Mentor Beats McDowell 44-30 in Wild Comeback Victory

If you longed for the return of football since 2012, the Cardinals had you covered Friday night.

Mentor and Erie McDowell battled in a game for the ages on a muggy night, with the Cardinals finishing on top, 44-30.

The game got off to a surprising start as McDowell jumped on Mentor, 16-0, behind a powerful triple-option running attack that netted two touchdowns. A bad snap on Mentor's first possession resulted in a safety.

Coach Steve Trivisonno said his team remained calm, and so did the student section, chanting, "We believe we will win!"

"Luckily it was 16-0 early and we still had plenty of time left," Trivisonno said after the game. "Nobody panicked and we got things going."

Senior Conner Krizancic and sophomore Matt Eiswerth rotated at quarterback for much of the game. Krizancic put up Mentor's first score, hitting junior wide receiver Kyle Tankovich in the corner of the end zone to make it 16-6. However, Krizancic seemed more comfortable at wide receiver, catching two touchdowns from Eiswerth.

Though he didn't get the start, Eiswerth had a big night with five touchdowns. He threw two to North Carolina commit Brandon Fritts, who stiff-armed two McDowell players and trucked another one his way to the goal line for his first score.

McDowell blocked a Mentor punt shortly after halftime. Quarterback Jake Tarasovitch kept the ball on an option to put his team up 30-23. After that, it was all Mentor.

Defensive end and Ohio University commit Kent Berger recovered a McDowell fumble, making way for Fritts' second touchdown from Eiswerth. The two Eiswerth-to-Krizancic connections closed out the scoring.

Mentor is back at home next week against St. Ignatius. The game will air in its entirety on SportsTime Ohio after its conclusion.

"We've got a big week coming up," Trivisonno said. "We've gotta get better and shore some things up and we'll be alright."