Mentor defeats Solon 33-27; Scotty Fox throws for 319 yards and 4 TD

Photo by Hannah Hrusovsky

Mentor (4-3, 2-1 GCC) sophomore quarterback Scotty Fox threw for 319 yards and 4 TD, and the Mentor Cardinals overcame a 14-point first half deficit to come back and defeat the Solon Comets (5-3, 2-1 GCC) 33-27 on Friday night in Mentor.

1st Half

The Cardinals took the opening kickoff and scored in a 9-play, 74 yard drive that took 3:33, with senior wideout Jacob Snow hauling 3 catches for 56 yards, culminating in a 18-yard catch over the middle to put the Cardinals up 7-0. Snow would finish the game with 111 yards and a touchdown.

From there, it looked like the 17-point favorite Mentor Cardinals would start to run away with the game. However, Solon proceeded to score 21 unanswered points on three  touchdown passes from senior quarterback Charlie Bubonics to senior running back EJ Taylor and receivers senior Joel Kpassou and sophomore Ben Friedman. Kpassou was dynamic for the Comets on Friday night, finishing as the leading receiver with 183 yards on 8 catches. On the defensive side of the ball, Solon got a 4th down sack by senior defensive end Anthony Onyiorah and an interception from junior defensive back Max Thompson to halt Mentor’s scoring drives in the 2nd quarter.

However, from the 4:15 mark of the second quarter when Solon went up 21-7, Mentor outscored the Comets 26-6. Leading the comeback in the first half was senior running back Mitchell Waite, who rushed for 102 yards on 18 carries and had a big 42-yard touchdown run in the 2nd quarter to bring the game to 21-13. An ensuing 3-and-out by Solon coupled with a poor punt set up Mentor at the Comets 33 to close the half. It only took the Cardinals 3 plays before Fox found senior wideout Jordan Stapleton for a 23-yard touchdown over the middle to draw the game to 21-19 before the half.

2nd Half

While the Cardinals drew the game close in the 2nd quarter, Solon got the ball to start the 3rd quarter and scored in 5 plays, with Bubonics finding junior Brian McQuaide for a 27-yard touchdown to push the lead to 27-19. Bubonics was the more accurate, seasoned quarterback on Friday night, however, he was outshined by Fox in the 2nd half. From this point, neither team would score again until the middle of the 4th quarter.

From this point on, Mentor and Solon traded interceptions and fumble recoveries by the same player – senior defensive back Caleb Pohto for Mentor, and junior linebacker Shae Springer for Solon. Springer’s fumble recovery was nearly a touchdown that would have put Solon up two scores going into the 4th quarter, however Scotty Fox chased Springer down to save a touchdown. This was a deciding play in the game.

After an ugly second half, with the game in the balance, it was Scotty Fox and the Mentor Cardinals who seized the moment and pulled away with the game. After Pohto’s fumble recovery to start the 4th quarter, down 8, Mentor went on a grueling 16-play, 92-yard drive that ate up over 6 minutes, culminating in a 2-yard touchdown pass from Fox to senior wideout Nick Jares. The ensuing 2-point conversion tied the game at 27 with 5:45 to play.

At this point, Mentor’s defense stepped up when it mattered most. With sacks by senior linebacker Collin Orosz and senior defensive lineman Brenan Vernon, Mentor kept Solon from climbing back in the game. The ensuing punt by the Comets set up Mentor at the Solon 45 with 3:30 left to play in a tie game. And like he has done much of the year, Fox engineered a drive when it matters most for the Mentor Cardinals. Fox found Stapleton again for another touchdown on a 6-play drive to put Mentor up 33-27 with 1:45 to play, which is how the game would end.

What’s Next

Next week, Mentor (4-3) hosts Strongsville (3-5) while Solon will host Euclid (1-7). Both teams are 2-1 in conference play.

Notable Stats

Scotty Fox (Mentor): 24-42, 319 yards, 4 TD, 2 INT

Mitchell Waite (Mentor): 19 rushes, 102 yards, TD, 3 catches, 40 yards

Jacob Snow (Mentor): 8 catches, 111 yards, TD

Jordan Stapleton (Mentor): 7 catches, 102 yards, 2 TD, 2PC

Charlie Bubonics (Solon): 18-26, 290 yards, 4 TD, 1 INT

EJ Taylor (Solon): 18 rushes, 72 yards, 3 catches, 26 yards, TD

Joel Kpassou (Solon): 8 catches, 183 yards, TD

 

Scoring Summary

1st Quarter

Mentor: Jacob Snow from Scotty Fox, 18 pass (kick good, 8:27)

Solon: EJ Taylor from Charlie Bubonics, 18 pass (kick good, 2:52)

2nd Quarter

Solon: Joel Kpassou from Charlie Bubonics, 31 pass (kick good, 8:43)

Solon: Ben Friedman from Charlie Bubonics, 10 pass (kick good, 4:15)

Mentor: Mitchell Waite, 42 run (kick failed, 3:02)

Mentor: Jordan Stapleton from Scotty Fox, 23 pass (2-point failed, 0:53)

3rd Quarter

Solon: Brian McQuaide from Charlie Bubonics, 27 pass (kick blocked, 10:11)

4th Quarter

Mentor: Nick Jares from Scotty Fox, 2 pass (2-point good, Stapleton from Fox, 5:45)

Mentor: Jordan Stapleton from Scotty Fox, 24 pass (kick failed, 1:47)