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Finally, Comets clip Cardinals' wings
(by Steve Novak - September 16, 2009)
Finally, Comets clip Cardinals' wings
By STEVE NOVAK
Solon's fans dashed in celebration onto Stewart Field at the end of last Friday night's game against one of the team's arch rivals. It was a dash that the Comets' fans had been waiting to make for four years.
Solon's 21-17 win was the first time since the regular season of the 2005 schedule that the Comets have gotten the better of a Mentor team.
Besides providing bragging rights, the victory also provided Solon with a slew of computer points for the postseason playoffs. The Comets are ranked third in their region of Division I, with only St. Ignatius and North Royalton having more computer points.
Last year was the first time in a decade that Solon, with a final season mark of 6-4, didn't qualify for the playoffs.
In Friday's contest, Solon used both the ground and the air to take a 14-2 halftime lead. Tailback Kyle Hammonds scored in the first quarter on a 6-yard run. Receiver David Gibson collected a 10-yard TD pass from quarterback Jake Voigt in the second quarter.
Mentor came back with two touchdowns in the second half, but Hammonds sealed the deal for the Comets with an 8-yard TD run in the final quarter.
Hammonds finished with 33 carries against a tough Mentor defense that only allowed him 86 yards rushing. Voigt hit on nine of 15 passes for a total of 150 yards.
McQuaide said the outcome of the game rested largely on the effort of his defensive team in keeping a usually explosive Mentor team out of the red zone for most of the contest.
"Our defense totally controlled them in the first half," he said. "Those guys on the line, including Donald Williams, Josh Kobel, Ryan Rosenberg, Darryl Baldwin and Nathan Hoff all played well for us up front."
This week, Solon will try to stay undefeated when the Comets play Parma, which is 2-1, at 7 p.m. tonight (Sept. 17).
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