Week 1 Review

Mentor started off the regular season with an easy 48-14 road win against Boardman.  Here are some of the headlines of the win:

Floriea Impresses

It is no secret that the rise of Mentor's football program over the last dozen years is a direct correlation of the elite play of their QB's.  Thom Abbot, Chris Jacquemain (RIP), Bart Tanski, Mitch Trubisky, and Conner Krizancic were some combination of DI college QB, All-Ohio, and Mr. Football.  As the 2013 season ended, there was no question in many eyes who would be the 2014 starter.  It wasn't Jake Floriea.  With last year's brief sophomore sensation (Matt Eiswerth) deciding to concentrate on baseball, Floriea took the reigns.  He has not disappointed at all.  In the two scrimmages along with Week 1, Floriea has shown the ability to be a very good QB.  On Friday he was 16-20 for 228 yards and three TD's.  He also scrambled for a rushing TD.  It was a very efficient evening for the first-year varsity starter.  I look forward to see how he continues to grow throughout the season.

Defensive Line 

Going into the season, all of the attention on defense went to the defensive line.  Nico Lautanen, Trevor Morrison, and Billy Hudson are the headlining trio.  Morrison was the biggest standout of the three as his night included sacks and fumble recovery.  Lautanen also made an impact getting after the Boardman QB behind the line.  The inside DT combination of Lautanen/Hudson made it almost impossible for the Spartans to get any productive runs between the tackles.  Let it be said that the first team defense played very well overall.  Boardman had one good drive for a score, but the rest of the time it was Mentor's defense that won the battles.

Eddie, Eddie, and more Eddie

Senior Eddie Daugherty had a fantastic 2013 season that culminated with being a record receiver in the state championship game (18 receptions for 177 yards).   It was logical to think that Daugherty would have a difficult time being as effective now that the attention from opposing defenses starts with him.  The 5'7 WR/RB can no longer be just "another guy" in an offense keyed by Trubisky, Fritts, and Krizancic.  As the focal point of the offense, Eddie came up big.  He had touchdowns in three different ways:  passing (the 5th of his career), receiving, and punt return.  

Spread the Wealth

It was encouraging to see the touchdowns come in such a variety of ways from a variety of individuals.  A halfback pass, QB scramble, 54-yard touchdown run (Alex Mathews), and long punt return were some of the ways Mentor got in the endzone.  Two different players passed for a touchdown (Floriea and Daugherty), three different receivers caught a touchdown pass (Daugherty, Jason Blizzard, and Jerrell Jackson), two different players rushed for a touchdown (Mathews and Floriea), and Daugherty had a punt return for a score.  That kind of variety will put opposing defenses in a very tough position.

What's Next?

St Ignatius.  What else needs to be said?

2014 Mentor Preview

I have previewed the rest, so why not preview the best?  Here is a look at what to expect for the 2014 version of the Mentor Cardinals:

Looking Back...

The 2013 season was another successful season for the program.  A 9-1 regular season included a sweep of the NOC Valley once again.  had its ups and downs to be sure.  Mentor won their fourth regional title since 2006 and made their third state final.  It was the second straight season Mentor picked up playoff wins in back-to-back weeks over St Ignatius (26-3) and St Edward (41-38).  Unfortunately, the defense couldn't figure out how to stop Moeller in the championship game.  In light of a record-setting offense in the state final and scoring 52 points, Mentor gave up a state record 55 points.  It was an exciting game, but crushing defeat for a team that once again came so close. 
 

Conner Krizancic was much better at QB than most could have imagined.  He threw for 3,230 yards and 32 TD's.  The dual threat QB had a team high 1,455 rushing yards and 23 TD's.  The All-Ohio WR turned All-Ohio QB is now at Minnesota.  WR Brandon Fritts (31 career TD's and close to 3,000 receiving yards) has joined Mitch Trubisky at North Carolina.  Fritts had a memorable Mentor career and is the most accomplished receiver in the program's history.  Fellow receiver Corey Plavcan was another talented offensive player that graduated.  All five starting offensive lineman from last season were seniors.  They will be missed. 

 

On defense, All-Ohio DE Kent Berger leaves a big hole.  Delvon Maddox, also a DE, was another key part to the defense who has since graduated.  All-Ohio LB Justin McMahon had a very good season.  The defense had some very good moments last year (5 shutouts).  Graduating 7 defensive starters puts a lot of pressure on the new group.  Mentor also graduated two-year starting kicker Mike Muzic.
 

Offense...

 

At this time last year, I thought it would be incredibly difficult for Mentor's new QB to match the incredibly high level of the previous QB.  Krizancic had a season to remember.  His level of play was nearly identical to his Mr. Football predecessor.  Incoming QB Jake Floriea was set to compete with Matt Eiswerth - last year's early season sophomore sensation.  Eiswerth decided to focus on baseball, which opened up the clear path for Floriea to lead the offense.  The senior has looked sharp in the scrimmage season.  Mentor's offense will not be going down the field as much as they did the past few years.  Mixing up more short to intermediate passing along with a stronger commitment to the running game will be the main focus. 

Senior RB/WR Eddie Daugherty (Eastern Michigan commit) will be the focal point of every opposing defense.  Daugherty continues to elevate his game and will be one of the most dangerous playmakers in the entire states.  Junior RB Alex Mathews is bigger, faster, and better than the player we saw last season.  Mathews has what it takes to be a 1,000-yard rusher - the first at RB since Mike Korecz in 2010.  First year starters at receiver include juniors Malik Porter and Jason Blizzard.  Both are deep threats on the outside.  RB/WR Jerrell Jackson will be an important part of the offense whether he is lined up in the slot or in the backfield.  The offensive line looks good so far.  The attention will be given to incoming transfer Reggie Browley (6'7, 350) due to his size.  But the rest of the line has blocked well so far in the preseason. 

 

Defense...

The strength of the defense should continue to be on the line.  DT Nico Lautanen (6'3, 265), DT Billy Hudson (6'3, 285), and DE Trevor Morrison (6'2, 250) all were important parts of last year's defense.  Lautanen, a Bowling Green commit, should again be an All-Ohio level player.  Hudson, a varsity player since he was a freshman, is looking stronger and better.  Those two in the middle of the line will cause a lot of problems for opposing interior lineman.  Morrison is transitioning to his new position on the end as last year he rotated with Hudson at tackle.  The success of the defense will start and end with this talented trio. 

 

LB JD Matsko is a three-year starter and will play in the middle.  The senior captain has some big shoes to fill as he moves over to replace Justin McMahon.  The outside linebackers and safeties have a lot of speed, which will hopefully make up for their lack of size.  The defense will be as quick as they have ever been.  Hopefully that will translate to forcing a lot of turnovers.  Seniors Marc Walton and Brenden Parker will play the pivotal cornerback positions.  If Mentor can get some consistency out of their secondary, that will go a long way toward a deep playoff run.

 

Prediction...

Usually teams that only bring back two offensive starters and four defensive starters don't reload to an elite level.  But from what I have seen so far in scrimmages, this Mentor team isn't any further behind than last year's team was in August.  The offense has reloaded very well.  The offensive line looks good.  QB Jake Floriea is looking comfortable with his arm.  As quick as he is, expect Floriea to blossom into a productive runner in this system as well.  The skill position players are all talented.  Eddie Daugherty is the preseason offensive MVP for the team and I expect him to put up big numbers even though opposing defenses will be focused on him.  The defense has shown the potential to be as good (or even better) than last year's group.  Lautanen, Hudson, and Morrison are the strength of the defense and it will star

 

There are some concerns.  The team doesn't have much depth at QB behind Floriea.  He needs to stay healthy.  The new starters on defense are plenty and they still have some room to grow.  The linebackers aren't a big group, so stuffing the run will probably not be a strength.  They will need to find some consistency in the punting and kicking game after the graduation of Muzic.  One of the biggest concerns for the program the last several years has been the secondary.  There needs to be some improvement in that unit for Mentor to accomplish their goals of a league title, Week 11 at home, and winning a state championship. 

The toughest games of the season will be the road contests at St Ignatius and Hudson.  St Edward is clearly the team to beat in Region 1.  Ignatius and Hudson join Mentor in the second tier of top Region 1 teams.  Those are the only two games I could see Mentor losing this season.  My conservative prediction is that Mentor will split those and win the rest of their games.  But an undefeated regular season is certainly feasible.

 

And so...I predict a 9-1 regular seasons, hosting a Week 11 playoff game, and another deep playoff run. 

Hoover Scrimmage Recap

Mentor had another strong showing in a scrimmage against one of Stark County's best.  After handling Massillon last Saturday, the Cards shutout Hoover 27-0 in one half of game-like conditions.  The first team offense has scored touchdowns on 9 of their 10 possessions in the last two scrimmages.  The defense has yet to give up a score.  The preseason scrimmages really couldn't have gone any better.

Mentor's first drive of the game was the only that didn't end in a score.  A sustained drive stalled at the 20-yard line with a missed field goal.  Mentor scored touchdowns on their next four possessions.  QB Jake Floriea had another solid effort as he helped move the offense with his arm and occasionally his legs.  Floriea mixed it up in spreading the ball around to all of the receivers.  Most of his throws were short to intermediate passes, but Floriea did show the ability to stretch the field.  He is still trying to get comfortable figuring out how to use his athleticism to break some big runs, but I expect that to be a part of his game that blossoms. 

Like the Massillon scrimmage, Mentor did a good job of mixing up the pass and run on offense.  Junior RB Alex Mathews is looking very good.  He has a dangerous combination of size, speed, and vision.  Mathews had a few good runs to go along with a 3-yard touchdown.  Mathews looks to be a very important and effective part of the offense. 

RB/WR Eddie Daugherty was the offensive player that stood out the most.  His 24-yard catch and run went for a touchdown and put Mentor up 27-0.  Daugherty had a rushing touchdown for the first score of the scrimmage.  Mostly operating in the slot, Daugherty also got some carries in the back field.  When Eddie gets into open space, he is incredibly dangerous.  He is Mentor's MVP on offense right now. 

The offensive line, replacing all 5 seniors starters from 2013, looked very sharp.  Big Reggie Browley (6'7, 350) stands out due to his size, but he backed up that size with a productive game.  The entire line did a great job in protecting Floriea.  He was pretty comfortable in the pocket during the entire scrimmage.  The offensive line also did a good job of opening holes for Mathews, Daugherty, and senior RB/WR Jerrel Jackson.  The third score of the night came on a short run from Jackson. 

The offense will get the press clippings, but the defense showed a lot tonight as well.  The defensive line set the tone.  The big and talented trio of Nico Lautanen, Billy Hudson, and Trevor Morrison all made some big plays.  The defense allowed a couple of sustained drives by Hoover, but overall it was pleasing to see the Cards keep the opponent off the score board.  The defense is creating turnovers, stopping the run, and limiting the opposing passing game.  If they continue to grow, this could be a good unit.  Lots of potential speed and playmaking ability in the secondary and at linebacker. 

Strength of Schedule

Its not an exact science to rank the opponents on Mentor's schedule.  Given what I know, here is how I would rank the opponents/games on the 2014 schedule from toughest to easiest:

The Big Ones...

1. St Ignatius (Week 2):  For me, the schedule's focal point is always going to start with the dynasty that is St Ignatius.  Coach Chuck Kyle (11 state titles) is among the most successful high school football coaches in the country.  The Cats don't have the amount of top shelf talent they have had in recent years.  The players at QB, RB, and WR will be relative unknowns to those outside of the program.  But Ignatius does have two of the best lineman in the Midwest (OL Liam Eichenberg and DE Dre'mont Jones).  As usual, Ignatius seniors are ones that have waited their turn behind a talented group in front of them.  Expect this to be the most difficult game (and most probable loss) of the season.  Mentor is 3-0 against the Wildcats at Byers in November games.  But they are just 1-3 against Ignatius at Byers in regular season games.

2. Hudson (Week 9):  If Mentor wants to go out of the NOC on a winning note, they will have to get through Hudson.  The Explorers are built for a good run this season behind talented QB Mitch Guadagni and a good senior class.  This is a road game and Mentor can expect a rowdy crowd in what could be the most significant home game in Hudson's history.  On paper, Hudson has the most talented returnees of any team on Mentor's schedule.  This will be a tough game to win.  The Explorers will probably start the season as the second ranked team (behind St Edward) in the seven county Cleveland.com coverage area.

Good, but not Great...

3. Brunswick (Week 7):  The Blue Devils bring back 12 starters from last season, including back QB Steven Ficyk (1,646 yards and 14 TD's last season) to lead the offense.  Brunswick lost 45-3 (regular season) and 42-0 (playoffs) to Mentor last season, so they will welcome Mentor with a lot of passion.  You can bet that the Blue Devils, a team with 40 seniors, will be ready to compete for the NOC Valley as well as a Region 1 playoff spot.

4. Solon (Week 8):  The Comets have been on Mentor's schedule since the beginning of the Triv era.  There have been a lot of big games over the years between these two teams.  Rivalry is the best way to describe the annual battle between these two strong programs.  Solon has lost four straight to the Cardinals, who averaged 43.8 points per game in that stretch.  The Comets have some standout defensive players (LB John Seinsibaugh and DE Tyree Seals are among the 8 returning starters) to go along with experience at the QB position.  I don't expect this game to be as easy as the past two seasons.  Having the game in Mentor helps.

5. Strongsville (Week 10):  After a few years of struggling, the Mustangs took a positive step in finishing 5-5 last season.  They have a good and deep senior class that is ready to return to the playoffs.  I think Strongsville will compete very well in the NOC Valley this season.  QB Bobby Cole should be very good as he enters his third season as a starter.  The Mustangs return a group of big and talented linemen to go along with some of their top skill players on offense.

Minor Challenge...

6. Brush (Week 5):  The Arcs have some speed and talent.  Last year they put quite a scare.  I don't expect the similar kind of offensive explosion unless they can effectively replace dynamic QB Stephen Shorts.  Brush does have 2-3 returning skill players on offense that could give Mentor some challenges.  Standout LB Matthew Draper is also one to watch out for.

7. Euclid (Week 3):  The Panthers may only win 3 or 4 games this season due to a tough schedule with just 9 games.  Euclid has some good returning players on both sides of the ball, but they don't have the type of talent and depth to steal a game in Mentor.  The Panthers haven't beaten the Cardinals in Lake County since the 90's.

Running Clock...

8.  Boardman (Week 1):  The opening game for Mentor will be a challenge as they try to replace nearly every offensive starter as well as several key players on defense.  Boardman had a miserable 2013, but I expect them to take at least a couple steps forward this season.  But still, this is a team that went 1-9 last season and their only win was against an 0-10 team.

9. Shaker (Week 6):  If Shaker couldn't play with Mentor last year when they had a strong senior class (featuring eight, yes EIGHT DI football commits) - I don't expect the Red Raiders to have much of a shot this year.  The DI talent is gone.  A good senior class is gone.  Mentor will have this game at home again.  It should be an easy win.

10. Twinsburg (Week 4):   Mentor had their most dominant performance last season against the Tigers in which the Cards built up a 45-0 lead in barely over one half of play.  Twinsburg's program has fallen on hard times and it doesn't look to get much better this season.  The Tigers are in over their heads in games against Mentor and the NOC Valley.  For what its worth, Twinsburg is still the only conference opponent to beat Mentor in six seasons.

Massillon Scrimmage Review

First of all, it is important to note that scrimmages are not games.  The results, winners, and final score should be looked at with a grain of salt.  Even though this particular scrimmage did have pretty realistic game-like conditions, a team (and its fans) shouldn't get too high or too low with the results.

With all of that said, Mentor's 35-0 "win" over Massillon was an impressive showing.  The varsity began their day with each team's offense getting 10 plays.  Both Mentor and Massillon moved the ball into the red zone, but neither scored.  After that point, the game-like conditions began.  It was one half of football.  Besides a ban on hitting on special teams (punts and kicks returns), the only major difference between the scrimmage and a real game was a lack of hitting on the QB's.  Anytime they were touched (behind or past the line of scrimmage), the refs stopped the play.  Besides that, it felt like real game conditions.

Mentor's offense looked pretty sharp considering they were replacing a Mr. Football candidate at QB (Krizancic), an All-Ohio receiver (Fritts), and the entire offensive line.  QB Jake Floriea was hardly perfect, but he did make a lot of good throws.  An important thing is he didn't throw any interceptions.  RB/WR Eddie Daugherty continues to impress.  Whether he was getting carries out of the backfield or catching passes down out of the slot, Daugherty was the most effective player for the Cardinals.  Daugherty had one touchdown reception today along with a few other big plays.

The offense did a good job of mixing up the passing and running game.  They were very balanced.  Floriea didn't run much, but that was by design.  I expect his legs to be a bigger part of the offense as the regular season starts.  RB Alex Mathews looked good today.  He had a couple long runs, including a touchdown sprint that took him around 60 yards.  He ran through and then outraced the Massillon defense down the sideline.  Mathews also put Mentor up 28-0 with a short touchdown run.

The final score of the day was a nice jumping touchdown catch by WR Malik Porter.  The 6'2 junior looks like he could be a very nice receiver.  I was also impressed with fellow junior receiver Jason Blizzard.  He lines up on the outside opposite of Porter.  Blizzard looks like he can fill in nicely in a role Corey Plavcan had last year.  Senior RB/WR Jerome Jackson looked comfortable in his transition to more of a receiver role.  He had a few big plays today, including a short touchdown run for the first score of the game.

I can't speak for Massillon.  I know that they are considered one of the top teams in Division II.  They have a big time QB (sophomore Danny Clark) that has already committed to Ohio State.  The Tigers didn't look very good today.  Mentor's first team defense shut them out on all six possessions.  Massillon picked up multiple first downs on just one or two of those possessions.  Massillon had four punts, a fumble, and a turnover on downs.  Mentor's defense was steady.  The defensive line can be difference makers with guys like Nico Lautanen, Billy Hudson, and Trevor Morrison.  The secondary broke up some passes.  Massillon didn't have any consistency on offense today.  Mentor's defense certainly had a say in that.

Overall, I have to believe the coaches were very pleased with the scrimmage.

Opponent Preview: Strongsville (Week 10)

This is the tenth and final in a series of previews of Mentor's 2014 opponents.  

Week 10

Who:  Strongsville

What:  Northeast Ohio Conference (Valley Division) game

Where:  Jerome T Osborne Stadium

When:  October 31 at 7:00

Opposing Coach:  Larry Laird (1st season at Strongsville, 17-6 record as head coach)
History:  Since the two started playing regularly in 2006, Mentor is 7-2 against Strongsville

Looking Back…

Legendary coach Russ Jacques stepped down after last season's 5-5 season.  Strongsville hit a rough patch from 2009-2011, so last season was actually a pretty positive step.  Last season in Week 10, the Mustangs gave Mentor all they could handle in the first half before the Cards pulled away 45-19.  Strongsville was undefeated (5-0) against teams with losing records and 0-5 against teams with winning records.  LB Clay Carusso and OL Brandon Bailey were among the standouts that graduated.  

Schedule…

One half of Strongsville's schedule are a group of five teams that combined for a 15-35 record.  The Mustangs won all of those games last year.  Lake Catholic, Berea, Parma, Medina, and Twinsburg are important games for Strongsville to win again.  The other half of the schedule were against 5 playoff teams.  Strongsville lost all of those games.  Besides Mentor, the toughest games on the schedule will be Hudson and Cleveland Heights.  Just like last season, the games against Solon and rival Brunswick will make or break the season.  If they want to make the playoffs, the Mustangs will need to win one - if not both of those games.

2014 Strongsville Outlook…

Larry Laird, the mysterious coaching magic man, is a big part of the season.  Laird has spent one season at Medina and one at Avon Lake.  Laird took the teams to the playoffs in both seasons (winning three playoff games) and stepped down after his lone season both times.  What will happen with Laird at Strongsville?  He steps in with a good and deep senior class.  Senior QB Bobby Cole (over 3,000 career passing yards) has been starting since he was a sophomore and could be one of the top at his position in NEO.  Cole will have some big and experienced guys protecting him on the line.  Returning skill players include RB Dominic Lombardo (778 yards in 2013) and WR Drew Robertson (608 yards).  Senior DE Austin Platt (6'3, 255) is one of the standout players on defense.  Platt had 10 sacks in the last five games of the season.  LB Kylen Bailey (110 tackles) and DB Zach Kahn are other key players on defense.  The Mustangs will aim for their 12th playoff appearance and first since 2008 if they can win a few NOC Valley games.  

Opponent Preview: Hudson (Week 9)

Week 9

Who:  Hudson

What:  Northeast Ohio Conference (Valley Division) game

Where:  Hudson Memorial Stadium

When:  October 24 at 7:00  

Opposing Coach:  Ron Wright (29-7 at Hudson)

History:  Last year, Mentor defeated Hudson 38-14 in what is their only meeting

Looking Back...

Hudson (10-2 overall) finished the 2013 regular season with a 9-1 record and ended up in 2nd place (behind Mentor) in the competitive NOC Valley.  Mentor defeated Hudson 38-14 in Week 9 last season.  The Explorers defeated four playoff qualifiers (Brecksville, Stow, Brunswick, and Solon) during their regular season and were the No. 3 seed in Region 1.  Hudson defeated Toledo Whitmer, 31-7, in the first playoff game.  Hudson played St Ignatius in Week 12 in what was the biggest game in the program's history.  An injury to star QB Mitch Guadagni during the 3rd quarter stalled Hudson's early lead.  St Ignatius won 28-17.  While the majority of the key players on offense last year were juniors, the two most valuable players on defense were seniors - LB Ben Hart and DB John Zucarro.  Both were 1st team all-district.  

Schedule...

Hudson’s non-league schedule includes Euclid, Uniontown Lake, and Brecksville.  These three teams combined for a 20-10 record in 2013.  Hudson will be challenged, but should be able to start off 3-0 once again.  The two NOC crossovers are Stow (10-2) and Cuyahoga Falls (2-8).  Hudson;s toughest task will be the NOC Valley schedule.  The league as a whole will be better than last season.  Wins against Strongsville, Brunswick, and Solon will not come as easy as they did last year, but Hudson is right there with Mentor as the favorites in the league.  

2014 Hudson Outlook...

The success starts with three-year starter QB Mitch Guadagni.  The 6'3 senior has committed to Toledo after throwing for over 2,000 yards in each of the last two seasons.  Guadagni was also the leading rusher for the Hudson offense.  Guadagni should be one of the most complete QB's in Ohio.  His main targets this season will be returning receivers Colton Whited and Reid Robinson.  Whited (1st-team All-Ohio in 2013) led the team in receptions, yards, and touchdowns last season.  Hudson also brings back a lot of talent and experience on both lines.  Senior Dylan Carlson is a three-year starter on the offensive line. The defense will be strong in the front seven, led by LB Matt Rightnour and DE Grant Elffers.  A lack of experience in the defensive backfield is one of the only concerns.  This senior class is a good one.  Outside of St Edward, no big school in NEO brings back as much talent and depth as Hudson.  They are good enough to beat Mentor, win the NOC Valley, and win some games in November.  

Next:  Strongsville (Week 10)