Division I State Semifinal: Mentor (13-0) vs. Pickerington Central (12-1)

Who wins?

  • Mentor by 15+

    Votes: 11 11.6%

  • Mentor by 8-14

    Votes: 31 32.6%

  • Mentor by 1-7

    Votes: 21 22.1%

  • Pickerington by 1-7

    Votes: 21 22.1%

  • Pickerington by 8-14

    Votes: 8 8.4%

  • Pickerington by 15+

    Votes: 3 3.2%
  • Total voters
    95
  • Poll closed .
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I don’t mean to tick anyone off here but what’s the ticket situation for this game? Has it been sold out yet? I went to the 2017 game and totally didn’t expect what happened. I would love to see the rematch.
GO Mentor!!!!!!!!!
 
When the old Crosstown Showdown at UC used to have 4 games, with the large D1 teams, I remember Pickerington Central coming down to play Elder and Colerain. Is their same coach there who coached those teams? They were always really good and I always assumed either them or Hilliard Davidson would be waiting for the region 4 winner at the end of the season. It seems Central has dethroned Davidson for the top dog in Columbus. I dont ever get to see those teams until Final 4, its too bad the old Crosstown showdown died. Getting to see Central vs Colerain or Elder was really fun
 
mike45069 said:
When the old Crosstown Showdown at UC used to have 4 games, with the large D1 teams, I remember Pickerington Central coming down to play Elder and Colerain. Is their same coach there who coached those teams? They were always really good and I always assumed either them or Hilliard Davidson would be waiting for the region 4 winner at the end of the season. It seems Central has dethroned Davidson for the top dog in Columbus. I dont ever get to see those teams until Final 4, its too bad the old Crosstown showdown died. Getting to see Central vs Colerain or Elder was really fun
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The Showdown was great. One year we also played Moeller. Nippert Stadium is a good venue for football, not a bad seat in the house. Central has seemed to dethrone HD but they are still a threat to all central Ohio teams. The next few classes at PC have some talent, especially the '23 bunch. With some support from the underclassmen I can see them playing in Canton the fall of '22 IMO.
 
OneTiger said:
The Showdown was great. One year we also played Moeller. Nippert Stadium is a good venue for football, not a bad seat in the house. Central has seemed to dethrone HD but they are still a threat to all central Ohio teams. The next few classes at PC have some talent, especially the '23 bunch. With some support from the underclassmen I can see them playing in Canton the fall of '22 IMO.
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The junior class seems pretty loaded too. With their talent and that region, they are a legit threat to Canton every year through 2022.
 
Wow, i don't think anyone chokes in a state final or semifinal, the teams are just so good. Like when I thought Colerain was so doninant last year, and they got beat, St Eds just did a wonderful job of stopping the option and Colerain didnt hit a few big passes deep like they usually do. Like Mentor, they just got beat in a final, but doesnt mean they choked. Its impossible to say since the teams are so good once you reach a final 4. Anyone who gets out of that Columbus region has certainly proven to be amazing and if Mentor doesnt win it wont be grom choking, it will be because Pickerington Central has developed a winning tradition dating back longer than I remember and played a great schedule with lots of great teams and is well coached and has great players playing great at the right time. Not fair to label someone as choking in a game like this. Same for Springfield and Elder. All 4 teams are great, lets celebrate the winners and not pile on the teams who are heartbroken. Winning is very tough to do this weekend.
 
OneTiger said:
Are you taking a shot at R3? How did R3 look in '17?
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Yes, yes I am. The best team looked good. The region as a whole? Not sure. If Mentor and PC flip flopped regions that year, would the Tigers have been in the final? Maybe. Maybe not. Eds/Ignatius every year are a much tougher obstacle than Region 3.

Is Region 3 bad? No, I don’t think so. Is it as daunting as Region 1 and 4. No freakin way.
 
OneTiger said:
Are you taking a shot at R3? How did R3 look in '17?
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Every region has a team or two that is good in each season. It's usually not as hard of a road as r1 or r4 though. It did help PC to not have to go through eds and ignatius back to back to get out of their region in 2017. It's an easier path to Canton.
 
Walt said:
I can’t speak for all of Ohio, but Euclid agreed to play Pick Central week 2 last winter and then backed out. McKinley and Central we’re both open in week 3 as late as March or April but McKinley wouldn’t return our calls, and In fact referred Naperville Illinois to us when Naperville called McKinley. Moeller said no thanks (which in retro-spect was a good decision).

Central had week 2 and week 3 open into the spring and I didn’t hear about any in-state teams who were willing or contacted us asking to play. I don’t think we would have said “no”.
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Tough team to play. PC has had a lot of DI players the last few years, and they are really well-coached. I would not be surprised if many athletic directors would not want them on the schedule.
 
Safe travels to all coming to Stark County. All roads that you should find yourself on in the area are open. Some traffic apps are still showing Everhard Rd. near I-77 as being closed. I can assure you it opened last week.
 
The Butler said:
Safe travels to all coming to Stark County. All roads that you should find yourself on in the area are open. Some traffic apps are still showing Everhard Rd. near I-77 as being closed. I can assure you it opened last week.
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For the Pickerington folks looking for something quick and close to the game, I recommend heading to Washington Square and going Best Burger for the traditionalists and BAM! for the healthier eaters (finish off with some Ballz). Both are great.
 
MentorGrad2002 said:
Every region has a team or two that is good in each season. It's usually not as hard of a road as r1 or r4 though. It did help PC to not have to go through eds and ignatius back to back to get out of their region in 2017. It's an easier path to Canton.
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No doubt some regions are harder than others. And it changes too. 2017 was an esp. brutal path. I know I don't miss being in that region esp. enrollment wise.
 
Pickerington Central is loaded with talent. They have a state championship winning coach. They have a record-setting QB as a senior. Offensive talent aside, this team seems more comfortable relying on their defense to win games. This time of the year, that isn't a bad approach. This is going to be a clash of great offense vs great defense. For most of the regional final against St Eds, the great defense was winning that battle. What will happen this week when Central's defense, which is faster than the Eagles, gets their shot at Kipp and company?

I think Mentor's offense will get enough points to win. Probably somewhere in the 24 (worst case) to 38 (best case) range. But the big question is how Mentor's defense will perform. Crenshaw will be a load. The skill positions are super talented and college bound. This will be a big test. If Mentor's defense can put together a good performance, I like their chances.

While the 4th quarter failed Mentor the last time these two teams played, this current group of Cardinals has proven to be a resilient bunch. In their three biggest wins of the season (St Eds twice, Ignatius once), Mentor found themselves down by 9-14 points in all three games heading into the 4th quarter. The team rallied and outscored the opposition something like 44-0 in the final quarter during those games. I'm hoping that this time around a miracle 4th quarter comeback isn't necessary to win.
 
Mentor has the players but this game will come down to coaching. These players deserve a state championship. Hopefully the coaching will be decent enough to get them there.
 
dougp66 said:
Any word on tickets for this game? Is it sold out?
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Considering the PC fans have to go 2 and a half hrs to get there I doubt very much it will sell out. The stadium holds 6000 so available ticket sales would be around 6500 one would think.
 
brian1227 said:
This would sold out in the 2000 decade it a different time now.
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Agreed. People complain about the stadium size and yet tickets are still available.Communities simply just don’t care like they used to. Considering the stakes and the distance, Mentor should have 5,000 fans even in this culture of less HS interest. Should be 500 students there grades 6-12.
 
cardzfan1234 said:
Agreed. People complain about the stadium size and yet tickets are still available.Communities simply just don’t care like they used to. Considering the stakes and the distance, Mentor should have 5,000 fans even in this culture of less HS interest. Should be 500 students there grades 6-12.
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Couple of things come into play here. First is the distance. 2 hours there and 2 hours back. Second is timing. A lot of people are out of town or have relatives in town this weekend. Also, a lot of people have Michigan tickets or pre game festivities tomorrow morning. Last and probably most important, the game is on TV. Mentor will have 2-3X more fans than Pickerington Central. However, that really isn’t a reflection of how the community supports the team. Overall, the support is typically good especially when we play Pickerington North. Like I mentioned, I expect a great game that will come down to the last 3-5 minutes.
 
Pickeringtonsports said:
Couple of things come into play here. First is the distance. 2 hours there and 2 hours back. Second is timing. A lot of people are out of town or have relatives in town this weekend. Also, a lot of people have Michigan tickets or pre game festivities tomorrow morning. Last and probably most important, the game is on TV. Mentor will have 2-3X more fans than Pickerington Central. However, that really isn’t a reflection of how the community supports the team. Overall, the support is typically good especially when we play Pickerington North. Like I mentioned, I expect a great game that will come down to the last 3-5 minutes.
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I got a chance to watch PC’s fans.
Only 10-11 would be considered “good” fans if they were wearing Mentor colors.

With that said, I still somehow think the turnout and fan noise will be almost identical.
 
cardzfan1234 said:
Agreed. People complain about the stadium size and yet tickets are still available.Communities simply just don’t care like they used to. Considering the stakes and the distance, Mentor should have 5,000 fans even in this culture of less HS interest. Should be 500 students there grades 6-12.
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I think you’ll be surprised by how many Mentor fans show up!
 
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