Cleveland Heights star running back Marquise Brown ran around, over and through the Mentor defense for 3 1/2 quarters Sept. 20. But when the Cardinals absolutely had to make a stop, they rose to the challenge. Brown had rushed for 327 yards when the Tigers, trailing the Cardinals, 35-27, with 5:53 to play, decided to go for it on fourth-and-6 from the Mentor 48. Brown took the ball up the middle as he had with success throughout the night, but this time the Cardinals’ defense swarmed him after a three-yard gain, forcing a turnover on downs and sending the homecoming crowd at Jerome T. Osborne Stadium into a cheering frenzy. Mentor defenders swarm for a tackle Sept. 20 against Cleveland Heights. (Barry Booher – for The News-Herald) The Cardinals took possession and took their time, marching methodically toward the goal line until quarterback Scotty Fox took a knee at the Tigers 1-yard line to preserve the eight-point victory and keep Mentor undefeated at 5-0. “(Brown) is special,” Mentor coach Matt Gray said after the game. “They gave us a couple looks we hadn’t seen with their two backs. They did a great job of being physical at the point of attack, but I commend our guys. They battled and in the fourth quarter got a huge stop on fourth down, and we were able to finish the game with the ball in our hands.” Scotty Fox threw three touchdown passes and Justin Hodge caught seven passes for 182 yards in Mentor's 35-27 thriller over Cleveland Heights Friday night at Mentor. @MentorRedline @NHPreps pic.twitter.com/TmlvEqaNtX — Jeff Schudel (@jsproinsider) September 21, 2024 The Cardinals are on a mission this season, but Gray has coached his players well about not looking beyond the game at hand, or now the next game, which will be against the River Rouge (Mich.) Panthers on Sept. 28 at the JTO. Still, beating Cleveland Heights was extra sweet because last year it was the Tigers coming out on top in a close one, 14-13. Coach Matt Gray sums up the effort it took for the Mentor Cardinals to beat Cleveland Heights, 35-27, Friday night and stay unbeaten. The Cardinals are 5-0. @NHPreps @MentorRedline pic.twitter.com/bomFaJIx7G — Jeff Schudel (@jsproinsider) September 21, 2024 “We knew it was going to be a tough, physical game,” Gray said. “Last year is last year. It absolutely was an emotional piece, but this is a whole different team and a whole different leadership group. I’m proud of the work they put in. Getting to 5-0 isn’t easy.” The Tigers got on the board first when Brown scored on a 12-yard swing pass from Justin Godbolt. The Cardinals answered with a four-yard touchdown run by Jackson Farley with 2:20 left in the first quarter. Brown scored on an 80-yard gallop, then Mentor scored again on a 14-yard touchdown pass from Fox to Marcus Sierputowski. The PAT by Dylan Tackett gave the Cardinals a 14-13 lead. Scotty Fox hooks up with Marcus Sierputowski for Mentor's second touchdown of the night. The Cardinals beat Cleveland Heights, 35-27. @MentorRedline @NHPreps pic.twitter.com/UTNWqtBFLp — Jeff Schudel (@jsproinsider) September 21, 2024 Mentor, ranked No. 1 in Division 1 in the Ohio AP poll, took a 21-13 lead with 19 seconds left in the first half on a 5-yard pass from Fox to Farley. The Tigers tied the score at 21. Two plays later, Fox connected with Justen Hodge on an 80-yard scoring play. Still, the Tigers would not fade away. A Cleveland Heights touchdown cut the lead to 28-27. Fox scored on a quarterback draw from the 15 with 10:04 left in the fourth quarter, then the Mentor defense did the rest. “Scotty had great timing on his passes tonight,” Hodge said. “He passed me open. The O-line did well. It all started with practice. We look forward to doing better things.” Fox completed 16 of 23 passes for 266 yards and three touchdowns. Hodge caught seven passes for 182 yards and a touchdown. Farley rushed for 149 yards with one rushing and one receiving touchdown. THE SCORE Mentor 35, Cleveland Heights 27