Opponent Preview: Strongsville (Week 6)

Week 6

Who: Strongsville Mustangs (5-5 in 2019)

What: Greater Cleveland Conference game

Where: Jerome T. Osborne Stadium

When: October 2nd at 7:00pm

Opposing Coach: Lou Cirino (4th year at Strongsville, 64-41 overall coaching record)

History: These two have played every season since 2006. During that time, Mentor leads the series 13-2. Strongsville won both meetings in 2008 (including a playoff rematch). Mentor beat the Mustangs last season, 56-21. 

Looking Back…

After surrendering a total of 21 points in their previous six league games, Strongsville matched that number in Week 10 against the Cardinals. Still, Mentor did score 8 touchdowns in a comfortable victory. The Mustangs started the season 4-0 before dropping five of their final six games to finish the season at 5-5. They had two big wins in non-conference play against Hudson and Brecksville. Both of those teams made the playoffs in Division II. Back to back one score losses to Brunswick and Euclid in Weeks 5 and 6 proved to be the difference between making the playoffs or not in a very deep Region 1 field. Under Cirino, the Mustangs haven't had a losing season. All-District graduates include RB Garret Clark, DE Andrew Keating, and DT Ryan Seefeldt. 

Schedule…

The Mustangs' nonleague schedule kept all three opponents they had last season (Berea-Midpark, Hudson, and Brecksville). To fill for the departed Shaker Heights, they added Midview. Strongsville went 3-0 in non-conference games last season. Berea-Midpark (4-6 in 2019) is a team Strongsville has beaten the past few seasons. Hudson and Brecksville are coming off playoff seasons, so those games should present a challenge. After a strong run of making the playoffs five times in six seasons from 2012-2017, the Middies (5-5 in 2019) have failed to make the postseason since. This is a manageable non-conference schedule for the Mustangs that includes three DII teams. If they want to contend for a playoff spot, it is critical to win all of those games. In the league, Strongsville has been about a .500 team in GCC play (10-11 record) since Cirino took over. Most of those losses came at the hands of Mentor, Euclid, and Solon. Since 2009, the Mustangs are 0-30 against the Big Three of the GCC. Until Strongsville can find a way to win at least one of those games, there is incredibly small margin for error to make the playoffs. The games that will make or break their season are their longtime conference foes, Medina and Brunswick. 

2020 Strongsville Outlook…

If you see Strongsville this season, the first player that will stand out will be junior OL Blake Miller (6'6, 300). The tackle has offers from Ohio State, Clemson, Michigan, Florida, and many others. Despite bringing back one of their most coveted recruits in years, the Mustangs graduated most of their starters on offense. Senior Ryan Kahn will be given the opportunity to be the starting back after gaining some experience last year behind 1st team All-District RB Garret Clark. QB Maddux Beard got some starts last season as a sophomore, so expect his growth to be an important part of the team's success. Beard is a dual threat QB that showed a lot of ability to run the football last season. 

Defensively, the secondary looks to be a strength with a few returning starters that include corners Shane Slokar and Kyle Patrick. Kahn played safety last season, so it is possible to see him play on both sides of the ball. LB Jack Stephenson and DT Garrett Manney return on defense after strong 2019 seasons. Miller played some defensive line in the past, but it remains to be seen if he will be utilized on defense this season. Look for this team's success to be built on defense and the running game. If they can get out of the gate with a few wins like they did in 2019, that will go a long way as they hope to keep moving forward toward building a consistently winning program. 

Next: Brunswick (Week 7)