by Devan Matthews

Correspondent

Led by a core group of returning seniors, the Nordonia High School boys golf team is setting its sights high this year.

In 2009, Nordonia finished the regular season with an overall record of 7-8. The Knights were also 4-6 within the River Division of the Northeast Ohio Conference.

That division ledger, combined with a second-place finish at the NOC Tournament, helped Nordonia place third overall in the final division standings.

Nordonia then finished second at the Division I sectional tournament with a team score of 314. Unfortunately, the Knights placed seventh at the district tournament the following week and weren't able to advance to states. Only the top four squads made the trip to Columbus.

Nordonia lost two seniors to graduation last year. Those two were Joe Kramp and David Jensik.

The good news is that the Knights have a ton of experience back in the form of senior Devon Goldberg, senior Mike Dubay, senior Charlie Luthanen, senior Ryan Chaloupka, junior Josh Bokshon and junior Mike Miller.

According to Nordonia head coach Keith Obly, the Knights should be competitive and formidable, namely because of their combination of talent, experience and attitude, among other things.

"It's a great group of guys with a lot of experience and knowledge of the game," said Obly. "They all have leadership qualities across the board, and they understand the team concept really well. Overall, there is no No. 1 [player]. Anybody can be No. 1 at any time."

Nordonia started the season in fine fashion recently, winning the Brunswick Tee-Off Classic at Pine Hills Golf Club Aug. 9. The Knights shot a team score of 312 en route to the victory.

On Aug. 12, Nordonia placed second at the Twinsburg Invitational at Gleneagles Golf Club. That day, the Knights posted a score of 305.

This year, the teams to beat in the River Division -- beside Nordonia -- are Stow-Munroe Falls and Hudson.

"Our goal is to win the division title," said Obly. "The division is very strong, but our guys are confident that they can battle with anybody. And another goal of ours is to get to Columbus this year. Falling short last year stayed with the guys throughout the whole off-season."

Coming close to qualifying for the state tournament helped to drive the Knights to greater levels of dedication. Obly indicated that's made quite a difference in their game.

"It'll be an exciting season, I can tell you that," said Obly. "The one thing that I really commend the guys on is their commitment during the off-season and their preparation for this year. They worked hard not only in the gym, but also at home. They worked on a lot of different areas, but most importantly, they really understand the short game. That's crucial."

Obly is starting his 15th year as a coach at Nordonia and his third as the head coach. His assistant coach this season is Larry Farmer.

On Aug. 16, the Knights competed in the Park Mazda Invitational at Hawk's Nest Golf Club. On Aug. 17, they participated in the Nordonia Classic at Ellsworth Meadows Golf Club. Results from the tournaments were not available at press time.

On Aug. 19, Nordonia is scheduled to compete in the Ravenna Invitational at Windmill Lakes Golf Club.

"I had these guys as JV players," said Obly. "It's been fun watching them grow up over the years."

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