This Friday, Mentor and St Ignatius will renew their playoff rivalry at Byers Field. This will be the 8th time the two programs have played in the playoffs. Mentor holds a narrow 4-3 edge in those games, having won three of the last four. St Ignatius held on for a 16-14 win over the Cardinals in their Week 2 battle at Mentor. In honor of Friday's game, let's look back at some history between these two programs.
The two first met in the playoffs back in 1992 in a regional final. St Ignatius easily defeated Mentor, 38-13, during one of their many state championship seasons during the 90's. Since then, the two have played each other in six playoff games. The latter five were played during seasons in which the two programs had played earlier during the regular season. In each of those five playoff games, the loser of the regular season game went on to flip the script in the playoff rematch.
Here are my memories and recap of the past six playoff games between the Cardinal and the Wildcats:
Mentor 31 St Ignatius 0 (2003): Coming into this game, St Ignatius was wrapping up a period of complete dominance. From 1988-2001, the Cats won nine state titles as they were led by the legendary Chuck Kyle. Mentor's 2003 group was the most dominant regular season team in program history. The defense completely suffocated QB Brian Hoyer (future NFL QB) on this evening, picking him off five times. The Mentor defense forced three fumbles and held St Ignatius to 10 net yards rushing. Some of the defensive standouts included LB Chad Mayse, LB Paul Burger, DB Tony Martucci, DB Scott Goodwin, and DB Angelo DiFranco. 1st Team All-Ohio players Thom Abbot and RB Matt Lieb punched in scoring chances set up by an aggressive and opportunistic defense. St Ignatius hadn't been dominated like that in a playoff game before, and it hasn't happened since. Most people who witnessed that game will never forget "31-0." This unforgettable game is as much a nod to the all-time status of the opponent as it was to the talented "class" of Cardinals.
St Ignatius 23 Mentor 17 (2011): The two had met during the regular season at a packed house in Mentor for Week 3. Mentor, led by junior QB Mitch Trubisky and a five-wide offense, wreaked all kinds of havoc against the St Ignatius defense. Senior receiver Cameron Kavan put up record breaking numbers with 284 receiving yards. Trubisky and the talented bunch of receivers picked apart the secondary on their way to a 38-24 win. Entering Week 10, Mentor was the #1 ranked team in the AP poll. A surprising Week 10 loss at Twinsburg ended that, but the aspirations of a state championship were very much still in play. The biggest obstacle that would stand in the way of Mentor's hopes of a state title would be the Wildcats. The St Ignatius defense, a group that gave up no more than 20 points in their 13 games following Week 3, was not going to be denied in the second meeting. On a windy evening in Lakewood Stadium, the combination of an aggressive and talented Wildcat defense made life much more difficult for Trubisky. Wildcat legend Tim McVey, a junior at the time, was the bell-cow as he ran 38 times for for 160 yards. Mentor, a team that relied almost exclusively on the passing game in their five-wide offense, was unable to rely on a steady running game to balance out the offense. St Ignatius used blitzes, turnovers, and much better coverage to turn the tide in the rematch. The Wildcats would win the game, the region, and the state championship.
Mentor 57 St Ignatius 56 3OT (2012): After an amazing and unexpected come back the week prior against St Edward, 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. They were about to score on their fifth 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 goosebumps, watch this video
Mentor 26 St Ignatius 3 (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 26-3 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 23 St Ignatius 21 (2017): Of Mentor's four trips 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. Mentor had lost to St Ignatius in the regular season game, 41-31, in a game that McDougal was unavailable for. 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. This would end up being the last playoff game between the two legendary coaches.
St Ignatius 35 Mentor 32 (2021): After Mentor won their Week 2 matchup (28-26) at home, the two programs went in pretty different directions throughout the season. St Ignatius would win six of their final eight regular season games highlighted by wins over Akron Hoban and Cincinnati St Xavier. Mentor would follow up their biggest regular season win by losing five of the next six games, finishing without a winning record in the regular season for the first time since 1997. During this playoff game, St Ignatius came out incredibly strong in building a huge 35-10 lead entering the 4th quarter. It looked like a running clock was inevitable. The running backs of the Wildcats combined for 252 rushing yards. Mentor receiver Evan Harper scored early in the 4th quarter in attempts to give the Cardinals some hopes of a comeback. The lights at Byers Field went out and the game was on pause. Upon its return, Mentor picked up where Harper left off. Two more scores (including Harper's third TD of the game) brought Mentor within a field goal with just a few minutes left in the game. The Wildcats recovered an onside kick and sealed the victory. The miracle comeback came up just short. St Ignatius would go on to win one more playoff game before falling to a talented Drew Allar led Medina Bees in a regional semifinal. It was the fifth straight time the playoff rematch went to the loser of the regular season matchup.
