Week 8 Review

Mentor's defense was dominant from start to finish as the Cards improved to 7-1 with a 35-0 road victory over rival Solon.  The Comets dropped to 4-4.  Mentor improved their record to 11-9 in the series and they now have won 9 of the past 11 games against Solon.  The defensive line was at their very best.  Kent Berger, Nico Lautanen, Delvon Maddox, Billy Hudson, and Trevor Morrison all made their presence known.  QB Conner Krizancic didn't have his usual accuracy, but he did still manage 264 passing yards and 122 rushing yards.

Defense Shines...Again

The defense came up big again.  It wasn't just the shutout.  It was the way the shutout happened.  Mentor had three early fumbles that put the defense in tough positions.  But they answered the call and stuffed the run very well.  For the night, Solon had just 39 yards on 36 carries.  Solon had just two first downs in the entire first half.

The shutout is the third of the season.  Last year, it was an exception when the defense played well.  This year, it is an exception when they don't play well.  The 1st quarter against McDowell and the first half against Brush are the only major bumps in the road over 32 quarters of play.   It was the most impressive and dominant defensive performance I have seen from Mentor in years.  The Comets are a likely playoff team.  The last time Mentor's defense shutout a playoff team was in 2007...in Solon...against the Comets.

Tough at home

Solon has been very good at home over the years.  Since 2002, Solon is 56-8 at home.  Mentor accounts for half of those home losses.   The Comets are 2-4 against Mentor and 52-4 against everyone else.

Offense

The offense wasn't as efficient as we have seen them lately.  Even though the defense kept Solon in check all night, the Mentor offense couldn't find any consistency.  Yes, they scored 35 points.  But it was not easy.  The game was just 14-0 until a Krizancic to Plavcan touchdown strike in the 3rd quarter.   Since 2011, Mentor has scored 30+ points in 33 of 35 games.  The only team to hold them under 30 did it twice.  Can you guess who it was?


What's ahead?

Mentor (7-1) hosts undefeated Hudson (8-0) on Friday.  Both teams have clinched a playoff berth.  Both are certain to host in Week 11.  If Hudson can win, they will likely be the top overall seed in Region 1.  If Mentor can win, they will not only guarantee their third straight NOC league title, but they will garner a lot of computer points.  St Edward and St Ignatius are clearly the top two teams in Region 1.  The winner of this game will clearly put themselves in the top three in the region.  Hudson junior Mitchell Guadagni is the top QB Mentor has played all season.  The undefeated Explorers have surrendered just 79 points in eight games. This is the best defense Mentor has played since St Ignatius.  This will be a very well attended game.  This is Hudson's biggest regular season game in many years...maybe ever.   Come early.