Mentor hosted Hoover last night for one half of mostly "game-like" conditions. The only difference between the format of last night's scrimmage and this Friday's game against Boardman was no punt/kick returns. After two quarters of play, Mentor outscored Hoover by a score of 35-14.
After scoring five touchdowns in a similar kind of scrimmage format last week against Massillon, the offense continues to be clicking on all cylinders. Senior RB Alex Mathews had another good performance. He picked up several big runs as the Colgate recruit used his combination of speed and strength. Mathews' biggest runs were a 17-yard TD run and a 30-yard run that set up a Tatarunas rushing score. The running game was working well as three different players rushed for long TD runs. Backup RB (and starting LB) Frank Toth had one carry for a 39-yard TD run.
QB Tadas Tatarunas continues to improve. The game plan was mostly conservative for the sophomore, but it was effective. Screen passes were executed well. Most of the passing game involved short passes. Malik Porter took one of those screen passes to the house for a 45-yard catch-and-run. That score was set up by a well executed fake punt.
It wasn't all short passes. Tatarunas hit senior receiver Jason Blizzard for a long pass in the endzone. As the season progresses, I expect the confidence of Tataruans to improve. That should lead to more aggressive play calling.
The offensive line gave Tatarunas good protection while they also opened up holes for the running game. Overall, the offense had another solid night.
Defensively, it was widely known that Mentor struggled against Massillon in last weekend's scrimmage. Mentor's defense surrendered six touchdowns in just two quarters. Last night went much better. Hoover was not as skilled or athletic as Massillon, but it was still a positive step.
In five possessions, Hoover had one sustained drive (led to a score) against Mentor's defense. Mentor's defense set the tone by forcing three-and-outs on Hoover's first two drives. The defensive line was active in stopping the run. The secondary did just enough to stop any kind of consistent passing game. Hoover's third drive ended with an interception by senior safety Kenny Cook. The linebackers made some plays as well.
Hoover's second touchdown score was against the backup defense with seconds left in the scrimmage. Considering Mentor's defense was basically without three starters, this was a good step forward from the second scrimmage. Still some work to do, but the defense should continue to improve when they get Billy Hudson back.
It was a good tune-up for Week 1 against Boardman.
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