Opponent Preview: St Edward (Week 3)

This is the third of my previews for Mentor's 2021 opponents. See the Week 2 opponent preview on St Ignatius here

Week 3

Who: St Edward Eagles

What: Non-conference

Where: First Federal Lakewood Stadium

When: September 4th at 7:00pm 

Opposing Coach: Tom Lombardo (7th season at St Edward, 60-13 record, 149-51 overall coaching record with three state titles)

History: Mentor and St Edward split a regular season series in 2009 and 2010. With a series renewal in 2017, Mentor has won two of the last three regular season games. The Eagles overcame a two score 4th quarter deficit in winning last year's game, 28-24. The two have split eight playoff meetings since 2003. The winner of that respective playoff game went on to win the region all eight times and advance to the state final in six of those those eight years. The Cardinals and Eagles have played 13 times (regular season and playoffs) since 2003, with Mentor having a 7-6 advantage.

Looking Back...

The Eagles finished with a 5-2 record (including playoffs) in the shortened 2020 season. Their only regular season loss was to Hoban, the eventual DII state champions. St Edward had big regular season wins over Mentor, St Ignatius, and Massillon (2020 DII state runners-up). In an unprecedented COVID season where the OHSAA shifted their playoff format, the Eagles earned the respect of Region 1 coaches by being voted the #1 seed in the playoff draw. After a comfortable 42-0 win in their first playoff game against GlenOak, the Eagles were upset in the regional quarterfinal by Medina. The 35-31 victory by the Bees was part of a historic playoff run that saw Medina advance to the regional final by knocking off St Edward and St Ignatius in consecutive weeks. The surprising loss snapped a streak of ten straight seasons where the Eagles advanced to at least the regional semifinal round. St Edward had nine players that were named to the All-District First and Second teams. All but one of them were seniors. The talented graduates include CJ Hankins (a key starting linebacker on the 2018 state title team), CB Jaylen Castleberry, and a group of stellar linemen (Thomas Aden, Chris Moran, Charles Calhoun, and Caden Casto). 

Schedule...

The schedule is once again one of the most daunting in the state. Big games with some of Ohio's best DI programs (St Ignatius, Mentor, Moeller, and Elder) will test the Eagles as always. St Edward has won the last three games with their rival, St Ignatius. Cincinnati area powers Moeller and Elder are two of the most successful big school programs in Ohio history, but the Eagles have dominated the series as of late. St Edward is 18-2 against the pair since 2010, including winning ten straight games against Moeller. The top two teams from Division II (Hoban and Massillon) are back on the schedule. Toledo Central Catholic (a three time state champion) is a new addition. The Ohio teams on their schedule have combined for 28 state titles (and 18 state runners-up) in the playoff-era. The rest of the schedule includes non-OHSAA team Bishop Sycamore, Rock Creek Christian (Maryland), and DC's Washington Wilson. The schedule will prepare the Eagles for a November run.

2021 St Edward Outlook...

Since 2010, the Eagles have been the dominant big school program in Ohio. Their four state championships (2010, 2014, 2015, 2018) during this stretch is tops in Division I. If not for Mentor knocking off some very talented Eagles' squads (2012, 2013, 2017, and 2019), they might have five or six state championships over the last decade. Despite graduating a lot of valuable seniors, St Edward figures to still be one of the top teams in the state.

Senior Christian Ramos returns at QB after getting plenty of valuable starting experience a season ago. Ramos is a talented multi-sport athlete that has committed to play baseball at Bowling Green. He showed his grit in guiding the Eagles to a comeback win at Mentor last season along with leading the team to wins over Massillon and St Ignatius. Ramos should be one of the more dangerous dual threat QB's in the area. The passing game should see some improvement with the growth of Ramos along with returning receiver Connor Goodall (6'3, 180). Dynamic playmaker Joel Castleberry, a standout in all three phases, is another potential target. Talented back Daniel Enovitch returns after a season in which he shared carries with now-graduated Malachi Watkins. Enovitch had one of his best games of the season against Mentor last year, rushing for a team-high 132 yards. Enovitch should be one of the top running backs in the area now that he will be getting the bulk of the carries behind the usually large and talented Eagles offensive line. Up front, lineman Joe Lavelle (Second Team All-District in 2020) is a key returning starter. The offense should be in good shape with a nice mix of talent and experience. 

A large reason for the rise of St Edward over the past dozen seasons has been their defense. While they experienced some hits from graduation at all three lines of the defense, this should still be one of the top defenses in the area. It starts at the edge with the big and talented DE Trey Bixby. A starter since he was a sophomore, Bixby (6'5, 235) is a Minnesota recruit and considered one of the top at his position in the Midwest. Zyion Brown was one of the leading tacklers and returns to lead the linebackers. In the secondary, Castleberry and Jack Riley are returning starters. With a handful of talented returning starters from 2020, expect this group to once again be one of the top defenses in the state. 

Region 1 has gone through the Eagles for most of the past decade. Expect 2021 to be no different. This should be a pretty balanced team with key pieces returning on both sides of the ball. This should be as difficult as any game on Mentor's schedule. 

Next Preview: North Allegheny (Week 4)