their own 33-yard line. The Mentor offense strategically moved the chains on checkdown passes and strong rush attacks. The Cardinals moved into Brunswick territory and later scored a 17-yard rushing touchdown by Jackson Farley to give Mentor a 21-0 lead with 0:06 remaining in the first quarter. Brunswick began their next drive on their own 20-yard line and had possession of the ball heading into the second quarter.
Brunswick continued their previous drive, but the Mentor defense held strong and forced another punt. Mentor began their next drive on their own 20-yard line. The run game was working very well as Dominic Burns continued to dominate on the ground. Mentor marched down the field and scored a 6-yard rushing touchdown from running back Dominic Burns to give the Cardinals a 28-0 lead with 7:05 remaining in the second quarter. Brunswick began their next drive on their own 39-yard line. The drive was short-lived after the Cardinals defense swarmed the pocket, causing the Brunswick quarterback to throw towards the sideline, which was ultimately picked off before going out of bounds. Mentor began their next drive on Brunswick’s 36-yard line. Mentor decided to test their air game out and had a successful drive on numerous connections with wide receiver Justen Hodge, who scored a 4-yard receiving touchdown to give Mentor a 35-0 lead with 1:39 remaining in the first half. Brunswick began their next drive on their own 20-yard line. Mentor’s defense held firm again, forcing yet another Brunswick punt. Mentor began their next drive on their own 40-yard line. The offense marched down the field and ended up scoring a 29-yard field goal from kicker Danny Kristo with 0:01 remaining in the first half to give Mentor a 38-0 lead heading into the locker rooms at halftime on the road.
To start the second half, the game clock was set to be a running clock, meaning that the clock is not to be stopped after a team is up by 30+ points. Looking to stay hot coming back from halftime, the Mentor Cardinals began their first drive of the second half on their own 20-yard line. It only took the Mentor offense 2 plays to score another touchdown on a 65-yard rush by running back Dominic Burns, giving the Cardinals a 45-0 lead with 9:00 remaining in the third quarter. Brunswick began their first drive of the second half on their own 31-yard line. On the first play, the quarterback fumbled the ball and the Cardinals defense pounced on it, setting Mentor up on Brunswick’s 26-yard line. For the first time this game, the Blue Devils defense held firm, not allowing the Mentor offense to put up any points on the drive, forcing a turnover on downs to set up shop on their own 30-yard line. The Blue Devil offense had two strong quarterback rushes to cross into Mentor territory and ended with possession of the ball to end the third quarter.
Going into the fourth quarter, the Blue Devils offense continued to march down the field, determined to not get shutout at home. A few plays later, quarterback Sean Barnett made a beautiful 4-yard pass to Cohen Easa in the red zone to get Brunswick on the board down 45-7 with 9:06 remaining in the game. Mentor started their next drive on their own 20-yard line. The Cardinals offense held onto possession of the ball for the remainder of the game and took a knee at the Brunswick 30-yard line to end the game.
Next Week
The Mentor Cardinals (4-0) are looking to stay hot as they host conference rivals Medina Battling Bees at Jerome T. Osborne Sr. Stadium; Kickoff at 7 PM on Friday, September 19th.
The Brunswick Blue Devils (1-3) look to rebound from a tough loss as they travel to Russell H. Rupp Field to take on conference rivals Shaker Heights Red Raiders; Kickoff at 7 PM on Friday, September 19th.
Player of the Game:
Dominic Burns (RB)- Mentor: 8 rush attempts, 100 rush yards, 2 rushing touchdowns
Top Performers
Mentor Cardinals
Jackson Farley: 3 rush TD
Dominic Burns: 2 rush TD
Drew Morgan: 2 Interceptions, 1 Fumble Recovery
Brunswick Blue Devils
Cohen Easa: 1 reception TD
Scoring Summary
1st Quarter
Mentor 7:55 – Jackson Farley, 10-yard run (kick good) (7-0 Mentor)
Mentor 4:08 – Jackson Farley, 1-yard run (kick good) (14-0 Mentor)
Mentor 0:06 – Jackson Farley, 17-yard run (kick good) (21-0 Mentor)
2nd Quarter
Mentor 7:05 – Dominic Burns, 6-yard run (kick good) (28-0 Mentor)
Mentor 1:39 – Brogan Jones to Justen Hodge, 4 yards (kick good) (35-0 Mentor)
Mentor 0:01 – Danny Kristo, 29-yard field goal (kick good) (38-0 Mentor)
3rd Quarter
Mentor 9:00 – Dominic Burns, 65-yard run (kick good) (45-0 Mentor)
4th Quarter
Brunswick 9:06 – Sean Barnett to Cohen Easa, 4 yards (kick good) (45-7 Mentor)
Re-watch the KEE On Sports Game of the Week here: Brunswick Vs. Mentor
