28 point second half by Cardinals closes book on Canton McKinley's season
By Keno Sultan
Stark County Prep Press writer
www.starkcountypreppress.blogspot.com
MEDINA--Cardinal sins are a great way to end any team's season.
For the Canton McKinley Bulldogs, their longtime playoff nemesis, the Mentor Cardinals were more than happy to provide the season ending sins.
After staying close to the Cardinals for a half and only trailing 3-0, McKinley was in position to pull off a stunning upset palpable around the state of Ohio. However, Mentor senior quarterback and West Virginia commit Scotty Fox engineered three touchdowns, two on the ground and one through the air and McKinley's defense was unable to hold off Mentor any longer and their bid for a major upset and season concluded with a 31-0 loss in a Division I, Region 1 semifinal in front of a meager crowd at Ken Dukes Stadium.
Mentor keeps their postseason train rolling ahead into next week's Region 1 championship against defending three-time state champion Lakewood St. Edward, who at press time downed Perrysburg 40-24 in the other semifinal. McKinley finishes their season at 8-5 with a Federal League championship to their credit.
It was four years ago that Matt Gray was handpicked by retiring Cardinals head coach Steve Trivisonno to lead the program. Based on the depth that Mentor has attained over the last two decades, it proved to be fortuitous for the Cardinals and evidence of that arrived in their pivotal second half.
"We felt we were moving the ball well in the first half and we had some costly mistakes with a fumble. But our kids locked in and stayed focused and they came out and performed really well in the second half," Gray said of his team's outburst.
Mentor's first possession took 11 plays and although they didn't score a touchdown, the trusted leg of kicker Dylan Tackett provided the lone points of the first half in the form of a 41-yard field goal.
McKinley head coach Antonio Hall initially liked where his team was at that point in the contest. However the depth of the Cardinals finally took it's toll on his legion of Bulldogs and they were unable to overcome the Cardinal deluge that ensued.
"Our defense was on the field too much, they wore us down and our defense sputtered. Again it was a breakdown here, a breakdown there, getting behind the chains," he said. "But hat's off to Mentor. They are a great team and they kept battling and they had us on the ropes and landed a knockout blow."
The quagmire commenced for McKinley early in the second half. After trading punts, Mentor showed why they were the #1 ranked team in Division I as they constructed a nine play drive that featured a mixed diet of passes and runs that ended with running back Jackson Farley going to his right side and sprinting untouched for a 20-yard touchdown run that put the Cardinals up in double digits at 10-0 with 6:20 remaining.
Mentor's third, fourth, and fifth possessions were more of the same formula. Bolstered by a critical holding call on McKinley that netted the Cardinals a new set of downs, two plays after the penalty, Fox scored standing up on a four-yard touchdown run and the Cardinals were off and running near the end of the third quarter as their lead ballooned to 17.
Fox would add on two more touchdowns with an eight-yard run and then a five-yard touchdown pass to Austin Van Huss, acuating the state mandated running clock.
All that was left for McKinley players to do was embrace each other and say goodbye to 25 seniors, who were freshmen when Hall took over. They leave with three Federal League championships to their credit and a final record overall of 31-20.
"There were ups and downs this season but we fought and did a lot of good. I think we grew as the season wore on. I thought we battled back from adversity a lot and we always found a way to bounce back after tough situations," Hall said.
For Mentor, they continue on their path for that elusive state title and will receive a formidable test against the Eagles, who shut out the Cardinals 27-0 in a regional final two years ago. Mentor returns the bulk of that team that came up short in that final.
Gray will once again count on the depth of the Cardinals as they brace for unarguably to date will be their most imperative assignment yet. Gray was gracious when asked about Trivisonno's presence as to why Mentor has been deep over the last two years.
"Trivisonno is a confidant and a great friend and a mentor to me. One of the things that always stuck with me is what when he took over back in 1997 and they made the change in 1999 going to spread and two-platoon, one of the biggest strengths we have at Mentor High School is the population," he said. "We have a lot of kids that play this game of football and we two-platoon it and we want to be able to have our guys play one side of the football because it allows us to be a little more to step up and take ownership of their position and that is one of huge assets to utilize our bodies. They play extremely hard and that gives us a chance."
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