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Mentor's season came down to a handful of plays Friday night. The Cardinals made the ones that counted.

In a cold, wet Division I regional semifinal at Jerome T. Osborne Sr. Stadium, Mentor held off Canton McKinley 16–13 to reach the Region 1 championship for the third straight year.

It was a difficult start. An errant snap near the Bulldogs' goal line and a blocked field goal cost Mentor an early scoring opportunity. McKinley led 7–0 before Brogan Jones found Jeremiah Claridy for a 35-yard touchdown with 1:07 left in the first half. A missed extra point made it 7–6.

Then came a defensive play that proved just as important as any touchdown: Mentor stopped McKinley at the 1-yard line as the half expired.

Still trailing entering the fourth quarter, the Cardinals took a 9–7 lead on Daniel Kristo's 22-yard field goal. The defense later stopped McKinley on fourth down near midfield, and Ryan Orsog finished the ensuing possession with a six-yard touchdown run. Mentor led 16–7 with 5:07 remaining.

McKinley scored again with two minutes left but missed its two-point try. The Cardinals recovered the onside kick and closed it out.

Next is another familiar obstacle: St. Edward (11–1), which defeated Hudson 38–14 and knocked Mentor out of the playoffs in both 2024 and 2025. The teams meet Friday, November 20, at 7 p.m., at a neutral site yet to be announced.

⬇️ For the pivotal plays behind Mentor's win—and the three matchups that could decide its long-awaited rematch with St. Edward—read our full game breakdown.

For students juggling classes, jobs and internships, getting where they need to go can be a challenge. A new partnership between Laketran and Auburn Career Center aims to make that a little easier.

The new Auburn GO program will give enrolled high-school and adult students free, unlimited rides on Laketran Local Routes 1–9.

That includes routes serving Mentor, Mentor-on-the-Lake and surrounding Lake County communities.

The need is significant. An Auburn Career Center survey found that nearly one in three students had missed an educational, employment or community opportunity because of transportation barriers. One in five reported transportation difficulties affecting their ability to get or keep a job.

Under Auburn GO, students register through Auburn Career Center and receive a digital bus pass through Laketran's EZfare mobile app. Once the pass is available, students scan it when boarding an eligible local-route bus.

For Mentor-area families, the program could reduce transportation costs while helping students reach jobs, internships and other opportunities.

⬇️ But which routes actually serve Mentor, and how do students get their free passes? We've put together a practical guide covering local routes, registration steps and an important detail students should check before planning their first trip.

People who visited two Mentor businesses on Friday, November 6, during specific hours are being asked to review a public health notice after a person with confirmed measles visited while contagious.

According to the City of Mentor, the possible exposure periods were:

A separate exposure was identified at UH Urgent Care in Concord on Saturday, November 7, from 5:54–8:48 p.m.

Importantly, these were past exposure periods—not an ongoing warning about either Mentor business. The locations were identified to help reach people who were present during those particular hours.

Health officials say anyone there during the listed times should consider themselves exposed. The periods include up to two hours after the infected person left.

Symptoms can appear 7–21 days after exposure and may include fever, cough, runny nose, red or watery eyes, and a rash. Officials advise monitoring for symptoms through November 28, potentially later for people with weakened immune systems.

Anyone exposed who is not immunized or is unsure of their immunity should contact a healthcare provider. People developing symptoms should call before visiting a medical facility.

⬇️ Want to know whether the warning applies to you? Read our full website guide for the exposure timeline, symptoms to watch for, recommended next steps, and a link to our earlier Lake County measles coverage.

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A Local Buzz Original Magazine

*Two comforting favorites prove that a great dinner doesn’t need meat to be the center of attention.*

There’s a difference between making dinner without meat and making a dinner you’re genuinely looking forward to. The second idea is much more useful at six o’clock, when everybody’s hungry and you still need a plan.

This week’s Dinner Rescue puts two familiar dishes in the spotlight. One is creamy and made on the stovetop; the other goes into the oven and comes out bubbling. Neither needs an elaborate side.

🍄 Mushroom Stroganoff with Egg Noodles

In a wide skillet, sliced mushrooms and onions cook until the mushrooms lose their extra moisture and begin to brown. Vegetable broth, a little Dijon mustard and sour cream turn them into a rich, tangy sauce for wide egg noodles.

The trick is patience at the skillet. Give the mushrooms room to brown before adding broth; otherwise, you’ll end up steaming them. Add green beans or a crisp cucumber salad, and dinner is handled in roughly 40 minutes.

🧀 Spinach and Ricotta Stuffed Shells

For a baked-pasta night, jumbo shells get a filling of ricotta, spinach and mozzarella, then settle into marinara sauce beneath a little more cheese. They bake until hot and bubbly, with individual portions that are easy to serve or save.

Squeeze the thawed spinach very dry before mixing the filling. It’s a small step that helps prevent watery shells. Allow roughly 75 minutes from prep to table, including a short rest, and serve with a green salad.

Which Dinner Fits Tonight?

Stroganoff is the quicker pick if you’re cooking right before dinner. Stuffed shells are the choice when you’d rather assemble a dish ahead and let the oven finish the job.

Both put something appealing at the center of the plate. That’s the point: dinner starts with what you’re excited to eat, not what you’ve decided to leave out. For a strictly vegetarian meal, check the broth and cheese labels.

Find Your Dinner in This Week's Dinner Rescue

Ready to cook? Visit this week’s Dinner Rescue for a side-by-side comparison and combined grocery list, then follow the recipe cards for exact ingredients, step-by-step directions, substitutions and leftover tips. Pick tonight’s dinner—and save the other recipe for later!

Lake Catholic hockey is back after a seven-season absence, giving students the chance to represent their school on the ice again.

Tim Okicki, a 2006 Lake Catholic graduate, leads the revived program, which last competed in 2018–19 before low participation forced it to stop.

Now the Cougars have 18 players, including 12 freshmen, according to Lake Catholic’s November 13 feature. Experienced players Jimmy Aliff, Gianna Ducsay and Bryce Cindric, who previously played for Mentor, are helping the young team get started.

The return restores a program with a memorable past. Lake Catholic hockey began in 1995 and reached Ohio’s state Frozen Four in 2014, according to the school’s announcement of the comeback.

For families and alumni, Mentor Civic Arena is once again the place to follow Cougar home games. The published schedule includes November road trips to Kenston and Avon Lake, followed by a Thanksgiving tournament at Miami University.

The familiar school name is back on the schedule. This group now gets to write its own part of the program’s history.

⬇️ Meet the players rebuilding Cougar hockey—from experienced leaders to a first-time goalie—and find upcoming games in our full story.

Lake Catholic — Girls Volleyball

Lake Catholic won the first two sets and held a late lead in the fifth, but Ottawa-Glandorf rallied to end the Cougars’ season in the Division IV state semifinal Thursday, November 12, at Wright State University’s Nutter Center. The loss ended the Cougars’ four-year state title streak.

The Cougars took the opening sets 25–14 and 28–26 before the Titans answered 25–21 and 25–23. Lake Catholic led 12–11 in the deciding fifth set, but Ottawa-Glandorf won four of the final five points to finish the match, 15–13. Lake Catholic closed its season 23–5.

Ahnna Bergant delivered 23 kills and 21 digs, while Lola Loncar recorded 29 digs and four aces, according to Ohio Varsity’s match report. Ryann Schneider added 15 kills, Kenzie Smith contributed 10, and Sophia Raguz finished with seven.

Emily Dunavant supplied 27 assists and five kills, and Isla Calo added 22 assists. Sophia Newland contributed 15 digs and two aces.

The semifinal loss followed Lake Catholic’s five-set regional championship victory over Elyria Catholic—a postseason run that carried the Cougars into Ohio’s Division IV final four.

🐝 Buzz Fact: Volleyball parents can spot a ball landing one inch outside the line from six rows up. Their accuracy mysteriously changes depending on which team hit it.

I’m not sure what exactly is happening here… still made me laugh…

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