In honor of Coach Trivisonno's final season as Mentor head coach, I took a trip down memory lane to highlight the top ten playoff wins over his career. The first five were highlighted here. You will notice that all of these wins have something in common. Here is the rest of the top ten, in chronological order:
Mentor 63 St Edward 56 (2012): The undefeated, No. 1 ranked-team in Ohio had every reason to believe they were going to beat Mentor. Not only was St Edward the favorites going in, but they had a 21-point second half lead. The Eagles scored touchdowns on seven of their first eight possessions. The Mentor defense had no answers, but the Mentor offense had all of the answers in the world. Mr. Football Mitch Trubisky (478 passing yards, 98 rushing yards, six total TD's) helped orchestrate the miracle comeback as Mentor found themselves down 56-35 late in the third quarter. The Cardinals kept the Eagles off the scoreboard for the remainder of the game, essentially putting the ball in the hands of Trubisky and the talented offense. On this night, junior WR Brandon Fritts (14 catches for 243 yards) was a man among boys. He hauled in all four of Trubisky's touchdown passes, including the go-ahead score with 33 seconds left. Without a doubt, this game was the most exciting comeback in Triv's career. If you want to get some goosebumps, watch this video.
Mentor 57 St Ignatius 56 3OT (2012): After the amazing and unexpected come back the week prior, it was hard to believe that anything could top that. Just seven days later, Mentor and St Ignatius put on all-time memorable performance in a game that featured the "Moment of the Year" by the 2012 Cleveland Sports Awards. In the regular season, St Ignatius dominated the game (48-21) and gave Mentor their only loss. The Cats were 11-1 heading into this game, with their only loss being to St Eds. The Cardinals got off to a great start and were in control during the first half. Mentor had scored on their first four possessions of the game, and were about to score on their 5th before the Cats picked off Trubisky in the end zone, leaving the halftime score at 20-14. St Ignatius got control of the second half as they would score two touchdowns to take a 28-20 lead in the 4th quarter. Trubisky guided Mentor to a game-tying 80-yard touchdown drive that included a two point conversion to Fritts. After a stop by the defense, Trubisky led the Cards on a 64-yard drive that resulted in a 35-28 lead with only 48 seconds left in the game. St Ignatius QB Mike LaManna and WR Mike Siragusa took advantage of a prevent defense and connected for a touchdown to send the game into overtime. The two juggernaut offenses, that included Ignatius all-time great Tim McVey, exchanged blows back and forth in overtime sessions until Coach Triv went for two at the end of the third overtime. A Trubisky-Fritts connection in the corner of the end zone sealed the victory for Mentor. In my opinion, that St Ignatius team was the best team that Mentor has ever beaten. Anyone who watched will never forget it. If you want some more goosebumps, watch this video
Mentor 26 St Ignatius 6 (2013): The previous season, Mentor pulled off the unthinkable and knocked off St Edward and St Ignatius in back-to-back weeks in the playoffs. In 2013, the Cardinals would have that chance again. Just like the year prior, St Ignatius dominated the regular season matchup with a 26-6 win in Week 2. On a windy and snowy rematch in Week 13 at Byers Field, Mentor's defense combined with the difficult elements to completely dominate the Wildcats. Both teams struggled offensively for the majority of the first half in less than ideal weather conditions. With two minutes left in the 2nd quarter, the score was 5-3 in favor of Mentor. An Eddie Daugherty halfback pass to Corey Plavcan gave Mentor a commanding two score lead just before the half. The Mentor defense, led by All-Ohio players like Kent Berger and Justin McMahon, smothered the Wildcats to a total of 126 total yards on the night. QB Connor Krizancic had trouble throwing the ball in the elements, but made plenty of plays with his feet (167 yards rushing).
Mentor 41 St Edward 38 (2013): In 2012, St Eds was undefeated and the No. 1 ranked team in Ohio. They were probably even more talented the following season when Mentor met the Eagles in this state semifinal game. St Eds gave eventual state champion Moeller their only loss of the season in Week 9. If the 2012 St Ignatius team was the best Mentor had defeated, these Eagles were probably the second best. Alex Stump (Ohio State), the Dowell twins (Michigan State), and Shaun Crawford (Notre Dame) were among the two-way players that talented QB Brett Kean had at his disposal. This memorable game at Akron InfoCision Stadium saw two juggernaut teams go back and forth. Mentor's Eddie Daughterty had over 200 all-purpose yards. Receiver Brandon Fritts continued his postseason success against the Eagles as he hauled in 9 catches for 178 yards and a TD. All-Ohio QB Connor Krizancic threw for 353 yards and ran for 129 more. His touchdown run with just over 3 minutes remaining gave Mentor a commanding 41-31 lead. It was another big time performance for one of Mentor's all-time great athletes. The two teams combined for 1,161 yards of offense.
Mentor 23 St Ignatius 21 (2017): Of Mentor's four runs to state championship games, the 2017 run was probably the most unlikely. The team was 9-1 in the regular season, but had some inconsistencies (including giving up 59 points to Euclid in Week 8) that were causes for concern. Once the clock turned November, the defense (led by junior DE Noah Potter) flipped a switch. Late in the season, senior RB Eli McDougal became one of the most unexpected stars. Running behind a big and talented offensive line, McDougal completely transformed Mentor's chances at knocking off the top teams in Ohio. After upsetting St Edward the week prior, the Cardinals found themselves facing St Ignatius in yet another pivotal Region 1 playoff game. McDougal's 41-yard TD run on the game's opening drive put Mentor ahead and gave them some early momentum that was soon snatched away by the talented Cats. McDougal finished the game with 18 carries for 151 yards and 2 TD's. St Ignatius had leads of 14-7 and 21-14 before senior QB Tadas Tatarunas found sophomore receiver Luke Floriea to pull Mentor within a PAT from tying. Unfortunately, the kick was blocked and St Ignatius had a 21-20 lead halfway through the 4th quarter. Mentor kicker Conor McIntosh hit a 27-yard field goal with 37 seconds in the game. St Ignatius All-Ohio kicker Matthew Trickett's 52-yard field goal attempt sailed just wide as time expired to earn Triv his third straight playoff win over the legendary Chuck Kyle.
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