Glenville's all good
Tarblooders rejoice, rout Mentor
Saturday, August 27, 2005 Mike Peticca
Plain Dealer Reporter
Glenville's season-opening, 32-0 road victory over a potent Mentor team on Friday night was convincing enough to validate the Tarblooders' hopes for a Division I state championship.
Yet, the performance seemed anti-climactic. What mattered most to the Tarblooders was what they had heard earlier in the day, that medical tests had come back and that their beloved coach, Ted Ginn Sr., had received a clean bill of health.
"That gave us a real big boost," said Glenville quarterback Arvell Nelson, after he completed 17 of 29 passes for 206 yards and three touchdowns. "Coach Ginn is like a father for everybody on the field. Knowing he is healthy and that he'd be here built our confidence higher and higher."
Glenville, The Plain Dealer's No. 1-ranked team, advanced to a state semifinal game last season. Fourth-ranked Mentor, which starts 14 juniors, hopes to return to the playoffs after a one-year absence. Ginn watched from the press box as the Tarblooders outgained the Cardinals, 385 yards to 198.
Glenville tailback Bruce Frieson rushed for 142 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries, and the Tarblooders intercepted three Cardinals passes.
"That was probably the best team we'll see all year," Mentor coach Steve Trivisonno said.
"St. Ignatius will be very good, but nobody will be that athletic [as Glenville]."
Longtime assistant Matt Chinchar was Glenville's acting head coach. "I said that we weren't going to lose, that coach Ginn was here and we were going to play well, and that's what we did," he said.
Mentor advanced into Glenville territory five times, but the Cardinals missed two field goals and Glenville's Gino Sturdivant, Eddie Mason and Royce Adams all intercepted passes.
Raymond Small's brilliant running turned a short Nelson completion into a 20-yard touchdown for the lone first-half score. Nelson connected with Small and Bryant Milligan, respectively, for touchdown passes of 14 and 10 yards in the third quarter. Adams broke several tackles and eluded other Cardinals in pursuit on a 64-yard punt return to set up a 25-yard field goal by Alex Bonilla.
Bonilla kicked another 25-yard field goal in the fourth quarter, and Frieson closed the scoring on a 30-yard touchdown ramble.
Nelson and Chinchar lauded the blocking of Glenville interior linemen Brandon McCray, James Garnett, Ryan Driggins, Bryant Browning and Edward Thompson. Linemen Robert Rose and Kelvin Primm and linebacker Hassan Crutcher helped spark Glenville's defense.
Ginn approached his team after its postgame huddle on the field. The Tarblooders gave him a standing ovation. "It means everything," Ginn said. "That's a feeling you can't really explain."