Mentor 38 St Ignatius 24 (2011): The 2011 Mentor team can easily be forgotten when thinking of Triv's all-time great teams due to them not winning the region - something that five other Mentor teams have done. But this team was really, really good. The offense threw away the RB position and relied on a 5-out spread offense led by junior QB Mitch Trubisky. The defense featured DE Tom Strobel and LB Kurt Laseak, two of the very best Triv has coached on that side of the ball. This group gave St Ignatius, the eventual state champions, all they could handle. The Wildcats' ferocious defense allowed an average of 13.6 points per game, not including this Week 3 loss. But on this night, the Mentor offense was clicking on all cylinders as Trubisky threw for nearly 500 yards. A trio of standout receivers (Cameron Kavan, Brandon Fritts, and Conner Krizancic) had their way in the Ignatius secondary. Kavan had a team-record 283 receiving yards. This is the first of two times that Mentor would have a win over a soon-to-be state champion.
Mentor 44 Solon 20 (2011): No team has played Mentor more times than Solon since Triv became coach. Of all the regular season wins over the Comets, this is the one that stands out most. It was a Thursday night. Both teams were 6-0, the top ranked teams in NEO. A packed house at Solon Stewart Field in front of a large and lively crowd. The game was live on Fox Sports Ohio - a showcase night for both teams as they had tens of thousands of HS football fans across the state watching. Mentor jumped out to an early lead and never really let up. The Trubisky-led offense, which also featured Brandon Fritts and Conner Krizancic, was on full display for the entire state to see. The Comets (10-2, both losses to Mentor) were a good football team, nearly upsetting the Cards in a November rematch. Mentor showed on this televised night that offense was truly destined for greatness. On the strength of quality wins like St Ignatius and Solon, the team would soon become the No. 1 ranked team in the AP poll for the first and only time in Triv's career.
Mentor 63 St Ignatius 56 (2015): These two friendly rivals have squared off 19 times since 2003. In hindsight, neither of these teams ended up meeting the pre-season hype or expectations set before them. Mentor finished with an 8-4 record that included a Week 12 loss to St Edward. St Ignatius went on miss the playoffs for just the second time since the late 80's. But at the time the game was played, this win was as exciting and fulfilling as any in the series. Entering the game, Mentor and St Ignatius were the top ranked teams in the Cleveland-area. The game featured over 1,400 yards of total offense from both teams. Sophomore QB Tadas Tatrunas had a night to remember with a record 523 passing yards. Receiver Jason Blizzard surpassed Cameron Kavan's single game receiving record (also set against St Ignatius) with 342 yards. Both teams moved the ball and scored at will. But it was Mentor that got the last score with 8 seconds left in a game that ultimately became the difference between one team making the playoffs and one team sitting at home in Week 11.
Mentor 42 St Edward 39 (2018): Last season, Mentor was coming off a surprising state final run that really began with an upset over the Eagles in the regional semifinal. These two met in Week 1 in a highly anticipated matchup. Mentor was breaking in first year starters at key positions, like sophomore QB Ian Kipp and junior RB Brian Trobel. Running behind a strong offensive line, the Cardinals churned out 386 yards on the ground as they ran the ball down the Eagles' throat. After a modest offensive night through three quarters (Mentor held a 21-14 lead), the two teams exploded for 46 4th quarter points. Mentor was mostly in control as the Eagles scored a last second touchdown to close the gap at the end. Kipp was excellent in his debut - efficient with his arm (14-18, 114 passing yards) and dangerous with his legs (192 rushing yards). Trobel finished with 192 yards and 4 TD's. This was followed by a 21-7 win at Byers against St Ignatius, making it arguably the most successful back-to-back regular season stretch in Mentor history. The Eagles would eventually beat Mentor in a November regional final rematch and win their 4th state title. This was the second regular season win that Triv had over an eventual state champ.
Mentor 29 Euclid 7 (2018): This game was probably the most hyped Mentor/Euclid showdown in many years, maybe ever. Both teams were looking strong as Region 1 contenders. Mentor was coming off a stunning 29-28 overtime loss at home the prior week. During that Solon game, Mentor lost QB Ian Kipp to injury. Star RB Brian Trobel was also dealing with an injury. Heading into Mentor's first game at Euclid's beautiful new stadium, things weren't looking good. With the offense unable to be at full strength, the game was put in the hands of Mentor's defense. They answered the call by stuffing Euclid's strong running attack, which featured talented Michigan State-bound RB Brandon Wright. For the game, Euclid had just 118 yards on the ground. Junior defensive back Marco Toth was responsible for three turnovers. Luke Floriea was Kipp's replacement at QB as the offense did enough to get the job done. RB Varney Spansel spelled Trobel and got in the endzone twice. Considering the talent of the opposition and the injuries to two key players, it was one of the most impressive regular season wins under Trivisonno. The win helped secure Mentor's standings near the top of the region as well as win the GCC.
Coming Soon: Triv's Top Ten Playoff Wins
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