The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Mentor pummels Elyria, Kenston defeats South
En route to playoff berths in Week 11, Mentor and Kenston roll past their respective league opponents, with the Cardinals hammering Elyria and the Bombers taking care of South.
Coming into the final week of the regular season, Mentor was looking to get all its cards sorted out heading into the playoffs despite playing without quarterback Ian Kipp and running back Brian Trobel.
The Cardinals’ first drive of the game was a four-andout after nearly missing a big passing play on the first snap of the game. They quickly got things back together on the next drive and took a 41-0 lead on Elyria by halftime and came away with a 48-0 victory.
“We just didn’t do what we needed to do on the first drive,” Mentor coach Steve Trivisonno said. “We settled in and went back at them pretty good after that.”
Elyria (0-10) thwarted Mentor’s first drive of four plays, hold the Cardinals (9-1) to just seven yards and took over possession at their own 42-yard line. The Pioneers could not capitalize, and the Cardinals did not let them off the hook. They needed just two plays, a 66yard run from quarterback Luke Floriea and then a 12yard touchdown run from Varney Spansel to take a 7-0 lead.
Mentor pulled away quickly after the two-play touchdown drive. The Cardinals two more touchdown runs from Spansel, touchdown passes from Floriea to Mason Trubisky and Ohio State commit, offensive lineman Ryan Jacoby.
Mentor also added an interception return for a long touchdown by Nyzier Fourqurean in the first half, building a 41-0 lead while its starters will still in the game.
“We’ve been practicing it all week and when I saw the signal, my heart kind of dropped,” Jacoby said of the called screen pass to him. “It worked. There was nobody in sight of me. I was just surprised I caught the ball. I didn’t even feel anything to be honest. I was in shock. I got in the end zone. It was awesome.”
Floriea completed four of seven passes on the night for 62 yards and pair of touchdowns, while Spansel stood out with 70 yards on 10 carries and three touchdowns. The two offensive standouts played a huge role in the Cardinals’ success over the last few weeks with injuries to Kipp and Trobel. Floriea got to see his older brother, Jake, also step up at quarterback while starting out as a receiver during his time as a Cardinal.
“All the guys around me are great, so they made it really easy,” Floriea said. “I’ve gone between quarterback and receiver in the past. The receivers and linemen made it easy for me.”
The Cardinals will host a first-round playoff game next week against an opponent to be determined. They expect to have Kipp and Trobel back for the first game of the postseason.
“They’ll be back, and we’ll be good to go for the playoffs,” Trivisonno said. “(Spansel and Floriea) are two good kids that are very good football players. They’re going to go in and play hard, run the offense and do what we do.”