St. Vincent-St. Mary 31, Mentor Lake Catholic 14
The Kevin Besser-Jordan Hargrove show took center stage in a Division III regional semifinal on Friday night.
They led St. Vincent-St. Mary to a win over No. 2-seeded Mentor Lake Catholic at Bedford Bearcat Stadium.
On St. V-M’s second possession of the game, Besser connected with Hargrove for a 63-yard touchdown to give the Irish a 7-0 lead 6:31 into the game.
On the next Irish possession, defensive back Ryan Fyffe intercepted Besser’s deep pass over the middle, giving the Cougars the ball at their own 47.
The Irish defense held running back Evan Gormley, a theme that would be repeated throughout the night, from advancing the ball and then took over after a Lake Catholic punt.
The defensive front, led by Matt Perry and Matt Olszewski, stopped Gormley, holding him to 84 yards on 20 carries.
“We contained Gormley by taking away the middle,” Irish coach Dan Boarman said. “We’ve seen a lot of film on this team.”
St. V-M even stopped Gormley on a fake punt, giving the Irish possession at Mentor’s 40-yard line.
Boarman called for a flea-flicker to get the drive going and Besser hit Franshon Bickley for a 37-yard gain. Two plays later, Besser connected with Hargrove again on a 7-yard fade pass to the corner of the end zone to put the Irish ahead 14-0.
Kicker Antonio Manfut recovered his onside kick following Hargrove’s second touchdown, but the drive went backward, with Besser being sacked twice before the Irish were forced to punt.
In the third quarter, Mentor Lake Catholic came out in a no-huddle offense.
St. V-M responded by forcing Cougar junior quarterback Mark Baniewicz to throw incomplete passes, some thrown behind his receivers and some into double coverage.
In the second half, Lake Catholic turned the ball over four times on two fumbles and two interceptions.
Irish defensive backs Dante Booker and Tyler Bischoff intercepted two Baniewicz passes that led to 10 fourth-quarter points.
Senior Matt Matuska ran up the middle for a 31-yard touchdown to give the Irish a 21-0 lead in the third quarter.
“Our receivers pull more people into coverage, and our pulling guards opened a hole up the middle and I hit it for the score,” Matuska said.
In the fourth, Matuska recovered a fumble at the Lake Catholic 24. On the next play, Besser threw his second interception.
Aaron Phillps returned the ball 63 yards to the Irish 30. Four plays later, Bischoff returned the favor.
The next drive was capped by Manfut’s 25-yard field goal. After the ensuing kickoff, Booker intercepted a Baniewicz pass and took the ball 47 yards for a touchdown.
Chagrin Falls 24, Ravenna 6
Senior D.J. Jones caught a 6-yard touchdown pass from Brandon Holt late in the fourth quarter but it was not enough as the Ravens (9-3) were dominated in a Division III regional semifinal loss to the Tigers (12-0).
Junior Tommy Iammarino threw a 10-yard touchdown pass and had a 1-yard touchdown run for the Tigers.
Jack Campbell had a 67-yard touchdown run in the third quarter to give the Tigers a 24-0 lead and put the game away.
Chagrin Falls will play St. Vincent-St. Mary on Friday in a regional final game.
