Thu Feb 09 2012
by Michael Leonard
Sports Editor
Macedonia -- Nordonia football was hit with a triple whammy in 2009.
A young team was faced with a brutal schedule that included playing in the Northeast Ohio Conference Valley Division.
Then the injury bug started to feast on the Knights.
"It was remarkable," said head coach Al Huge. "It seemed like every week there was a guy going down. I don't how you can prevent three ACL injuries and all those concussions."
The result was Nordonia's first losing season since 2001, as the Knights went 2-8, 0-5 in the Valley Division.
Entering his third year in charge of the program, Huge sees a silver lining to all those injuries. Because of them, a large number of returning underclassmen saw major playing time.
"Any time you get out there Friday night, it's a good thing," Huge said. "The last three or four games we were doing some positive things. You just didn't always see it unless you watched film because the scoreboard was so ugly."
Huge said two things must happen for the Knights to be successful: Better tackling and fewer turnovers.
Nordonia's schedule is a minefield again as Nordonia will play the likes of defending Division II state runner-up Maple Heights and backyard rival Twinsburg in its non-division schedule.
The Valley Division remains loaded with the likes of Solon, Mayfield, Brunswick, Strongsville and Medina. Huge said he sees Solon as the favorite, but sees no easy games.
Huge's coaching staff remains relatively intact. Brian Tyla (offensive coordinator) Mark Geis (defensive coordinator) Scott Barwidi (special teams coordinator), Dave Smith (wide receivers/linebackers), Tony Buckler (tight ends/outside linebackers) and Michael Coles. Ken Roeton joins the staff to coach running backs and cornerbacks.
Nordonia will run a multiple-formation offense, inspired by Mount Union.
After an up-and-down junior season, senior quarterback Zach Lewis is back.
"He had some real good moments; he also had some struggles," Huge said. "He's got a lot of talent and a strong arm. He's improved a bunch."
Junior Nick Rodriguez and sophomore Tyler Alders will serve as backups.
When he was healthy last season, senior running back Donnie Eatmon was a force, averaging better than five yards per carry. Eatmon is healthy again this year and will likely carry the load.
Speedy senior Paul Ward will provide a change of pace in the backfield, while junior Jawaun Peterson will also see time.
When Nordonia uses the I-formation, junior Ryan Predovic will get the nod at fullback.
The Clark family has had a long history of excellence at wide receiver with Nordonia. Senior Brandynn Clark will hope to continue that legacy, as he and senior Donovan Carter give the Knights a ton of speed at wideout. Junior Jared Ruffin will give the Knights a tall target receiver.
A corps of seniors Jaquan Townsend, Paul McMichael and Jay Velez will see time at tight end.
Huge said he's going to use a bit of a different philosophy with his offensive line. He plans to put his larger linemen inside while using mobile players at the tackles.
Junior Joe Chudakoff (185 pounds) looks to have the edge at left tackle, while junior Brad Coppedge (180) will start at right tackle. Junior Devonn McDonald (250) also will see time at tackle.
Left guard will be manned by senior Charlie Gibson (225), while senior Brian Yurko (210) will start at right guard and senior Colin Navratil (190) will start at center. Senior Dave Bina (180) also will see time on the interior line.
Defensively, Nordonia will play a classic 4-3 formation with a heavy emphasis on blitzing.
The defensive line will be anchored by McDonald and senior Mike Rudin at defensive tackle with Chudakoff and senior Adam Burke at defensive end. Bina and Yurko also should see time up front.
Nordonia has a tradition of excellent middle linebackers and Huge said Predovic should carry on that tradition.
"He's worked extremely hard in the offseason and got bigger," Huge said. "He'll be the guy for us -- the quarterback of our defense."
Velez is Nordonia's top returning tackler at strongside linebacker, though Huge said he may use Velez at defensive end in some situations.
A corps of Eatmon, Coppedge and junior Eric Soukup will see time at weakside linebacker.
A deep platoon at cornerback included Rodriguez, Clark, Townsend, junior Bob Wolf and junior Alex Reasbeck.
Donovan will get the nod at free safety, while Ward will start at strong safety.
Huge believes senior placekicker Justin Politi could be one the best in Northeast Ohio this year. While Lewis will start with the punting duties, sophomore Ryan Bauer is pushing hard for playing time.
Nordonia will open the new Boliantz Stadium Aug. 27 against Maple Heights. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.
E-mail: mleonard@recordpub.com
Phone: 330-688-0088 ext. 3113
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