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PARMA, Ohio- Two yards. That’s what separated Mentor and St. Edward for a trip to go to the Division I, Region I state semifinal game.
Mentor quarterback Ian Kipp scrambled to the right and found his go-to receiver Luke Floriea for the successful two-point conversion, joining a sea of gray jerseys in the middle of the field as Mentor pulled off the 36-35 victory over St. Edward Friday night at Byers Field in Parma.
After Kipp’s two-yard touchdown run to put the Cardinals down 35-34 in overtime, Florida went over to head coach Steve Trivisonno and told him to go for the win. A minute later, coach Trivisonno and the rest of his team now stands two wins away from a state championship.
“The two-point conversion was a no-brainer at the end,” coach Trivisonno said after the win. “With the way they can pound the ball. They’re bigger than us, that was an easy call.”
Mentor wins! A TD run by Kipp followed with a successful 2-point conversation advances them to the state final four! @Mike_Triv @MentorRedline @FOX8FNTD pic.twitter.com/XyLLc9eEk5
— Kee On Sports Media Group (@KeeOnSports) November 23, 2019
“Right when Luke caught the ball, I just dropped,” Kipp said. “I couldn’t believe it. Every time I look at that scoreboard I still can’t believe it.”
Floriea led all receivers during the win, catching a game-high seven passes for 205 yards and two touchdowns. Ian Kipp completed 13-of-23 passes for 274 yards and three touchdowns during the win, also adding 69 yards rushing on 18 attempts. Senior Brian Trobel led the Cardinal rushing attack with 82 yards on 13 carries.
With Mentor trailing 21-7 at halftime, coach Trivisonno reiterated to his team that the second half was going to be about will. Whatever it takes to come out with the victory is what coach expected after the half and that’s what his team brought out of the halftime break.
In fact, the Cardinals outscored the Eagles 14-7 in the third quarter largely in part of the stout defensive performance Mentor adjusted to in the second half and stellar play from Kipp. Mentor eventually got within one score following a flea-flicker that resulted in another Floriea touchdown, this time, a 35-yard strike.
“At halftime, we were just telling ourselves that we want to be here and keep practicing,” Kipp said. “We really love those things and that really drove us to make plays in the second half.”
Mentor’s defense held its own in the fourth quarter, limited the big-play ability that really got them behind early on in the game. Kipp found Trobel for a 19-yard touchdown with just under two minutes left in the game to eventually tie the game at 28 apiece.
Both teams played conservative football to end the fourth quarter and it would take more than 60 minutes for a shot at the state final four.
Like he was doing all night, St. Edward quarterback Conor O’Malley found Joe Formani to put the Eagles up 35-28 to open the overtime period. But when it mattered most, the Mentor offense showed out and snuck past the Eagles for the second time this season to advance at least one more week into the playoffs.
For St. Edward, Formani finished the game with a game-high 43 carries for 191 yards on the ground. Conor O’Malley completed 11-of-18 passes for 178 yards and three touchdowns while also adding 10 carries for 48 yards on the ground as well.
With Pickerington Central defeating Groveport on the other side of the bracket, that means the Cardinals will practice one more week and face the Tigers next Friday night for a chance to go to state championship game in Canton.
“We still got a long way to go,” coach Trivisonno explained. “There’s nothing like practicing on Thanksgiving.“
