by After falling behind 14-0 early in the first, the Cardinals (2-2) hung tough and got a late touchdown pass from backup QB Ben Pierce to Justen Hodge to sneak past Medina (2-2) 42-41 in Greater Cleveland Conference action. In relief of an injured Scotty Fox, Pierce went 3-6 for 82 yards and a touchdown and took one in on the ground.
Medina Dominates Early
The Bees are known for their offense, and they wasted no time getting on the board as QB Danny Stoddard hooked up with Jack Wojciak for a 72-yard touchdown, putting Medina up 7-0 less than two minutes into the game.
After a miscue on an attempted Mentor punt set the Bees up at the 15, Stoddard connected with Austin Knowles for a 9-yard score to make it 14-0 Medina. Midway through the second, the Cardinals came up with a big fourth down stop to set their offense up near midfield.
A pass from Fox to Jackson Farley set up Medina at the two, and two plays later, Fox would lower his shoulder and plow in from two yards out to narrow the gap to 14-7. Early in the second, Cooper Josefczyk picked off a Fox pass and took it 16 yards to the house, extending the Bees lead to 21-7. Josefczyk’s interception came in the middle of a string of four straight passes intercepted, two from each side.
A 20-yard pass from Fox to Justen Hodge would set up the Cardinals in the Medina red zone, and two plays later, Fox would score his second rushing touchdown of the game, this one from four yards out to make it 21-14 Medina.
The Bees would turn the ball over for their third straight possession, setting Mentor up at the Medina 38. With just under four minutes to go in the half, Fox called his own number again for his third touchdown, tying things up at 21-21 at halftime.
Rivals Trade Blows
The Cardinals came out of the break on a mission, quickly putting together an eight-play, 74-yard drive capped off by a 14-yard touchdown run from Gino Korzunowkski to put Mentor up 28-21.
Facing their first deficit of the game, the Bees punched right back with a 75-yard drive of their own, scoring on a 26-yard, absolute dime from Stoddard to Wojciak in the corner of the endzone to tie things up at 28-28. The Bees took the lead back on their next possession on a three-yard pass from Stoddard to Knowles, making the score 35-28 late in the third.
Less than a minute into the fourth, Wojciak took the handoff around the right end for eight yards and a touchdown. The extra point was blocked, giving Medina a 41-28 lead. With their backs against the wall, the Cardinals wouldn’t go down without a fight.
Fox took a nasty hit at the Bees 12 along the sideline, knocking him out of the game with about nine minutes to go. Facing a 13-point hole, backup QB Ben Pierce lowered his shoulder and went in from five yards out, drawing the Cardinals closer at 41-35.
Mentor would get an interception on the ensuing Medina drive and drove deep inside the Bees 10, but the defense held, giving Medina the ball with time running out. The Cardinals’ defense came up with a massive three-and-out, giving the offense one last chance.
On the drive’s second play, Pierce found Hodge across the middle, who made a one-handed snag and took it into the endzone for a 55-yard touchdown. The extra point gave Mentor a 42-41 lead with just 1:23 left.
Medina would work the ball out to near midfield, but time ran out, sending the home crowd into an uproar as the players rushed midfield, giving the Cardinals a huge 42-41 victory over the rival Bees.
Keys to the Game
Fans came into this one expecting a shoot-out, which is precisely what they were treated to. What was less expected was the amount of turnovers from each squad, six total in the game. Despite giving up nearly 500 yards of offense, the Cardinals D played tight in the big moments and were able to seal the victory.
After Fox left the game due to injury, there may have been some doubt about if Mentor could complete the comeback. Ben Pierce had no doubt and contributed to the final 14 points in the game, giving the Cardinals a one-point victory.
Next Week
The loss drops Medina to 2-2 on the season and 0-1 in the GCC. The Bees will look to get back over .500 next week when they host the Brunswick Blue Devils (0-4). The Blue Devils dropped a 13-10 heartbreaker over Cleveland Heights in Week 4.
After dropping their last two, Mentor improves to 2-2 on the season and 1-0 in the GCC. The Cardinals face a tough test in Week 5 as they head to Cleveland Heights to take on the Tigers (3-1).
Top Performers
Medina Bees
Danny Stoddard: 27-52 344 yards 4 TD 3 INT 25 carries 107 yards
Jack Wojciak: 6 catches 146 yards 2 TD 8 carries 21 yards TD
Austin Knowles: 12 catches 111 yards 2 TD
Mentor Cardinals
Scotty Fox: 12-28 171 yards 2 INT 18 carries 83 yards 3 TD
Ben Pierce: 3-6 82 yards TD 5 carries 5 yards TD
Justen Hodge: 6 catches 131 yards TD
Scoring Summary
1st Quarter
Medina 10:39- Danny Stoddard to Jack Wojciak, 72 yards (kick good)
Medina 7:35- Danny Stoddard to Austin Knowles, 9 yards (kick good)
Mentor 2:17- Scotty Fox, 2-yard run (kick good)
2nd Quarter
Medina 10:31- Cooper Josefczyk, 16-yard interception return (kick good)
Mentor 7:31- Scotty Fox, 4-yard run (kick good)
Mentor 3:49- Scotty Fox, 3-yard run (kick good)
3rd Quarter
Mentor 8:14- Gino Korzunowski, 14-yard run (kick good)
Medina 6:05- Danny Stoddard to Jack Wojciak, 26 yards (kick good)
Medina 2:24- Danny Stoddard to Austin Knowles, 3 yards (kick good)
4th Quarter
Medina 11:03- Jack Wojciak, 8-yard run, (kick blocked)
Mentor 8:42- Ben Pierce, 5-yard run (kick good)
Mentor 1:23- Ben Pierce to Justen Hodge, 55 yards (kick good)
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | FINAL | |
| Medina | 14 | 7 | 14 | 6 | 41 |
| Mentor | 7 | 14 | 7 | 14 | 42 |
