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Two-point conversion by Comets in overtime is the difference in 29-28 victory

• Beachwood 32, Harvey 7 • Perry 49, Orange 7 • Chagrin Falls 31, W. Geauga 0 • Kirtland 43, Berkshire 6 • Cuyahoga Hts. 35, Cardinal 0 • Wickliffe 46, Fairport 14 • Solon 29, Mentor 28 (OT) • NDCL 53, Walsh Jesuit 3 • Chardon 42, Brush 12 • Kenston 28, Madison 6 • Riverside 46, South 7 • Euclid 42, Brunswick 7

Patrick McQuiade probably can’t count how many times he and his teammates practiced the two-point conversion play they used to beat Mentor.

But it’s safe to say how it went down on Oct. 12 isn’t how the Comets drew it up or practiced it.

Bobbling and fumbling the snap from his center, McQuaide gathered the ball in and found Nick Close all alone in the end zone for the twopoint conversion, giving visiting Solon a 29-28 win over Mentor.

Players charged the field and celebrated wildly in the end zone with a victory that A) knocked state-ranked Mentor (7-1, 4-1 Greater Cleveland Conference) from the ranks of the unbeaten, B) gave Solon (7-1, 4-1) hope in the league race, and C) provided the Comets

with a truckload of computer points in the Division I, Region 1 ratings.

“Naw, that’s not at all how we drew it up,” McQuaide, a sophomore, said with a grin. “But it worked.”

After Jeff Barnett plowed in from the 6 in Solon’s first crack at overtime, Mentor called a timeout when the Comets lined up in an unorthodox formation.

“When they called timeout, our guys said, ‘We want to win it,” Coach Jim McQuaide said.

The call was a major gamble. If the two-point conversion worked, Solon was in good shape. If it didn’t work, the Comets would have waved bye-bye to any chance of a GCC MENTOR » PAGE 5

BRITTANY CHAY — FOR THE NEWS-HERALD Solon’s Nick Close hauls in a pass on the game-winning two-point conversion as the Comets beat Mentor, 29-28, on Oct. 12.

BRITTANY CHAY — FOR THE NEWS-HERALD Luke Floriea scores a touchdown for Mentor against Solon on Oct. 12.