Week 2 Preview: St Ignatius

History...

These two teams have played each other 13 times since 2005. Coach Kyle and Coach Trivisonno are very familiar with one another. St Ignatius has the 6-4 edge in the regular season series. The two teams played each other three straight years in Week 13. Mentor won two out of three. Last season, Mentor had their highlight win of the season with a 37-33 win at Byers. 

Last Week...

Mentor played at home to a Boardman team that couldn't match up at all in 2014. But this year's Spartans are a more talented bunch. The Cardinals did put them away with a 38-7 final. See my Week 1 review for more details and thoughts.

St Ignatius had a much easier time than Mentor in Week 1. In Part 1 of their trio of games with Parma schools, the Wildcats easily defeated Normandy at Byers Field. The Cats were clearly the superior team and it showed as they raced off to early and commanding leads of 21-0 (after 1st quarter) and 49-0 (halftime). The final score (63-7) was an example of generosity by the Wildcats. The entire varsity roster got some action in Week 1. 

All in all, neither team got tested at all in their opening game.

What to Expect...

The strength of both teams is offense. Mentor has a track record of developing successful QB's, skilled receivers, productive running backs, and effective offensive lines. Their system has produced many All-Ohio players over the years. Sophomore QB Tadas Tatarunas had a great varsity debut with over 300 passing yards and four total TD's. Mentor's balanced offensive attack will help keep St Ignatius on their toes. A couple of seniors, WR Jason Blizzard and RB Alex Mathews, are two of the area's best at their respective position. These two players will have to find a way to stand out against an Ignatius defense that will be well prepared to limit their big plays. 

Mentor's offensive line is always challenged against the Wildcats' talented defenders and diverse blitzing schemes. The line will have to be on top of their game as they look to open up some holes for Mathews a little better than they did last week. Pass protection was great against Boardman. St Ignatius will be a much more difficult task for the line as well as the decision making of Tatarunas.

Heading into the season, the biggest perceived strength of St Ignatius was their passing game. The line is anchored by a rare three-year starter (Notre Dame commit Liam Eichenberg). Senior QB Dennis Grosel is expected to take a jump to the next level after a productive junior season. The top receivers (Jack Cook and Cal Grbac) returned. Historically, St Ignatius has been able to pass the ball with a good amount of success on Mentor. 

The success in throwing the ball will be predicated on the threat to run the ball. The Cats have some weapons in the backfield with the speedy James Norris as well as junior Jimmy Andrews. There are plenty of weapons to go around for Coach Kyle. Trying to exploit Mentor's inexperience on defense will be the No. 1 objective for Grosel and company. Mentor's best hopes are to see continued improvement in the secondary as well as counting on the defensive ends to get some pressure on Grosel. If he has plenty of pass protection, Grosel will surely be able to pick apart Mentor's defense with his talented receivers. 

Both teams are known for their offense right now. But it will take a good defensive game plan and effort to win this game. 

Prediction...

This is not an ideal matchup for Mentor so early in the season. The good news is the game is at home, but talent and experience are going to matter more than homefield advantage. The last time St Ignatius had an opportunity against a sophomore QB at Mentor, the results were highly in their favor. It is not easy to figure out the Ignatius' defensive scheme. Tatarunas will have his hands full with decision making in addition to execution. 

If Mentor can get a senior-level performance out of Tatarunas, they have a real shot to win. But that is asking a lot out of a 10th grader. Mentor's defense showed some spots of excellence last week against Boardman. But overall, I don't know that Mentor will be able to overcome the obstacles of this talented and experience St Igantius offense.

Prediction: St Ignatius 35 Mentor 24