by Mentor, OH: The No. 3 Mentor Cardinals (9-2) delivered a dominant performance Friday night, defeating the No. 6 Strongsville Mustangs (8-4), 45-14, in an OHSAA Division I, Region 1 regional quarterfinal matchup. Mentor’s offense found the end zone six times, while its defense forced multiple turnovers to help the Cardinals pull away from the Mustangs.
Sophomore quarterback #17 Corbin Bissett led the way for Mentor, rushing for three touchdowns in the first half before adding another passing touchdown in the second half. The Cardinals also received a strong performance from their defense, which recovered multiple fumbles and kept Strongsville from gaining any momentum.
Strongsville struggled to hold onto the football, losing two fumbles in the second quarter that directly led to Mentor scoring opportunities. Despite the loss, the Mustangs found the end zone twice, including a late fourth-quarter touchdown pass from quarterback #18 Jack Kasner to #13 Brayden Alfred.
First Half
Strongsville received the opening kickoff but struggled to get its offense moving on the opening possession. Facing third-and-four from its own 42-yard line, the Mustangs surrendered a sack to the Mentor defense, forcing a punt.
Mentor took over at its own 31-yard line and put together a scoring drive. The Cardinals moved the ball down the field before facing second and goal at the Strongsville five-yard line.
Sophomore quarterback #17 Corbin Bissett kept the ball on a designed quarterback run up the middle, finding the end zone for a five-yard touchdown with 5:04 remaining in the first quarter.
The extra point was good, giving Mentor an early 7-0 lead.
Strongsville attempted to respond, but the Mentor defense continued to make things difficult. On third-and-three from the Strongsville 49-yard line, running back #30 Austin Tatulinski was stopped for a one-yard loss, forcing another Mustangs punt.
Mentor’s next possession ended with a costly mistake. Quarterback #13 Brogan Jones attempted a pass that was deflected, and linebacker #9 Danny Baishnab came away with the interception, giving Strongsville possession at the Mentor seven-yard line.
The Mustangs quickly capitalized on the turnover. With 2:14 remaining in the first quarter,
Tatulinski punched the ball into the end zone from three yards out. The extra point was good, tying the game at 7-7.
Mentor immediately answered with a big special teams play. #8 Logan Berwald returned the ensuing kickoff for an explosive gain, and a Strongsville unsportsmanlike conduct penalty added another 15 yards, setting the Cardinals up at the Strongsville 41-yard line.
Jones then connected with Berwald down the left sideline for a 23-yard gain, moving Mentor inside the five-yard line. On second-and-goal from the three, Bissett kept the ball and powered his way into the end zone for his second rushing touchdown of the night. The extra point was good, putting Mentor back in front, 14-7, with just 16 seconds remaining in the opening quarter.
Mentor carried that momentum into the second quarter.
Strongsville initially put together a promising drive, with quarterback #18 Jack Kasner picking up 11 yards on third-and-nine. The possession ended when Tatulinski fumbled on the next set of downs and Mentor recovered.
The Cardinals took advantage of the turnover. Jones found wide receiver #16 Jeremiah Claridy for a 45-yard completion down the left sideline on a fade route, putting Mentor in scoring position.
Strongsville’s defense prevented a touchdown, forcing Mentor to settle for a field goal. With 6:39 remaining in the first half, kicker #19 Danny Kristo connected on a 22-yard attempt to extend the Cardinals’ lead to 17-7.
The Mustangs’ turnover problems continued on their next possession. On the first play from their own 20-yard line, Kasner connected with Tatulinski, but the running back fumbled again, and Mentor recovered at the Strongsville 24-yard line.
Mentor wasted no time to turn the turnover into points. With 5:45 remaining, Jones found #89
Paddy Coyne over the middle for a 23-yard touchdown pass. Coyne made the catch around the 10-yard line and powered his way into the end zone. The extra point was good, extending Mentor’s advantage to 24-7.
The Cardinals’ defense forced another Strongsville three-and-out, and Mentor took over at midfield.
Mentor continued to attack on offense, with Bissett delivering one of the biggest plays of the first half. Facing third-and-17 from the Strongsville 23-yard line, Bissett kept the ball and broke loose around the left side, racing all the way down to the two-yard line for a huge gain.
With just 14 seconds remaining before halftime, Bissett finished the drive himself, punching the ball into the end zone from one yard out for his third rushing touchdown of the half. The extra point was good, sending Mentor into the locker room with a commanding 31-7 lead.
Second Half
Mentor received the second-half kickoff but was unable to build on its offensive momentum immediately, going three-and-out on its opening possession.
Strongsville also struggled to get anything going, quickly going three-and-out and punting the ball back to Mentor, which took over at its own 38-yard line.
The Cardinals eventually found their rhythm again. Facing third-and-14 from the Strongsville 15-yard line, Mentor spread the field with an empty backfield formation. Bissett dropped back and delivered a pass over the middle to #9 Cameron Deitrick on a slant route for a 15-yard touchdown.
The extra point was good, pushing Mentor’s lead to 38-7 with 6:27 remaining in the third quarter.
Mentor later attempted to extend its lead on fourth-and-15 from midfield, but the pass fell incomplete, giving Strongsville possession.
The Mustangs were unable to take advantage, and the game moved into the fourth quarter with Mentor firmly in control.
Mentor continued to add to its lead early in the fourth quarter.
With 7:36 remaining, the Cardinals faced third-and-20 from the Strongsville 38-yard line.
Running back #37 Liam Short took the handoff, burst through the middle of the defense and raced untouched into the end zone for a 38-yard touchdown run.
The extra point was good, giving Mentor a 45-7 advantage.
With 3:57 remaining, Kasner dropped back and found wide receiver #13 Brayden Alfred on a corner route in the end zone for a 39-yard touchdown pass. The extra point was good, cutting the deficit to 45-14.
The Mustangs attempted an onside kick following the score, but Mentor recovered the ball and took possession with approximately three minutes remaining.
The Cardinals ran out the remaining clock and secured a convincing 45-14 victory, advancing to the regional semifinals.
Top Performers
Mentor Cardinals
Corbin Bissett: 1-of-2 passing, 15 yards, 1 TD; 9 carries, 59 yards, 3 rushing TDs.
Brogan Jones: 6-of-13 passing, 126 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT; 3 carries, 12 yards.
Ryan Orsog: 15 carries, 94 yards.
Liam Short: 6 carries, 50 yards, 1 TD.
Paddy Coyne: 2 catches, 40 yards, 1 TD.
Cameron Deitrick: 2 catches, 25 yards, 1 TD.
Logan Berwald: 2 catches, 31 yards.
Jeremiah Claridy: 1 catch, 45 yards.
Strongsville Mustangs
Jack Kasner: 7-of-19 passing, 120 yards, 1 TD; 3 carries, 12 yards.
Kendrick Boddie: 7 carries, 55 yards.
Austin Tatulinski: 7 carries, 18 yards, 1 TD; 2 catches, 18 yards.
Brayden Alfred: 3 catches, 61 yards, 1 TD.
Ethan Wolf: 2 catches, 41 yards.
Big Plays
Mentor’s ability to capitalize on Strongsville’s mistakes was a major difference in the game. The Cardinals recovered two second-quarter fumbles, both of which led directly to scoring drives.
The first recovery set up a 22-yard field goal, while the second led to Jones’ 23-yard touchdown pass to Coyne.
Bissett also delivered several game-changing plays. His three rushing touchdowns in the first half helped Mentor establish a commanding lead, while his 21-yard quarterback keeper late in the second quarter moved the Cardinals from the 23-yard line down to the two-yard line.
Other major plays included:
Logan Berwald's explosive kickoff return, followed by a 15-yard Strongsville penalty,
setting Mentor up at the Mustangs' 41-yard line.
Jones' 45-yard completion to Jeremiah Claridy down the left sideline.
Bissett's 21-yard run on third-and-17 to set up Mentor's final first-half touchdown.
Liam Short's 38-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.
Strongsville’s 39-yard touchdown connection from Kasner to Alfred late in the game.
Defensively, Danny Baishnab's first-quarter interception was a key play for Strongsville, setting
up the Mustangs' first touchdown of the night.
Scoring Summary
1st Quarter
Mentor — 5:04: Corbin Bissett, 5-yard rushing touchdown (XP good).
Strongsville — 2:14: Austin Tatulinski, 3-yard rushing touchdown (XP good).
Mentor — 0:16: Corbin Bissett, 3-yard rushing touchdown (XP good).
2nd Quarter
Mentor — 6:39: Danny Kristo, 22-yard field goal.
Mentor — 5:45: Brogan Jones to Paddy Coyne, 23-yard touchdown pass (XP good).
Mentor — 0:14: Corbin Bissett, 1-yard rushing touchdown (XP good).
3rd Quarter
Mentor — 6:27: Corbin Bissett to Cameron Deitrick, 15-yard touchdown pass (XP good).
4th Quarter
Mentor — 7:36: Liam Short, 38-yard rushing touchdown (XP good).
Strongsville — 3:57: Jack Kasner to Brayden Alfred, 39-yard touchdown pass (XP good).
Final: Mentor 45, Strongsville 14
Players of the Game
Mentor Cardinals — QB #17 Corbin Bissett
1-of-2 passing, 15 yards, 1 passing TD; 9 carries, 59 rushing yards, 3 rushing TDs.
Bissett was the driving force behind Mentor’s offensive performance. The sophomore quarterback scored three rushing touchdowns in the first half, consistently using his legs to keep the Strongsville defense off balance. He added a touchdown pass to Cameron Deitrick in the third quarter, accounting for four total touchdowns in the Cardinals’ dominant playoff victory.
Strongsville Mustangs — WR #13 Brayden Alfred
3 catches, 61 receiving yards, 1 receiving TD.
Alfred was one of Strongsville’s most productive offensive players, leading the Mustangs in receiving yards and providing their biggest offensive highlight of the second half. His 39-yard touchdown reception from Kasner in the fourth quarter capped off a three-catch, 61-yard performance and gave Strongsville a late score against a tough Mentor defense.
What’s Next?
With the victory, Mentor advances to the OHSAA Division I, Region 1 regional semifinals,
where the Cardinals will face the winner of the Fitch vs. McKinley matchup. The winner of that
game will meet Mentor next Friday night, November 13, with a regional final berth on the line.
