PARMA, Ohio — Luke Floriea turned to Mentor football coach Steve Trivisonno before their turn in overtime. He told his coach they were going for two points once they scored.

Floriea's prediction proved right.

He also made sure of it by darting across the goal line, securing quarterback Ian Kipp's pass and tip-toeing the sideline for those two points Friday night at Byers Field for a 36-35 comeback victory in overtime vs. defending state champion St. Edward.

“As that ball was coming to me, I swear it was going in slow motion,” Floriea said, “and I saw it up in the air, my eyes got real wide and I was thinking ‘once I catch this, I’m going to go celebrate with the first guy I can find.’”

That first guy happened to be senior middle linebacker Kyle Bischof, whom Floriea has played football and baseball with since their childhood.

The Cardinals (13-0), ranked atop this season’s Associated Press state poll and the No. 1 seed in the OHSAA Division I Region 1 playoffs, advance to next Friday’s state semifinals — likely in Mansfield — against Pickerington Central, which took down Groveport Madison, 23-7, for the Region 3 championship.

That will be a rematch of the 2017 state championship. Fittingly, the Cardinals must go through the Tigers to give Trivisonno a state championship in his 23rd and final season leading the program.

"There's nothing like practicing on Thanksgiving," he said. "It's a great effort these kids gave, and we get to enjoy each other another week."

Floriea added, “I love that man. I would run into a semi-truck with that thing going 60 for that man. I love him.”

There were times Friday night that it must have felt to St. Edward’s defense that Floriea ran that fast around Byers Field. The Eagles (11-2) jumped out to a 14-0 lead until Floriea broke loose on a 57-yard TD pass from Kipp midway through the second quarter. The drive began at the 1-yard line after Mentor stripped St. Edward running back Joe Formani at the goal line to prevent a potentially insurmountable 21-point deficit.

St. Edward led 21-7 at the half, but Mentor — which opened the season with a 29-28 road win vs. the Eagles — never went away.

“We’re just playing for each other right now,” Floriea said. “We’re playing for our brothers. We’re not worried about our stats. We’re not worried about what anyone else thinks. We’re just worried about us and getting better.”

Floriea still put up an impressive stat line: seven receptions for 205 yards and two TDs.

Mentor trailed 28-14 when Floriea hauled in consecutive passes from Kipp, including a 35-yard flea flicker in the third quarter.

"He's always there to make those plays," Kipp said, "and that's just huge for us."

Four plays before the trick play, Conor O’Malley gave St. Edward another 14-point lead with his second 1-yard QB run. The senior had a hand in all five Eagles TDs, including two long passes early to Mackenzie Wainwright and Michael Lombardo.

O’Malley finished with 186 yards on 14-of-20 passing, including 12 completions on his first 13 attempts. He found Wainwright for 73 yards on four passes and Lombardo for 72 yards on four more.

Conor O’Malley to Mackenzie Wainwright 26-yard TD pass with 4:08 left in the first gives St. Edward a 7-0 lead. pic.twitter.com/iqAerdl1U8 — Matt Goul (@mgoul) November 23, 2019

St. Edward played to its size advantage up front with Formani and the running game, using the senior for 41 carries and 191 yards. O’Malley found him on their opening possession of overtime to take the lead.

"Both teams played their hearts out, out there," St. Edward coach Tom Lombardo said. "They made great plays both ways."

Kipp threw for 263 yards and three TDs, finding senior running back Brian Trobel on the tying score with 1:55 remaining on a 19-yard pass. The 6-foot-2, 210-pound junior quarterback also scored two short-yardage keepers, the biggest coming on his fourth-and-goal run in overtime.

Trivisonno called timeout after Kipp’s run. A few moments earlier, Floriea told his coach what they would do.

"I go, 'We're not playing this thing any longer, we're going for two,'" Floriea said. "He said, 'We'll see about that,' but I knew I could do it."

Little did Floriea know at the time, his coach agreed.

"That's a no-brainer," Trivisonno said of the decision. "With the way they can pound the ball. They're bigger than us. That was easy."

Kipp said he had three options on the designed rollout -- pass to Floriea on his right, throw back to Trobel or run. Like Floriea, Kipp said he also thought the play developed in slow motion once he threw the football.

"It didn't feel real," Kipp said. "It still doesn't feel real."

Contact sports reporter Matt Goul on Twitter (@mgoul) or email (mgoul@cleveland.com). Or log in and leave a message in the comments section.