Since the 2005 season, Mentor and St Ignatius scheduled an annual regular season matchup. The only exception to these two playing every season was in 2020 as all schedules were thrown out the window due to COVID. Legendary St Ignatius coach Chuck Kyle announced that 2022 will be his final season. As we look to the final regular season game that Mentor will play against Coach Kyle, let's take a look down memory lane. The two programs have split the 16 regular season games. Here is a list of the regular season results since the 2005 series began:
2006: St Ignatius 27 Mentor 14
Top Five Regular Season Games
Mentor 38 St Ignatius 24 (2011): The 2011 game featured a matchup between a Mentor team that would eventually soar to the #1 ranked team in the AP poll. St Ignatius would be the 2011 eventual state champions. Needless to say, this was a high powered matchup with loads of talent. The Mentor offense threw away the RB position and relied on a 5-out spread offense led by junior QB Mitch Trubisky. The Mentor defense featured DE Tom Strobel and LB Kurt Laseak. 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. St Ignatius would turn the tables and win the rematch in the regional final.
Mentor 63 St Ignatius 56 (2015): 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 this game was played, this offensive explosion made it an unforgettable evening. 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. The Wildcats were led by QB Dennis Grosel's 415 passing yards and six touchdowns. 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.
St Ignatius 41 Mentor 31 (2017): QB Kyle Hall came away with a super performance in throwing for 291 yards and three touchdowns in guiding St Ignatius to a key victory. The two-back tandem of Mark Bobinski and Jahadge Floyd each rushed for over 100 yards. Mentor's Tadas Tatarunas, a three-year starter, threw for 341 yards and accounted for four touchdowns in defeat. This would be Mentor's only loss in the regular season. St Ignatius was considered a favorite to win in Division I before Mentor won a regional final rematch.
Mentor 38 St Ignatius 31 (2019): In what would be the final game between former Mentor coach Steve Trivisonno and St Ignatius coach Chuck Kyle, fans were treated to one of the most entertaining games in the series. Mentor found themselves down 31-17 at the end of the 3rd quarter. St Ignatius senior Connor Cmiel had a memorable evening as he scored in a variety of ways that included two special teams touchdowns. An opportunistic Mentor defense and a strong running attack helped the Cardinals score three unanswered touchdowns in the final frame to earn the comeback win. QB Ian Kipp (175 yards passing, 134 yards rushing) improved his record to 4-1 against "the Saints" (St Edward and St Ignatius) with this win. Senior RB Brian Trobel joined Kipp in running for over 100 yards in this game.
For a trip down memory lane for the playoff games between these two programs, click on this link here
