FIRST QUARTER - MENTOR 14, PICKERINGTON CENTRAL 7
After the Tigers struck first on a 6-yard touchdown run by quarterback Demeatric Crenshaw, the Cardinals answered with an 87-yard drive capped off by a 10-yard score by Tadas Tatarunas. Central then fumbled on its ensuing drive, and on 4th and 3 from the 36, Tatarunas found Steven Baird wide open for his 31st TD pass of the season.
HALFTIME - MENTOR 21, PICKERINGTON CENTRAL 21
Neither team seemed to want the ball to start the second quarter: The Cardinals' Mike Warren made an incredible play to pick off a Crenshaw pass, only to see Luke Floriea cough it back up three plays later to set up a Tiger score. On the ensuing kickoff, Floria fumbled again, and two plays later Crenshaw scored his 3rd rushing touchdown of the game. Fortunately for Mentor, they were able to answer back with a 5-yard Tatarunas TD run to knot things up at the half.
THIRD QUARTER - PICKERINGTON CENTRAL 35, MENTOR 28
On 4th and less than a yard from the Tiger 4-yard line, Cardinals head coach Steve Trivisonno surprisingly passed up an easy field goal, and Tatarunas' pass fell incomplete. Central then when on a methodical, 96-yard drive without throwing a single pass, ending with a 10-yard touchdown run by Demeatric Crenshaw. After Mentor went three-and-out, Crenshaw found Alex Morgan for a 60-yard pass to the Mentor one, and then took it in himself for his 5th scoring run. However, Eli McDougall was able to get the Cardinals back in the game with a 2-yard TD run.
FINAL - PICKERINGTON CENTRAL 56, MENTOR, 28
The wheels came off in the fourth quarter for Mentor, as Crenshaw set a D-I state title game record with his 6th rushing touchdown of the night. Michigan State commit Xavier Henderson scored the final TD of the night from 24 yards out, and his team's 56 points were also a D-I title game record. It's the first state championship for the Tigers, while the Cardinals are now 0-for-4 all-time in the final game.
