Mentor Cardinals Improve to 9-0 With 44-17 Win Over Strongsville

1st Quarter

The Cardinals started the game with a great 19-yard run by electric second-year running back Jackson Farley. That set up a huge 42-yard touchdown catch by Austin VanHuss to put the Cardinals on top early. VanHuss’s 8th touchdown of the season.

The Mustangs responded by quickly establishing the run, using their shifty and dangerous running back Kendrick Boddie. The Mustangs ran on the first 7 plays of the game, and they forced Mentor to make their adjustments early. The Mustangs were driving until they found themselves in a 4th and 2 spot. They looked to run it up the middle but the Mentor defensive line was more than ready to tackle him short of the sticks.

After the huge 4th down stop to hold Strongsville from scoring, Jackson Farley ran for a 47-yard gain to put the Cardinals into the red zone at the 1-yard line. Scotty Fox would end up taking the ball himself and run into the endzone for a Cardinals touchdown to extend their lead to 14-0 at the end of the first quarter.

2nd Quarter

Needing to respond quickly, Strongsville relied on the running back tandem of Sam Dimacchia and Kendrick Boddie. Dimacchia would find a hole and rush for 11 yards then 13, setting up a fantastic 15-yard rushing touchdown from Kendrick Boddie. The Mustangs did all they could to stay in the game without giving Mentor another chance, making it 14-7 Cardinals.

However, the Strongsville defense simply did not have an answer for Jackson Farley. A screen pass to Farley would go for 17 yards, and Fox also found Justen Hodge for a 26-yard catch to put the Cardinals back into Mustang territory. A Jackson Farley touchdown run of 6 yards would extend the Cardinal lead, making it 21-7.

The Mustangs were down, but not out of it yet. A pitch to Sam Dimacchia for 16 yards put the Mustangs in a much needed spot to answer. Strongsville went tricky and ran a flea flicker to Will Dasher who created some space in a streak route, but  Xayvion Dunn of Mentor would break up the play. The Cardinals were celebrating and perhaps forgot about the attention they needed to put on star running back Kendrick Boddie. Boddie cut inside and found space for an amazing 38-yard touchdown run while bouncing off cardinal after cardinal. The score now 21-14 in favor of Mentor. 

With 2:00  left on the clock, Mentor wanted a chance to pull away from the Mustangs before halftime. The combination of Farley and Fox with runs of 15, 14, and a 21-yard catch by Farley would lead to a Farley 1-yard touchdown. In just forty seconds Mentor found themselves back in a comfortable two-touchdown lead, 27-14 missing the PAT. The high-scoring and touchdown-filled first half came to an end with the Cardinals up 13 thanks to Jackson Farley’s 157 first half rushing yards.

Third Quarter

Strongsville received the ball at the half and quickly went to their two-headed beast in Sam Dimacchia and Kendrick Boddie. Dimacchia would end up fumbling on the Mentor 31-yard line giving the Cardinals the ball back.

This fumble recovery ended up in a quick Mentor field goal with 9:41 left in the third quarter. After kicking off the Cardinals were flagged for a late hit as a Mustang was hit while he was out of bounds. This ended up giving Strongsville great field position at the 45-yard line and a chance to get back into distance with Mentor. The Mustangs would have to resort to airing the ball out since they were facing such a large deficit, but it caused Strongsville to see a 4th and 2.  Nolan Beard threw the ball to a cutting receiver but ended up getting broken up. The Cardinals would end up getting the ball back.

On the very next drive, Mentor was in 2nd and 26 thanks to an offensive pass interference call in the endzone. The Cardinals did not doubt themselves one bit, with Austin VanHuss catching a wide-open 40-yard touchdown from Scotty Fox for his second 40-yard touchdown of the night. The Cardinals now led 37-14 after three quarters of play.

4th Quarter

Now facing a 23-point deficit, Strongsville was in need of a spark. Beard found Alex Espay for a 12-yard catch. Boddie would see more carries as well, resulting in a field goal for the Mustangs. The score now 37-17 at the 10:00 mark. 

Mentor did not feel comfortable with a 20-point lead, so a 59-yard touchdown catch by Marcus Sierputowski would put a bow on this one for the Cardinals. It was now quickly 44-17. The rest of the 4th quarter would see runs of 10 yards, 5 yards, and 12 yards for Bodie. However, the Cardinal defense was just too good in their adjustments to the Mustang offense. The game ends and the Cardinals clinch a share of the GCC thanks to their 537 yards of offense.

Mentor 44 Strongsville 17

Player Stats:

Cardinals

Scotty Fox: 15/20, 258 yards 3 TDs

Jackson Farley: 18 carries, 188 yards, 2 TDs

Austin VanHuss: 4 catches, 92 yards, 2TDs

Mustangs

Nolan Beard: 10/21, 113 yards, 36 rushing yards

Kendrick Boddie: 19 carries, 149 yards, 2 TDs

Sam Dimacchia: 13 carries, 93 yards

Player of the Game: Jackson Farley