Opponent Preview: Medina (Week 5)

Week 5

Who: Medina Bees (7-4 in 2019)

What: Greater Cleveland Conference game

Where: Ken Dukes Stadium (Medina)

When: September 25th at 7:00pm

Opposing Coach: Larry Laird (5th season at Medina, 25-18 record)

History: Mentor has played Medina seven times in league play since 2011, winning all seven. Last season, the Cardinals had one of their most dominant performances of 2019 with a 63-7 home victory over the Bees.

Looking Back...

Medina had a strong bounce-back year in 2019 as they finished 7-3 in the regular season and returned to the playoffs. With five playoff teams on their schedule, Medina had big wins against Cleveland Heights and Wadsworth. They also beat county rival Brunswick, which gave the Bees three wins over teams with winning records. This propelled them back into the playoffs after a three-year absence. Switching over to sophomore QB Drew Allar in Week 7 seemed to light a spark in the offense. The Bees had a tough draw with St Edward in Week 11, but the offense scored 38 points on one of the best defenses in Ohio. Their season ended in Week 11 with a 73-38 loss. Departed seniors include District Defensive POY Noah Nunn, WR Jake Nanonsky, lineman AJ Coltz, DB Kaedin Andrasik, and LB Seth DiCola. 

Schedule...

The non-conference schedule includes a couple of 2019 DII playoff teams (Warren Harding and Wadsworth) that should provide strong tests and an opportunity for big computer points. The Bees beat Wadsworth last season after losing two straight to their county neighbors. Warren Harding is a new addition to the schedule in the aftermath of Shaker Heights leaving the GCC. Highland (4-6 in 2019) has struggled to meet the heights they reached before their former coach (Tom Lombardo) left for St Edward in 2015. GlenOak, a team Mentor beat in the 2014 and 2015 playoffs, is a new addition to Medina's schedule. The Eagles (1-9 in 2019) made the playoffs eight out of ten seasons from 2007-2016, but they have struggled in the Federal League the past few seasons. Overall, this is a very manageable non-conference schedule that could see Medina be the favorite in all four games. Medina has struggled against the top three teams of the GCC (Mentor, Euclid, and Solon) with a 3-12 record against that group since 2015. Those three accounted for all of Medina's regular season losses in 2019. If Medina wants to be assured of the playoffs and avoid playing on the road in Week 11, they need to win at least one of those. Games against longtime conference foes Brunswick and Strongsville feel like must-win games. Medina is 5-0 against Elyria since the two joined the GCC in 2015. Medina's schedule shapes up as one that is challenging, but also one that could see at least 7 wins for the second straight season.

2020 Medina Outlook...

Offensively, Medina brings back junior QB Drew Allar. He is quickly becoming one of the most coveted Ohio recruits in his class. Allar went from backup to starter late in the season as he replaced Ryan Gillepsie, who also returns for the Bees. Allar (6'5, 210) has offers from Pitt, Akron, Central Michigan, and Toledo. Senior receiver Luke Hensley is a three-year starter who was 1st team All-District in 2019. The Allar/Hensley connection is one of the best in the area. Look for another big year from Hensley. WR/RB Matt Spatny is another talented offensive player for the Bees. Over the past couple of seasons, Coach Laird has utilized a lot of empty backfield looks with 5 wideouts. This pass-frenzy offense scored five touchdowns against St Edward in last year's playoff game. Up front, the Bees bring back a few starters on the offensive line including Otto Weight (6'4, 290), and Kyle Shultz (6'4, 280). With Allar getting the reigns from the start, expect this offense to be as good as any on Mentor's schedule. 

Defensively, they have several starters to replace including the Northeast Inland District Defensive Player of the Year, Noah Nunn. LB Nathan Spatny and DB Jajuan Jackson are a couple of talented returning starters that should lead the defense.  The defensive line is young and huge with defensive ends Ryan Farrell (6'3, 240) and Mason Pogue (6'5, 240) leading the way. Keeping opponents off the scoreboard was a concern last season. In their four losses (including the playoff loss to St Edward), the Bees gave up an average of 52.5 points per game. This group will need significant improvement on the defensive side of the ball in order to compete with the best teams on their schedule. On special teams, all-district kicker Ryan Miller is back. 

Coach Larry Laird has two playoff wins in his career with Medina. Those are the only two playoff wins in the history of the program. This is a strong and deep junior class. Over the next couple of seasons, don't be surprised to see the Bees add to that number as they look to challenge Mentor, Euclid, and Solon for league supremacy. 

Next Preview: Strongsville (Week 6)