DRAGONS RUN OUT OF FIRE
MENTOR OH- In a hard-fought battle on the gridiron, the Niles football season came to a close as Mentor Lake Catholic emerged victorious with a final score of 35-21.
The first quarter saw Mentor Lake Catholic taking an early lead. Quarterback Frankie Trinetti connected with running back Josh Styles for a 19-yard touchdown pass with 8:22 on the clock. Harley Forkins successfully added the extra point, putting MLC up 7-0.
The second quarter continued to favor MLC. Quarterback Frankie Trinetti handed off to tight end DJ Sears for a 1-yard touchdown run, extending their lead to 14-0 with 4:42 left in the quarter. Once again, Harley Forkins converted the extra point.
Mentor Lake Catholic wasn’t done in the second quarter as Trinetti found Cross Nimmo for a spectacular 62-yard touchdown pass with just 1:23 remaining. The extra point by Forkins was good, and the score stood at 21-0.
However, Niles rallied just before the half. Quarterback Anthony Budak connected with Nate Coots for a 28-yard touchdown pass as time expired in the second quarter. Anthony Georgalas nailed the extra point, cutting the deficit to 21-7.
The third quarter saw MLC extending their lead when Trinetti connected with Patrick Radigan for a 68-yard touchdown pass with 2:51 on the clock. Harley Forkins remained accurate on the extra point, making it 28-7.
In the fourth quarter, MLC wasn’t ready to relinquish their lead. Trinetti once again found tight end Cross Nimmo, this time for a 29-yard touchdown pass with 11:28 left in the game. The extra point by Forkins was good, making it 35-7.
Niles, showing resilience, managed to put more points on the board in the final quarter. Quarterback Anthony Budak handed off to Antuan Gardner for two rushing touchdowns, one for 31 yards with 10:27 remaining, and another for 5 yards with 2:10 to go. Anthony Georgalas was accurate on both extra point attempts, bringing the final score to 35-21 in favor of Mentor Lake Catholic.
