It’s one thing for a football team’s defense to create turnovers. It’s something else entirely when the offense turns around and scores after the defense gives them a gift. Five times did the Mentor defense come up with big stops in a Sept. 28 game against visiting River Rouge (Mich.), with two interceptions, a fumble recovery and a pair of times when the Cardinals stopped the Panthers on downs. Mentor scored touchdowns after all five stops, paving the way for a 47-21 win in a rare Saturday afternoon game at Jerome T. Osborne Stadium. “Those become backbreakers,” Coach Matt Gray said of turnovers that were converted into points. “That’s how you get a one-score game turning into a three-score game right away.” PHOTOS: Mentor vs. River Rouge football, Sept. 28, 2024 After Mentor (6-0) held River Rouge (2-3) on downs to start the game, the Cardinals went on a seven-play drive that ended with an eight-yard touchdown pass from Scotty Fox to Dominic Baroni. On the next series, Mentor's Cameron Taylor picked off a River Rouge pass. Three plays later, it was a 14-0 game when Fox found Justen Hodge for a 31-yard scoring strike. Technically, turnovers on downs don't count as turnovers. Nevertheless, when the defense does its job, Fox said it's the offense's responsibility to capitalize. "It's just clicking," the West Virginia recruit said. "We had a great week of preparation. The scout team is doing great. Without them, we're nothing, really." While the Panthers scored in the first to cut the gap to 14-7, Mentor got another turnover on downs from its defense early in the second quarter. A seven-play drive ensued, with Hodge taking a jet-sweep 6 yards to the house for a 20-7 lead (after the conversion kick was missed). Up 20-7, Mentor's Gavin Briggs intercepted a River Rouge pass and returned it to the Panthers' 10. Dominic Burns plowed in from the 2 to make the 27-7 halftime score. "That's complementary football," Gray said of turning turnovers into points. "We feed off one another. If the defense gets a turnover, we've got to step up on offense. If the offense is struggling a little bit, the defense has to be able to step up." Mentor put itself on the verge of a running clock situation when Fox hit Marcus Sierputowski on a short 3-yard slant for a touchdown in the third. Sierputowski missed most of last season with injuries, as well as the first portion of this year. The score was set up when River Rouge touched a Mentor punt that the Cardinals recovered deep in Panther territory. "When I dropped the ball (on the previous play), I was a little pissed," Sierputowski said. "I saw the next play was called to me. I was psyched. I had to make it." Mentor's 34-7 lead was trimmed to 34-21 via a pair of second-half scores by River Rouge, but the Cardinals put a capper on the win when Burns scored from the 1 with less than two minutes remaining in the game. With the win secured, Mentor turns its attention back to GCC play next week when it travels to play 2-4 Shaker Heights. In the postgame huddle, Gray told his team to remember the two H's that he's been preaching about — staying humble and hungry. "We played hard," Gray said. "We had a little bit of a lull in the second and third quarters when we didn't execute in all three phases. That's something we've got to get better from." Photos from Mentor vs. River Rouge football, Sept. 28, 2024. (Paul DiCicco - For The News-Herald) The score Mentor 47, River Rouge (Mich.) 21