Opponent Preview: Euclid (Week 4)

This is the fourth of my previews of Mentor's opponents for the 2016 season.  Here are the other previews:

Massillon
St Ignatius
St Xavier

Week 4

Who: Euclid Panthers

What: GCC Opener

Where: Sparky DiBiasio Stadium 

When: September 15th at 7:00pm

Opposing Coach: Jeff Rotsky (2nd season at Euclid)

History: Mentor and Euclid have been on each other's schedule for many years whether they are in the same league or not. The Cardinals have a 23-16 edge in the overall series. Mentor won last year's game at home, 37-27. 

Looking Back...
When Mentor beat Euclid in Week 4 last year, it was hard to project that the Panthers would end up being the better team come November. Mentor lost two GCC games last year, opening up the Panthers to have a share of the league title with Solon. Even though the Cards did prevail in a September regular season game, Euclid would go on to win their next eight games (including two playoff games). The Panthers were shutout 33-0 by St Edward, the eventual state champions, in Week 13. Overall, it was a very successful season under Rotsky. This was the most accomplished Euclid team since the Robert Smith days. 

Schedule...
Under Rotsky, Euclid has beefed up their non-conference schedule to go along with a tough slate of Greater Cleveland Conference games. They open with Glenville, always one of the most talented teams in Ohio. The Panthers fell to Glenville last year. Euclid's other non-conference opponents are Willoughby South and Aurora. The Rebels and Greenmen are perennial playoff teams in NEO. Along with playing Mentor, the Panthers will have their hands full in the GCC. Solon and Elyria are two teams that will definitely pose a challenge. Half of the teams on Euclid's schedule made the playoffs last season.  

2016 Euclid Outlook...
The Rotsky era got off to a great start as Euclid returned to the playoffs for the first time since 2009. But making the playoffs hasn't been the problem. Winning playoff games was the stumbling block. After years of falling short in the playoffs (hadn't won a playoff game since 1993), the Panthers put together a memorable stretch where they won two playoff games. A new coach and a group of players that bought in were a big reason for the change. Now the next challenge is to build on the memorable 2015 season and keep it going.

On offense, Noah Mitchell returns as the starting QB. Mitchell started the 2015 season until he was inured in the final regular season game. Mitchell was a key part of the Panthers winning their final six regular season games. In the backfield, De'Quan Pruitt and Edward Robinson will get a good shot at carrying the football in Euclid's run-first offense. Opportunities were hard to come by with standout RB Chris Collins being the primary back, but Pruitt and Robinson made an impact as sophomores last season. Leading the way on the offensive line is senior Terrell Lee (6'1, 260)

The Panthers graduated a lot of talent, including 9 starters on defense. Lee will play two-ways and can make an impact up front. Jaylen Nolden is a big defensive end (6'4, 200) that will be active in rushing the passer. Rotsky's defense will have to reload to compete with a tough schedule. Let's not rule out the impact of possible transfers either. Rotsky's goal in coming to the Panthers was to "Return to Glory." So far, they are on their way. 

Next Preview:  Shaker (Week 5)