by Strongsville, OH – The last time Strongsville beat Mentor, George W. Bush was our President, and the Cleveland Browns were coming off a 10-win season led by Derek Anderson. Since that 2008 season, Mentor has reigned dominance over Strongsville, and it continued tonight with a shutout victory 42-0 from Pat Catan Stadium.
Following a quick three-and-out by the Mustangs, the Matt Gray led Cardinals put points on the board midway through the first quarter. A touchdown pass was wiped off the board due to a holding penalty but that did not stop Scotty Fox from taking matters into his own hands. After an 11-yard rush to set up a 4th and short, Fox called his own number from the 2 and rolled into the endzone for the score.
Mentor’s defense would once again set up their offense in great field position forcing a quick punt. The Cardinals offensive line controlled the line of scrimmage nearly all night long. Jackson Farley found the biggest hole of the night on a counter play for a 39-yard touchdown untouched. Mentor would continue to build on their 14-0 lead early in the 2nd quarter. Fox dropped back and found a wide-open Justin Hodge over the middle of the field for an easy 48-yard score.
The Cardinals would continue to step up and make plays, this time with their first turnover of the night. Kellen Graham came up with the interception for the Cardinals. This would go on to be their first of three takeaways on the night. Fox would lead his Cardinals down the field once again into scoring range. He rolled out to his right and made a beautiful throw on the run to the back of the endzone for his 2nd touchdown pass of the half. Grant Cerny hauled in the throw from Fox to add to the Mentor lead.
The biggest play of the half for the Mustangs came on an interception from Storm Miller that was returned inside Cardinal territory. This resulted in a turnover on downs from the goal line as Harsh Patel was just off the mark on his 4th and goal throw. The 2nd half was more of the same as the 1st as Mentor showcased further control on both sides of the football. Their opening drive resulted in a touchdown and a running clock the rest of the game.
Gino Korzunowski punched in a 5-yard touchdown early in the 3rd to put the game further out of reach. Marty Johnson added a late 3rd quarter score to cap off another dominant win for Mentor over Strongsville. With the win, Mentor (6-3) has notched 4 straight wins right before playoff time. They’ll host Euclid next week in the season finale. Strongsville (3-6) will travel to nearby Brunswick to wrap up the 2023 campaign.
Player of the Game:
Mentor Quarterback Scotty Fox – 246 yards passing, 3 total touchdowns (2 passing, 1 rushing)
