Nordonia football blanks John Hay to open postseason
With the expansion of the Ohio High School Athletic Association's playoff system to 16 teams per region, there were bound to be some interesting matchups in the opening round.
As the No. 2 seed in Division I, Region 5, Nordonia faced an unlikely postseason opponent, as Cleveland John Hay visited Boliantz Stadium Friday.
The Cleveland Municipal Schools squad came in with a record of 4-6 yet ranked No. 15 in the region.
With the Knights coming in as heavy favorites, this game was a classic case of "survive and advance."
Nordonia did just that in workmanlike fashion.
Nordonia shut down the Hornets on offense and cruised to a 40-0 win.
With the victory, the Knights (9-2) earned the right to host a regional quarterback game at Boliantz. Nordonia will face seventh-seeded Willoughby South Friday at 7 p.m. after the Rebels defeated Bedford 28-8 in their playoff opener.
South is a program the Knights know well. Not only did the two teams scrimmage before the season started, but Nordonia coach Jeff Fox was the Rebels' offensive coordinator before coming to Macedonia.
Against John Hay, Nordonia's defense was in command.
The Knights limited the Hornet to 66 yards of total offense, forcing two turnovers and recording four sacks. John Hay didn't help its cause by committing 105 yards worth of penalties.
Zach Zender set the tone for the game, as the Knights' running back scored on two-yard touchdown plunge less than a minute into the game.
Zender led the Knights' rushing attack with 58 yards and a touchdown on just seven runs.
Quarterback Mark Wilson had another efficient game for the Knights, going 11-of-19 for 130 yards and three touchdowns, as Nordonia had the field-position advantage all night.
Wilson threw a nine-yard touchdown pass to Devin Tufts on Nordonia's second drive, followed by TD passes of 6 yards to Dom Perrine and three yards to Jon Henderson in the second quarter.
Cooper Rusk led the Knights' receiving corps with three catches for 62 yards.
Up 28-0 at the half, the Knights took advantage of bad punt snap by the Hornets early in the third quarter.
Two plays later, Eric Smith ran in a 14-yard touchdown for the Knights, making it 35-0 and invoking the running-clock rule.
Smith made the most of his limited touches, rushing for 44 yards and a touchdown on just five carries.
Fox emptied his bench from that point, but the Knights would score twice more in the third quarter.
After forcing a four-and-out on the Hornets' next drive, kicker Andrew Lastovka would nail a 35-yard field goal.
The Hornets then would give up a safety on their next punt to establish the final margin.