MENTOR, Ohio — Down one of its top linemen on a short week, Lake Catholic limped through its fifth win Thursday night to start the high school football season.
The Cougars (5-0) could be even more banged up, considering senior H-back D.J. Sears powered through an injured left ankle to score three touchdowns in their 34-20 win against Kenston at Mentor High School’s Jerome T. Osborne Stadium.
They missed junior tackle David Iannini, who suffered a season-ending knee injury the previous week. Sears saw limited work and sophomore Davey Ricketts needed to be carted off after a hit on the opening kickoff to the second half.
“Obviously losing David last week, it was hard for all of us,” senior quarterback Frankie Trinetti said. “We had basically two days of practice and then a walkthrough. And those two days of practice, we were going so hard at each other. David was back helping the new guys.”
Short passes to seniors Ace Peterlin and Patrick Radigan helped stretch the Bombers (2-3). Trinetti finished with 195 yards on 17-of-26 passing, while the run game picked up steam behind Jimmy Gibbons’ team-high 156 yards on 24 carries.
The defense established everything for Lake Catholic, which entered last week ranked 18th in the cleveland.com Top 25. The Cougars came off back-to-back shutouts vs. Erie (Pa.) and Willoughby South. In fact, they had given up only seven points through the first four weeks, with that lone touchdown coming in a 33-7 win at Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy.
So, when Lake Catholic faced a critical fourth-and-1 late Thursday night near midfield, coach Marty Gibbons considered punting.
“I trust our defense a ton,” he said. “I trust them more than I trust myself, and they said, ‘Coach, we’re going for it.’”
Gibbons has a handful of two-way players, including Minnesota tight end recruit Cross Nimmo, Peterlin and Radigan. He listened to them in calling for a stacked-I handoff to Sears, who moved the chains one more time, allowing them to clinch arguably their biggest victory against the defending Western Reserve Conference champions.
“Those are the type of moments I think that build momentum and chemistry as the year goes on,” Gibbons said.
His team will play another Thursday night game next week against Holy Name in North Royalton. The Cougars follow that with a visit from Padua.
“It’s definitely a confidence boost,” junior linebacker and leading tackler Marty Loncar said. “I think it’s the best team we played so far, for sure.”
Kenston managed just three points on a Grady Kucharson field goal and 88 yards in the first half. Loncar led the effort by getting in on nearly every tackle between the hashmarks.
“He’s nonstop,” Gibbons said. “He’s all over the place. He’s just a junior, but he’s so long and rangy, and he’s so smart. He’s our top points getter all season already on defense.”
Lake Catholic finds itself near the top of the Division IV, Region 13 playoff standings midway through the regular season. The Cougars’ talent and experience exceeds what they had in 2020, when they reached the state finals in Gibbons’ second year as coach.
However, their potential playoff road could include defending state champions Glenville and Perry — which moved up from Division V — not to mention Struthers, which eliminated them in last year’s regional semifinals to halt a 10-win season.
This team is on pace to reach that mark a little quicker.
“It’s a great start,” Trinetti said. “We’re 5-0, but the momentum is just starting.”
Contact sports reporter Matt Goul on X (@mgoul), Threads (@mgoul) or email ([email protected]).
