Opponent Preview: Twinsburg (Week 4)

Week 4

Who: Twinsburg
What:   Northeast Ohio Conference (Valley) game
Where:  Jerome T. Osborne Sr. Stadium
When:  September 19th at 7:00pm
Opposing Coach: Joe Schiavone (3rd season at Twinsburg, 15-15 record)
History:  An original NOC member, Twinsburg joined the Valley division (2011) at the same time Mentor joined the conference.  Twinsburg upset a 9-0 Mentor team (No. 1 in AP poll at the time) in the 2011 regular season finale, 38-35.  Mentor has outscored Twinsburg by a total score of 90-0 the past two seasons.

Looking Back...

Twinsburg (2-8 in 2013) had its first losing season since 2007.  Their schedule was brutal (played seven playoff teams), and the Tigers were in a rebuilding season.  The Week 4 game at Twinsburg was called early in the second half due to severe storms and a 49-0 Mentor lead.  It was a coming out party for a Mentor offense that didn't really get on track early in the season.  The Cards put up over 400 yards of offense in barely over a half of football.  Twinsburg did improve throughout the season.  After averaging just 8 points a game in the first half of the season, the Tigers scored 20+ in four of their last five games.

Schedule...

Seven of the Tigers’ opponents made the playoffs last season.  Twinsburg maintains one of the toughest schedules of any team in Division II.  Their nonleague slate includes Aurora, Nordonia, and Avon - three teams that will all be serious contenders for a state title.  Twinsburg is stuck in the most competitive division in the NOC with the big school Valley Division.  Playing Mentor, Solon, Brunswick, Hudson, and Strongsville makes it very difficult to pick up wins in a rebuilding process.  Garfield Heights (7-3 last season) and North Royalton are the league crossovers on Twinsburg's schedule.

2014 Twinsburg Outlook...

Twinsburg took a major step back last season and it won't be easy to climb back up.  Twinsburg used a lot of seniors in key spots last year, including their QB (Mike Peelman), All-District receiver (Tailin Johnson), and top defensive players (DE Cameron Dial and LB Jacob Turray).  One of the most talented returning starters is Darius Jones, a threat on offense as a receiver or getting carries out of the back field.  Other top returning starters include DB/RB No'ah Edwards (2nd leading rusher in 2013) , DB/WR DeVonte Washington (younger brother of former QB stud Jalen Washington), RB Deyonte Groce, and LB Joe Leondarides (3rd leading tackler last season).  Considering the difficult schedule and a continued dropoff in talent/depth, it is tough to see Twinsburg winning any more than 1 or 2 games this season.

Next Preview:  Brush (Week 5)

Opponent Preview: Euclid (Week 3)

This is the third of my previews of Mentor's opponents for the 2014 season.

Week 3

Who:  Euclid Panthers

What:   Home opener

Where:  Jerome T Osborne Stadium

When:  September 12th at 7:00pm

Opposing Coach:  Tom Gibbons (7th season, 33-29 record)

History:  Mentor and Euclid have played one another for decades, having been in the GCC and LEL together.  The Cardinals have a slight edge (21-16) in the overall series.  The two will both be part of the newly formed GCC starting next season.

Looking Back...
In hindsight, Mentor's comfortable 36-0 win at Euclid during Week 3 last season was an important game for the Cardinals.  After some uncertainty in the QB position, it was the first game in which eventual All-Ohio QB Conner Krizancic would start from beginning to end.   The shutout was a great showing for the defense.  Euclid (5-5) closed their season on a four game winning streak, but missed out on the playoffs.  It was not a banner year for the Panthers (who went 0-5 against playoff teams), but youth and inexperience played a great deal into that.   LB Rayanthony Bruster and OL/DE Jeremiah Peters are among they key player that were seniors last season.

Schedule...
The 2014 schedule includes a rugged non-conference slate of Hudson (10-2), VASJ (9-2), and Mentor (13-2).  The LEL schedule is headlined by Cleveland Heights (27-5 last three seasons), Bedford (10-2 last season), and Warren Harding.  Euclid was a respectable 5-2 against the LEL last season.  Currently, Euclid has a nine game schedule.

2014 Euclid Outlook...
Dual threat QB Ryshon Johnson has been starting since he was a sophomore.  His continued development will be a big part of the team success.  Johnson was injured during the second half of last season.  Terry Duckworth, a sophomore last season, filled in for Johnson and helped the Panthers end the season on a winning note.  He will probably have a place on this team somewhere.  RB Taji Holden will be a key part of the Patherns' offense.  LB Harrison Roberts (Bowling Green commit) leads the defense and has the most impact of any player on the team.  LB Christian Woods is another key returning player on defense.  Given the returning players and looking at their schedule, it would be a success if the Panthers could find a way to have a winning record.

Next Preview:  Twinsburg (Week 4)

Opponent Preview: St Ignatius (Week 2)

This is the second of my previews of Mentor's opponents for the 2014 season.  See the Week 1 preview here.

Week 2

Who: St Ignatius

What:  Non-league game

Where: Byers Field

When: September 6th at 7:00pm

Opposing Coach: Chuck Kyle (32nd season, 11 state titles)

History: St Ignatius leads the regular season series (6-3) dating back to 2005.  These Region 1 juggernauts have played in the playoffs four times since 2003 (Mentor leads playoff meetings 3-1).  

Looking Back...
St Ignatius was 8-5 (including playoffs) in 2013. One of the highlights of their roller coaster regular season was a pretty easy 26-6 win at Mentor in Week 2.  In an expanded Region 1 field, the Wildcats were able to make the playoffs as the 11 seed.  Ignatius picked up a couple of impressive playoff wins to set up another showdown with the Cardinals.  For the third straight season, Mentor and St Ignatius had a Week 13 rematch.  For the third straight season, the loser of the regular season game flipped the script in the playoff meeting.  In a cold, windy, and snowy November evening at Byers Field - Mentor had an impressive 26-3 win.  

Schedule...
The 2014 schedule includes in-state matchups with rival St Edward and Moeller, the two-time defending state champions.  Those two juggernauts along with Mentor and cross-state Jesuit rival St Xavier make up four of the top teams in Ohio according to nationalhsfootball.com.  Those are the only Ohio teams on the schedule.  Two games with Canadian teams, Erie McDowell, Lawrence Central (IN), St Joseph Prep (PA), and Paramus Catholic (NJ) make up the rest of the schedule.  On paper, Paramus (defeated Ignatius 44-10 in 2013) is easily the best of the non-Ohio teams.  The Wildcats have a few certain wins on the schedule - but the majority of the games will be very challenging.  A 7-3 or 8-2 season would be very impressive.

2014 St Ignatius Outlook...
The Wildcats are not strangers to reloading.  Coach Kyle is known to be very loyal to seniors, which explains why the majority of starters on a year to year basis are seniors.  St Ignatius will have to replace an excellent group of receivers (highlighted by Michael Siragusa), several linemen (including Notre Dame freshman Jimmy Byrne), and playmakers on defense like Dameon Willis.  As usual, St Ignatius will be working in a first-year starting varsity QB after the graduation of John Thomas.  The most talented returnee for the Cats is Dre'Mont Jones (6'4, 250) - a standout defensive end that has committed to Ohio State.  Geoff Dimassa is a talented returning outside linebacker.  Jones and Dimassa will be key to the Ignatius' 3-3 stack defense.  Junior OT Liam Eichenberg (6'5, 280) has offers from most of the major college programs - including Ohio State and Notre Dame.  Eichenberg is one of the top lineman in the country.  In the mix for starting QB is junior Dennis Grosel.  Promising junior RB James Norris and senior RB Chavez Perez could will play important roles in the offense.  Norris got some varsity experience as a sophomore - a very rare thing in Kyle's system.  Some of the receivers to look out for are David Shibley (team captain) and Cal Grbac (son of Elvis Grbac, former NFL QB).  Expect St Ignatius to have a disciplined defense and an efficient offense.  Their record may not end up reflecting it, but the Wildcats should be one of the top teams in Region 1.

Next Preview:  Euclid (Week 3)

Opponent Preview: Boardman (Week 1)

Here is the first of my previews of Mentor opponents for the 2014 season.  Every 2-3 days or so I will try to post some info on each opponent starting in Week 1 with Boardman.  It will lead up to the beginning of the season.

Week 1

Who: Boardman

What:  2014 regular season opener

Where:  Boardman Spartan Stadium

When:  August 29th at 7:00pm

Opposing Coach: Joe Ignazio (2nd season as head coach)

History:  These two teams did not play last season.  Mentor had Erie McDowell in Week 1 and Boardman had Hilliard Darby.

Looking Back...
Boardman and Mentor had very different 2013 seasons.  The Spartans finished with just one win - and it came against Massillon Perry (0-10).  Mentor (13-2) was the state runners-up.  Offensively, Boardman averaged 9.2 ppg last season.  Mentor scored 35+ in 13 of their 15 games.

Schedule...
Aside from replacing Hilliard Darby with Mentor, the 2014 schedule is the same as 2013.  Boardman has a rugged non-conference schedule which also includes Mooney (DIV runners-up in 2013), Fitch (12-1), and Poland (DIII regional semifinalist).  Boardman plays in the Federal League - consistently one of the state's top big school football conferences.  Even with some expected improvement, the Spartans will have their hands full again in 2014 with a pretty demanding schedule.

2014 Boardman Outlook...
Moving down to Division II last season, Boardman (1-9) had one of their most disappointing seasons in their proud program's history.  A low turnout led to the program cancelling the JV season, left with roughly 40 players in the program.  Most of the top offensive players (including their QB, top linemen, and leading rushers/receivers) from 2013 were seniors.  This was a team that didn't have a lot of success and really can't blame it on a rebuilding season with the number of seniors in key starting positions.  One position of strength will be at linebacker.   Evan Croutch and Mario Graziani received all-district mention.  Croutch (6'1, 225) was a standout LB that has multiple scholarship offers, including Buffalo.  Graziani, also a standout wrestler, was a standout sophomore last season.  Unfortunately for any Boardman fans reading, I don't expect a season much better than 2013.

Next Preview:  St Ignatius (Week 2)

Week 9 Review

Mentor's dominating 38-14 win over previously unbeaten Hudson was easily their top performance of the year.  The Explorers came to Mentor with an 8-0 record and the top spot in the Region 1 computer rankings.  The Cardinals clearly showed they are playing on another level than even the strongest of their league foes. 

NOC Dominance

Mentor is wrapping up their third season in the Northeast Ohio Conference.  During that time, they have a 13-1 record against the NOC Valley and a 19-1 overall record against NOC teams.  The lone blemish was in Week 10 in 2011 at Twinsburg.  In the 19 wins, the 24-point margin of defeat by Hudson is the closest any team got.  Hudson had an impressive year in the Valley (going 3-0 against Solon, Strongsville, and Brunswick) - but Mentor is in a league of their own.

Krizancic 

If not for the recent string of Mr. Football QB's - we in Mentor may appreciate Conner Krizancic a little more.  He is having a fantastic season.  After a slow start due to an apparent dead arm, Krizancic has come into his own and his playing his way as an All-District QB.  Who would have thought that 6 or 7 weeks ago?  After Week 3, Krizancic was 23-38 passing for 219 yards and 2 touchdowns.  Lately, he is able to do better than that in a single game.  On the season, the senior has 2,662 combined yards (passing, rushing, and receiving) to go along with 32 touchdowns.

Defense

The offense was good on Friday.  But the defense continued their strong play as well.  Hudson came into this game with a much hyped QB in Mitchell Guadagni.  He certainly showcased a strong and accurate arm.  Guadagni was able to bust a couple of big runs.  But the defense made sure it wasn't five or six big plays with his legs.  Overall, Guadagni was held in check - and that is all you can ask out of your defense.  The defensive line did their part in forcing Guadagni to make quick throws.  The secondary was led by some big pass break ups by seniors Kiyah Powell and Keith McCormick.  Senior LB Justin McMahon had another strong performance that included an interception.  The defense is continuing to improve each week.  Opponents will not be putting up big numbers on this defense in November.  

Making the most of it

Senior receiver Jake Berardinelli has had very few opportunities in the first eight games of the season.  Most of his reps came when the game was already over.  He was recovering from an injury at the beginning of the season and lost his starting spot.  Berardinelli certainly earned that spot back for the rest of the season with his stellar play on Friday.  The 6'1, 200-pound target was effective at coming up with a big play when needed most.  With opposing defenses are focused on the legs of Krizancic and RB Eddie Daugherty as well as the deep receiving threats in Fritts/Plavcan - the opportunity to shine is there.  In the past two games, Berardinelli has 7 catches for 95 yards and a touchdown.  He has rushed for 43 yards on just four carries as well.

Computer Points

Mentor now sits at No. 2 in the Region 1 computer rankings.  I project the Cards to finish no lower than that as long as they take care of business against Strongsville (5-4) this week.  That means a home game in Week 11 and (hopefully) a favorable draw.  Mentor's most likely first round opponents are Toledo Whitmer (remember them?), Massillon Jackson, and Shaker Heights.  All should be decided by Saturday.  Check www.joeeitel.com/hsfoot for the latest.

Mentor/Hudson Preview

With a game this big, it deserves its own preview.  To my knowledge, this is the first time Mentor and Hudson have played each other.  Could it get much bigger than this?  The Explorers are having one of their best seasons in school history.  They have the opportunity to take on the defending Region 1 champs and prove they belong with the top teams in Division I.

Hudson

Hudson (8-0) is the top team in Region 1 in the computer points standings.  They didn't get there by accident.  The Explorers have given Brecksville and Stow their only losses of the season.  They also own signature wins over Brunswick and Solon.  

Hudson's defense has given up no more than 17 points all season.   Stow/Brecksville (each have a 7-1 record) scored only 7 points a piece on Hudson in regulation - Brecksville ended up with 14 total in 2OT.  The Explorers are allowing just under 10 points per game.   Their defense is led by LB Ben Hart, DB John Zuccaro, DL Charles Behal, DB Matthew Rightnour, among others.  

On offense, it starts and ends with talented QB Mitchell Guadagni.  The 6'2 junior had a stellar season in 2012 and is showing the area that he will be playing on Saturdays after he graduates from Hudson.  Guadagni has an offer from Buffalo, and more are sure to come over the next several months.  Aside from his 1,459 yards and 15 TD's in the air - Guadagni is the leading rusher with 580 yards and 4 touchdowns.  It is rare that Mentor goes up against a team that has superior QB play.  This might be one of those rare occasions.  Joining Guadagni in the back field are RB's Dean Miller and Ben Hart.  WR Jared Ruffing (29 catches for 441 yards) is the No. 1 target.  

Mentor

The Cardinals (7-1) have been on a roll since the St Ignatius loss in Week 2.  Over the last six games, the defense has posted three shutouts and also held Brunswick to just a field goal.  The offense has scored 35 or more against every opponent except St Ignatius.  QB Conner Krizancic is having a strong season.  RB Eddie Daugherty is helping to balance the offense.  Overall, Mentor is proving to be pretty balanced on both sides of the ball.  

Mentor's signature wins so far are against Solon (35-0), Brunswick (45-3), and Shaker Heights (56-14).  Standouts on defense include DE Kent Berger, DT Nico Lautanen, and LB Justin McMahon.  Overall, the defensive line has been the most consistent unit of the entire team.  This is not the 2012 defense that got their teeth knocked in week after week in the playoffs.  

Matchup

Many will point to the QB battle as the key deciding factor of the game.  It may be.  I think Hudson needs to have superior QB play to win.  Mentor shouldn't be as reliant on that factor.  If Krizancic outplays Guadagni, Mentor should win.  But I think the Cardinals have a little more talent in other areas and could still win the game if Guadagni proves to be a more talented signal caller.  

I look for Mentor's strong defensive line to be a bigger key to the game than Krizancic.  The boys up front need to put pressure on Guadagni and (more importantly) come up with some big sacks or tackles near the line of scrimmage when he is on the run.  As stated, Guadagni is Hudson's leading rusher in attempts and yards.  He will be throwing or running on 80-90% of the plays.  If the defensive line can have a big game, it will go a long way.  

On offense, Mentor needs to establish their running game.  Krizancic is an effective runner that is good for at least a couple huge plays with his legs.  If RB's Daugherty/Mathews can move the chains and take some pressure off the passing game, Mentor's offense should be able to shine.  Hudson has some talent and experience in the secondary.  They will likely be focused on stopping WR Brandon Fritts.  If that happens, the Cardinals could use a big game from his counter part, Corey Plavcan.  

Prediction

Hudson has proven to be a good defensive team.  So has Mentor.  Hudson has a dynamite QB that can kill opponents with his arm and his legs.  So does Mentor.  This will be a very tough matchup.  Although we may find that Hudson has a more talented QB, I think Mentor has the better overall team.  

Mentor 28 Hudson 17

Week 8 Review

Mentor's defense was dominant from start to finish as the Cards improved to 7-1 with a 35-0 road victory over rival Solon.  The Comets dropped to 4-4.  Mentor improved their record to 11-9 in the series and they now have won 9 of the past 11 games against Solon.  The defensive line was at their very best.  Kent Berger, Nico Lautanen, Delvon Maddox, Billy Hudson, and Trevor Morrison all made their presence known.  QB Conner Krizancic didn't have his usual accuracy, but he did still manage 264 passing yards and 122 rushing yards.

Defense Shines...Again

The defense came up big again.  It wasn't just the shutout.  It was the way the shutout happened.  Mentor had three early fumbles that put the defense in tough positions.  But they answered the call and stuffed the run very well.  For the night, Solon had just 39 yards on 36 carries.  Solon had just two first downs in the entire first half.

The shutout is the third of the season.  Last year, it was an exception when the defense played well.  This year, it is an exception when they don't play well.  The 1st quarter against McDowell and the first half against Brush are the only major bumps in the road over 32 quarters of play.   It was the most impressive and dominant defensive performance I have seen from Mentor in years.  The Comets are a likely playoff team.  The last time Mentor's defense shutout a playoff team was in 2007...in Solon...against the Comets.

Tough at home

Solon has been very good at home over the years.  Since 2002, Solon is 56-8 at home.  Mentor accounts for half of those home losses.   The Comets are 2-4 against Mentor and 52-4 against everyone else.

Offense

The offense wasn't as efficient as we have seen them lately.  Even though the defense kept Solon in check all night, the Mentor offense couldn't find any consistency.  Yes, they scored 35 points.  But it was not easy.  The game was just 14-0 until a Krizancic to Plavcan touchdown strike in the 3rd quarter.   Since 2011, Mentor has scored 30+ points in 33 of 35 games.  The only team to hold them under 30 did it twice.  Can you guess who it was?


What's ahead?

Mentor (7-1) hosts undefeated Hudson (8-0) on Friday.  Both teams have clinched a playoff berth.  Both are certain to host in Week 11.  If Hudson can win, they will likely be the top overall seed in Region 1.  If Mentor can win, they will not only guarantee their third straight NOC league title, but they will garner a lot of computer points.  St Edward and St Ignatius are clearly the top two teams in Region 1.  The winner of this game will clearly put themselves in the top three in the region.  Hudson junior Mitchell Guadagni is the top QB Mentor has played all season.  The undefeated Explorers have surrendered just 79 points in eight games. This is the best defense Mentor has played since St Ignatius.  This will be a very well attended game.  This is Hudson's biggest regular season game in many years...maybe ever.   Come early.