by The 1 seed Mentor Cardinals hosted the number 8 seed Strongsville Mustangs Friday night at Jerome T. Osborne Stadium. Mentor recently beat this Strongsville team 44-17 on October 11th. The winner of this game will go on to play Canton McKinley on November 15th at a neutral site to be determined. Strongsville has won 6 of its last 7 games while the number one ranked Cardinal team has yet to be tested this postseason
1st Quarter
Both teams started out the games looking to establish the run. While Strongsville struggled early on to gain yards on the ground. Jackson Farley found early success with runs of 5, 3, and 5 yards. The first big play of the game was Marcus Sierputowski catching a nice ball from Scotty Fox for 26 yards. This catch would set up the Cardinals in the red zone but could not come out with any points with a missed field goal to top it off. Special teams especially for Mentor this game struggled all game long.
After receiving the ball back, wide receiver Alex Espay hauled in a 16-yard catch from Nolan Beard to give the Mustangs position at the forty yard-line. However, the Mentor Cardinal defensive line proved to be too much as the Mustangs could not make anything of it. The Mustangs would punt to Justen Hodge, one of the key playmakers of the game today. Hodge would return the ball to Strongsville’s 45 yard-line. Jackson Farley found a couple holes for runs of 11 and 6 yards. Mentor decided to rely on their playmakers, especially that of dynamic back of Jackson Farley and Austin Van Huss. Van Huss would make a 14-yard touchdown grab from Scotty Fox to put the Cardinals up 7-0.
Looking to respond, Strongsville rebounded nicely with a 9-yard catch from Will Dasher to move the chains to Mentor’s 40 yard-line on third down. However, Strongsville would struggle with penalties, especially false starts to put themselves in third and long. Will Dasher stepped up again, hauling in an impressive 16-yard catch to convert a first down for the Mustangs as the first quarter came to an end. 7-0 Cardinals.
2nd Quarter
Third down for Strongsville, Beard rolls out but Mentor’s defense is all over it with Julian Solis and Spencer Barninger pressuring Nolan Beard who ends up throwing the ball away leading to intentional grounding. After receiving the ball back, Marcus Sierputowski bobbles and drops a pretty pass from Fox on 2nd and 17 that most likely would have resulted in a touchdown. The Cardinals quickly punted the ball away back to the Mustangs. However, the Mustangs would prove to have a similar fate. Running-back Sam Dimacchia struggled to be efficient, only gaining 4 yards total on his first seven carries. Mentor would receive the ball back.
A 13-yard Farley run to the 35 yard-line would set up a 25-yard Justen Hodge catch to the 9 yard line of Strongsville. What seemed to be an eventual touchdown drive ended up in a 14-yard Scotty Fox sack for the Mustangs. The special teams struggles for Mentor continued, as kicker Dylan Tackett missed a 35-yard field goal. To extend the Cardinal lead.
With 2:30 still left in the first half, Will Dasher os Strongsville fumbled after getting hit by Mentor’s Xayvion Dunn as Cayden Claire would recover the football. The playmaking tandem of Justen Hodge and JAckson Farley would resume their duties as Hodge would have another 26-yard catch and Farley gain a run of 14 yards to set up his 1-yard touchdown shortly after. Dylan Tackett’s extra point would end up being blocked by Storm Miller of Strongsville. 13-0 Cardinals as the first half comes to an end.
1st Half Stats:
Farley- 18 carries, 86 yards, TD
Fox- 122 yards, TD
Hodge- 51 yards 2 catches
Beard- 6/8, 52 yards
Dimacchia- 11 rush, 18 yards
3rd Quarter
The half began with a big momentum shift as Dominic Burns fielded a Strongsville punt and returned it to the 47-yard line, setting up the Cardinals with excellent field position. Mentor quickly capitalized on this advantage, with Justen Hodge hauling in a 33-yard catch, bringing the Cardinals down to the 1-yard line. On the very next play, Jackson Farley caught a short pass from a rollout from Fox in the end zone for a 2-yard touchdown. The Cardinals were suddenly up 19-0 after a botched snap on the extra point attempt.
The woes continued for Strongsville. Back-to-back false starts put Strongsville in a tough spot. Despite efforts to get something going, the Cardinals’ defense was relentless. The pressure from Mentor’s defensive line was too much, forcing the Mustangs into a quick punt that ended up in a game-changing special teams play.
Justen Hodge, who already had two catches of 25 and 26 yards previously, made his presence felt once again, taking the punt and darting down the field for a 33-yard kick return touchdown, bringing the score to 25-0 with 7:14 left in the third quarter. The Cardinals’ success didn’t stop there. They went for the two-point conversion, and Fox rolled to his left before hitting Van Huss in the corner of the end zone to complete the 2-point play, making it 27-0.
4th Quarter
Jackson Farley would later break free for an impressive and speedy 65-yard rush. Though he was slow to get up after the run, the Cardinals were quickly in position to score. The junior Dominic Burns capped off the drive with a 2-yard touchdown run, pushing the lead to 33-0. The special team play for Mentor would continue to struggle, as the extra point from Tackett was no good.
Strongsville wasn’t ready to throw in the towel just yet. The Mustangs pulled out a fake punt in an attempt to catch the Cardinals off guard, but the pass sailed over the head of Mr. Do It All, Storm Miller, giving Mentor the ball back at the 38-yard line.
The Cardinals’ defense remained strong. Beard was sacked by Spencer Barninger for a 12-yard loss, while a Dominic Burns fumble was recovered by Strongsville’s JJ Pleasant at the 44-yard line. Yet, the Mustangs could not take advantage of these breaks.
With the clock running and little to no time at all, Nolan Beard threw a pass in the endzone right to two Cardinals for an interception. With the Cardinals firmly in control, the game ended with the score of 33-0. The Cardinals advanced to the Semifinals and will face Canton McKinley on November 15th.
Final Score : Mentor: 33 Strongsville: 0
Scotty Fox: 11/15, 130 yards, 2 TDs
Jackson Farley: 23 carries, 150 yards, 2 TDs
Justen Hodge: 2 catches, 51 yards, 33-yard kick return TD
Nolan Beard:10/15, 85 yards, 13 rushing yards
Sam Dimacchia: 16 carries, 24 yards
Player of the Game: Jackson Farley
