Mentor Lake Catholic handles Hubbard, 42-14

Tony Giancola had 184 yards rushing for the Eagles.
By TOM WILLIAMS
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
MENTOR -- Thanksgiving may be another 18 days away, but Mentor Lake Catholic quarterback Ricky Stanzi and tailback Eric Kettani are ready after carving up one of Hubbard's best defensive units.
Stanzi (167 yards passing, 32 rushing) and Kettani (117 yards on 15 carries) powered the second-seeded Cougars to a 42-14 victory in Saturday's Division III Region 9 playoff game at Mentor Stadium.
"It's a very difficult way to end the year because [we] know this was one of the best teams that we've had," Hubbard (9-1) coach Jeff Bayuk said. "When it ends like this, it's pretty difficult.
"I think we shot ourselves in the foot a lot on offense," Bayuk said. "We moved the ball pretty well, then we'd have a breakdown or fumble the ball. That's uncharacteristic for us -- we were plus-19 coming into the game.
"And you can't give a team like this the ball without scoring," Bayuk said.
The Cougars (9-2) scored on their first six possessions, including five times in the first half, against a Hubbard team that allowed just 62 points in nine games.
Long drives were the key as the Cougars drove 64, 62, 60, 68 and 92 yards in the first two quarters.
Early lead
The Cougars, whose only losses were to defending state champion Cleveland Benedictine and top-seeded Akron Hoban, needed just eight plays to take a 7-0 lead after Joe Tymoszczuk scored on and fourth-and-1 play from the Hubbard 2.
"That's the first time we've been behind all year," Bayuk said.
After Kettani scored from the 8, Hubbard quarterback Bryan Boyce fumbled in Cougar territory, setting up Kettani's 19-yard run.
Trailing 21-0 late in the first quarter, Eagles tailback Tony Giancola, who rushed for 184 yards on 16 carries, burst through the Cougars' center of the line for a 68-yard touchdown.
Stanzi's 28-yard screen toss to Corey Pruneski and 1-yard run put the Cougars ahead by 28 at the break.
"We tried so hard to put heat on their quarterback and their offensive line just went toe-to-toe [with us] and really did an excellent job of keeping us from getting to the quarterback," Bayuk said.
"In the success that we had against passing teams throughout the year like Girard and LaBrae and even Brookfield, we had a chance to get to their quarterback and that's what disrupted the offense," Bayuk said. "Tonight, they protected him very well and their kids deserve a lot of credit -- they executed their offense very well."
Pulling away
Despite holding the ball for 9:36 of the third quarter, Hubbard was outscored, 7-0, as Burke Howard turned a screen pass into a 29-yard touchdown for 42-7 lead.
"Coming in, we really didn't have a good feel for how good of a team they really were, but we knew they kicked the snot out of just about everyone they played," Cougars coach Mike Bell said.
Ben Lane's 9-yard scoring run sealed the scoring.
"I still think this was probably the best draw we could have gotten," Bayuk said. "I think whomever comes out of our region has a good chance of winning the state championship.
"I'm really proud of our kids because they hung in their the whole time," Bayuk said. "We didn't get very many breaks tonight.
The difference between TAC passing teams and Lake Catholic, Bayuk said, is that "they have a 1,000-yard rusher in the backfield and they have an excellent offensive line. They did a better job of protecting their quarterback than anyone we played."
williams@vindy.com