by MENTOR, Ohio- A dominant performance on both sides of the ball lifts Mentor past Euclid, 45-0. With the win, the Cardinals crowned themselves Greater Cleveland Conference champions as they improve their conference record to 6-0 and overall record to 9-0 heading into the final week of the season.
Mentor head coach Steve Trivisonno reiterated to his players after the game the importance of finishing out the season with an undefeated record.
“Not many teams are able to do that,” he said. “Especially playing the schedule we play. It’s a challenge to do that and it’s a big thing for our team to do next week.”
Mentor’s stout defense was at work early and often to start the game. In fact, Euclid’s first three possessions each resulted in a turnover, with junior defensive lineman Greg Predina coming up with the first two of the game. For the game, Mentor was able to force four turnovers as they cruised to another big win.
The defense– led by Nyzier Fourqueran, Justin Satterfield, Marco Toth and a handful of others, have given up just 21 total points over the past six games.
“Our defense did well today,” coach Trivisonno explained. “Tonight was a challenge and I was pleased with what they did.”
The Cardinals were able to capitalize on the offensive side after the Euclid turnovers. First, Ian Kipp connected with senior and Kent State commit Luke Floriea for a 49-yard touchdown. Two minutes later, senior running back Brian Trobel took a screen pass along the sidelines and found his way into the end zone from 65 yards out to give the Cardinals a comfortable 17-0 lead after the first quarter.
A rushing touchdown from Kipp to start the second quarter pushed the Cardinal lead to 24-0. Mentor made a late push for a quick touchdown to end the first half, but Trobel was taken down at Euclid’s six-yard line.
Coming out of halftime, Trobel couldn’t be stopped on the ground. Big gain after big gain, the senior found the back of the endzone twice in the third quarter, from runs of 6 and 44 yards, respectively. For the game, Trobel had seven carries for 110 yards and four touchdowns, while catching four passes for 99 yards and another touchdown.
Mentor was able to out-gain the Panthers 562-234 while controlling the momentum of the game from start to finish. Ian Kipp completed 13-of-23 passes for 257 yards and two touchdowns through the air while running for 76 yards and a touchdown on six carries as well.
For Euclid, senior quarterback Dion Valentine completed 8-of-13 passes for 101 yards and two interceptions. Senior running back Jabir Mujihad led the Panthers on the ground with 66 yards on a game-high 14 carries.
It was yet another commanding win for the Cardinals who will travel to Strongsville to try to end the regular season with a perfect record.
“We did a lot of really good things on all phases tonight and I’m proud of my kids. We’ll look to go perfect next week.”
