Euclid, OHIO- Beating a team twice in one season is never an easy task to do. St. Edward made sure that didn’t happen as the Eagles went on to defeat the Cardinals 24-14 to advance to the state semifinals.
Going back to week one, Mentor was able to control the running game as Brian Trobel and Ian Kipp combined to run for 365 yards. Friday night, they were held to a combined 100 yards rushing. For St. Edward, quarterback Garrett Dzuro and running back Jordan Castleberry were able to combine for 263 yards on 48 carries during the win.
Earlier this week, Castleberry committed to West Virginia, a move he thought was best for himself and his family. Heading into tonight’s game, he knew that what really mattered was beating the Mentor Cardinals and to advance in the state playoffs.
“I told my teammates that I will be fully dialed in and that’s what I did,” Castleberry said. ” It was kind of a load off of my shoulders with the recruiting process out of the way.”
It was a dominant showing from the St. Edward defense early on. In fact, the Eagle’s held the Cardinals to a total of 31 yards and one first down in the first quarter. The Eagle offense would take advantage of the stout defensive performance.
First, Garrett Dzuro found Mackenzie Wainwright to open up the scoring. A couple minutes later, the Eagle lead would extend to 10 points following a 39-yard field goal.
The Cardinal offense would start to get things going in the second quarter. Following a blocked punt by senior standout and Ohio State commit Noah Potter, it would only take a couple plays for Mentor to capitalize. Ian Kipp would find junior Luke Floriea to get the Cardinals on the board.
That 10-7 St. Edward lead would remain the halftime score as the Eagles held Mentor to just 153 total yards of offense in the first half.
St. Edward continued their momentum into the second half. The running game between Dzuro and Jordan Castleberry became a problem for Mentor to control. In fact, an 11-yard touchdown run from Castleberry put the Eagles up 17-7 as the third quarter was winding down. After three quarters, Castleberry and Dzuro combined for 170 rushing yards.
It didn’t stop there. Garrett Dzuro added in a 20-yard touchdown run to really put the game away and end the Cardinal’s season. For Mentor, Ian Kipp completed 13 of 24 passes for 216 yards and two touchdowns through the air. He also ran the ball 15 times for 54 yards. Brian Trobel added 46 rushing yards on 11 carries while playing through an ankle injury.
With a 21-7 win against Dublin Coffman, Olentangy Liberty will be the next opponent for St. Edward for a chance to play in the state championship game in two weeks.
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