NE Ohio Playoff Preview – Mentor vs Canton McKinley

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After big wins in the first round, Mentor will host Canton McKinley on Friday night. Below are the top recruits for both teams to keep an eye on.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Mentor</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2022 Record: 7-3</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Head Coach: Matt Gray</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='34500' first='Brenan' last='Vernon']</strong>, DE, 2023 - Brenan is ranked as the 4th best prospect in Ohio according to Prep Redzone. He is committed to Notre Dame and Coach Freeman. He was a beast this season. He is big, fast, and aggressive. He is the complete package when it comes to DL play. Very quick off the snap with great strength and lockout. Reads plays exceptionally well and transitions seamlessly between run and pass. He maintains his gap assignments well and makes great tackles on and behind the LOS. Can run down plays on ball away with his speed. Relentless pass rusher with long arms and an arsenal of moves. Going to be a big time prospect in college and possibly on Sundays.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>HUDL: <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/9576930/Brenan-Vernon" data-type="URL" data-id="https://www.hudl.com/profile/9576930/Brenan-Vernon">https://www.hudl.com/profile/9576930/Brenan-Vernon</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='355266' first='Scotty' last='Fox']</strong>, QB, 2025 - Scotty is an absolute stud. He has had some big time visits this fall to Kentucky and BG. He has a really live arm with great velocity on the ball. He is very accurate on all the throws in a complex offense. Has command on the field. He pulls the ball down and is one of the best athletes on the field. He has really good wiggle and makes defenders miss. He has great mechanics and will get better as the years go on.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>HUDL: <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/5574669/Scotty-Fox" data-type="URL" data-id="https://www.hudl.com/profile/5574669/Scotty-Fox">https://www.hudl.com/profile/5574669/Scotty-Fox</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Ryan Lawson</strong>, NG, 2023 - Ryan is outstanding on the inside. He has really advanced technique and maintains really good gap integrity. He rips off to the ball and makes great tackles on the LOS. He has the size and speed to run down plays on ball away. He dominates in the pass game and gets to the QB really quickly. He is very deserving of a good look on film and will make an immediate impact on Friday.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>HUDL: <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/9885241/Ryan-Lawson" data-type="URL" data-id="https://www.hudl.com/profile/9885241/Ryan-Lawson">https://www.hudl.com/profile/9885241/Ryan-Lawson</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Jacob Snow</strong>, Ath, 2023 - Jacob is an outstanding football player. He plays receiver at a really high level. He is very athletic, fast, and has a bigger frame. He can outjump everyone and runs past all defenders. He runs good routes with good snap on the top end. In the redzone can be deadly to opponents. He blocks well on the perimeter and uses his hands and feet to drive defenders into the dirt. Impressive player with great prospects in college.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>HUDL: https://www.hudl.com/profile/12542511/Jacob-Snow</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Canton McKinley</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Head Coach: Antonio Hall</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2022 Record: 6-5</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Cynceir McNeal</strong>, S/WR - Cynceir is a very talented athlete on both sides of the ball.&nbsp; He is tall at 6'4 and will fill out his 200 pound frame over the summer.&nbsp; At Safety he has good patience in his read steps and transitions well depending on run or pass.&nbsp; He is a good technician with the ball in the air and attacks it.&nbsp; He plays through the hands, flips his hips well, and closes fast on routes.&nbsp; At WR he plays to the boundary and commands the coverage.&nbsp; Has a large catch radius and attacks the ball with his hands and eyes.&nbsp; He can win the 50/50 balls and gets up in the air with ease.&nbsp; Runs good routes and has the speed to separate.&nbsp; Take a good look at him on film.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>HUDL: <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/12939758/Cynceir-McNeal" data-type="URL" data-id="https://www.hudl.com/profile/12939758/Cynceir-McNeal">https://www.hudl.com/profile/12939758/Cynceir-McNeal</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Keaton Rode</strong>, QB, 2024 - Keaton is a very good QB. He has had some very good D1 game visits this past fall. He has a live arm. His pocket mechanics are great. He is very accurate on all his throws. He has touch on the deep ball. He runs well and can extend plays outside the pockets. He has all the makings of a big time QB in college.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>HUDL: <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/15893692/Keaton-Rode" data-type="URL" data-id="https://www.hudl.com/profile/15893692/Keaton-Rode">https://www.hudl.com/profile/15893692/Keaton-Rode</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Dior Garner</strong>, DT, 2025 - Dior is a massive DT and very athletic. He is flexible in his stance and comes off the snap very quickly. He fires up and through the blockers and creates a new LOS. He maintains great gap leverage and rips off well to the ball. He is a good tackler and runs his hips through the ball carrier. His best pass rush move is the bull rush and he collapses the pocket.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>HUDL: <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/16220714/Dior-Garner" data-type="URL" data-id="https://www.hudl.com/profile/16220714/Dior-Garner">https://www.hudl.com/profile/16220714/Dior-Garner</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->