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Comets seek answer to Mentor nemesis
(by Steve Novak - September 03, 2008)
Comets seek answer to Mentor nemesis
By STEVE NOVAK
There's a history between Solon and Mentor. It's not quite of Hatfield and McCoy proportions, but any fan of Solon football knows that the Mentor Cardinals ended Solon's playoff seasons in 2006 and 2007. In post-season play, Mentor defeated Solon, 45-0, in 2006 and then 23-13 last year.
In addition to that, Mentor also defeated Solon during regular-season play in 2006 and 2007. The last time that Solon defeated Mentor was during the regular season in 2005, when the Comets won by a score of 34-17.
"Mentor has beaten us four times in the past two years," Comets Coach Jim McQuaide said. "They're a very good team. We need to improve. We need to get better. We need to do a better job of holding up our end of the rivalry. We have to show we're a better team."
This will be the first time Solon has played at Mentor's field since 2006. The 2008 version of the rivalry arrives Friday night at 7:30 p.m. at the 7,800-seat Jerome T. Osborne Stadium. The game can be seen on tape delay on the Ohio News Network.
Solon takes a 2-0 season record into the game after impressive wins against Canton McKinley and Massillon Jackson. Mentor is 1-1 after suffering a heartbreaking 30-27 loss to Strongsville last week.
For McQuaide and his players, the history of Mentor and the Comets is well known. McQuaide has consistently said he welcomes a tough schedule, so that his team can play the best teams in the area.
Junior quarterback Jake Volgt said he and his team are ready for a rematch. "We're anxious to play Mentor," he said. "We know they ended our season the last two years. We want to get back out there and show they that we're just as good a program as they are. We want to be competitive every time we play."
In last Friday's 14-7 victory over Massillon Jackson, Voigt was a key component of both touchdowns. He scored on an eight-yard rollout in the third quarter. Then, in the fourth quarter, he hooked up with wide receiver Matt Piscitello on an eight-yard TD pass.
Voigt finished the game with 15 completions out of 23 attempts for 216 yards.
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