Floriea Impresses
It is no secret that the rise of Mentor's football program over the last dozen years is a direct correlation of the elite play of their QB's. Thom Abbot, Chris Jacquemain (RIP), Bart Tanski, Mitch Trubisky, and Conner Krizancic were some combination of DI college QB, All-Ohio, and Mr. Football. As the 2013 season ended, there was no question in many eyes who would be the 2014 starter. It wasn't Jake Floriea. With last year's brief sophomore sensation (Matt Eiswerth) deciding to concentrate on baseball, Floriea took the reigns. He has not disappointed at all. In the two scrimmages along with Week 1, Floriea has shown the ability to be a very good QB. On Friday he was 16-20 for 228 yards and three TD's. He also scrambled for a rushing TD. It was a very efficient evening for the first-year varsity starter. I look forward to see how he continues to grow throughout the season.
Defensive Line
Going into the season, all of the attention on defense went to the defensive line. Nico Lautanen, Trevor Morrison, and Billy Hudson are the headlining trio. Morrison was the biggest standout of the three as his night included sacks and fumble recovery. Lautanen also made an impact getting after the Boardman QB behind the line. The inside DT combination of Lautanen/Hudson made it almost impossible for the Spartans to get any productive runs between the tackles. Let it be said that the first team defense played very well overall. Boardman had one good drive for a score, but the rest of the time it was Mentor's defense that won the battles.
Eddie, Eddie, and more Eddie
Senior Eddie Daugherty had a fantastic 2013 season that culminated with being a record receiver in the state championship game (18 receptions for 177 yards). It was logical to think that Daugherty would have a difficult time being as effective now that the attention from opposing defenses starts with him. The 5'7 WR/RB can no longer be just "another guy" in an offense keyed by Trubisky, Fritts, and Krizancic. As the focal point of the offense, Eddie came up big. He had touchdowns in three different ways: passing (the 5th of his career), receiving, and punt return.
Spread the Wealth
It was encouraging to see the touchdowns come in such a variety of ways from a variety of individuals. A halfback pass, QB scramble, 54-yard touchdown run (Alex Mathews), and long punt return were some of the ways Mentor got in the endzone. Two different players passed for a touchdown (Floriea and Daugherty), three different receivers caught a touchdown pass (Daugherty, Jason Blizzard, and Jerrell Jackson), two different players rushed for a touchdown (Mathews and Floriea), and Daugherty had a punt return for a score. That kind of variety will put opposing defenses in a very tough position.
What's Next?
St Ignatius. What else needs to be said?