Opponent Preview: Elyria (Week 10)

**Disclaimer: This is a fan blog and not affiliated with the Mentor football program.

Week 10

 

Who: Elyria

What: Greater Cleveland Conference game

Where: Ely Stadium

When: October 30th at 7:00pm

Opposing Coach: Kevin Fell (5th season at Elyria, 28-12 record, 0-2 in playoffs)

History:  Mentor hasn't played Elyria since the two were both in the LEL over ten years ago. Mentor won the most recent meeting in 2002, 42-13. 

Looking Back...

Elyria went 7-3 in the regular season for the fourth consecutive season under Fell. It was a second straight playoff appearance for the Pioneers. After starting the season 2-3, Elyria went on to win their final five games in a row to make the Region 1 playoffs. Big wins on the season were against Brunswick (DI playoff team), Fremont Ross (DII playoff team, and Stow. Elyria finished second in the final season of the NOC River.  The Pioneers lost three regular season games to playoff teams: Mayfield (NOC River champs), Midview (12-1), and Lorain (Region 1 playoff team). Elyria's season ended in Week 11 with a 42-14 loss to St Ignatius. Four Pioneers made 1st team All-District: record-setting QB Hunter Parsh, WR Brad Schneider, LB Mike Smosny, and DB Michael Church.

Schedule...

The non-league schedule for Elyria includes Lorain, Avon Lake, and Shaw. Lorain (7-4 in 2014) was also a playoff team in Region 1 last year. They will be one of the top NEO teams next season and present the biggest challenge in non-conference play. Avon Lake, one of the proudest programs in NEO, finished just 2-8 last year. Shaw (2-8) also struggled last year. If Elyria wants to return to the playoffs, getting off to a good start with at least a 2-1 start is a must. How will the Pioneers stack up in the GCC? The last time Elyria was in the big school division of the old Northeast Ohio Conference (with current GCC teams like Solon, Brunswick, and Strongsville) - the Pioneers struggled. They found a good home in the middle division of the NOC. Having Mentor, Solon, Brunswick, and Strongsville on the schedule again will make for their most competitive league schedule in many years.    

2015 Elyria Outlook...

Coach Fell is one of the most decorated coaches in the Cleveland area. Fell has coached multiple teams to the playoffs as he has 267 wins in his career. Fell has helped turn Elyria into a program on the rise. After just one playoff season (2005) in nearly 40 years, Fell has won no less than 7 games per season each of the last four years. Elyria is coming off back-to-back playoff appearances, but both were Week 11 losses. The next step for the program is to win some playoff games. Bringing back 14 starters from a playoff team is a great start.

The good news is the Pioneers do have a lot of experience. The bad news is that most of their standout players from last season were seniors. Replacing three-year starting QB is a challenge that Mentor has experienced. Parsh threw for over 6,000 yards as a Pioneer. Like Mentor, Elyria will be working in a new starting QB this season. Javon Oliver is the likely candidate. RB Chris Atkinson had over 1,000 yards rushing as a sophomore. Count on Atkinson and the other returning backs to help lead the offense early in the season while a new starting QB adjusts. Kyle Ringer returns after leading the team in receptions and receiving yards. 

DE Simeon Lawrence and LB Zack Mason are two of the top defensive players returning. Lawrence is an impact player on the edges. He had 123 tackles and 11 sacks last season. Mason led the team with over 200 tackles. 

The defensive front seven and skill players on offense are the strength of the team. Look out for Elyria to be one of Mentor's biggest challengers in the GCC. 

Next: Ranking the Strength of Schedule