Well, that didn't take long.
After only one year since returning to the Suburban League, Nordonia has gone from the basement to the lofty perch at the top of the conference standings.
The Knights struggled through last season ending up with a record of 2-8. At the halfway mark of the current season, Nordonia finds itself tied for first place with Tallmadge, which has been the class of the league for the past decade.
Oh, and by the way, the Knights have accomplished this with a first-year head coach, Jeff Fox. Nordonia invades Infocision Field at Copley Stadium this Friday for a Homecoming contest against the Indians (1-1, 4-1).
Nordonia (2-0, 4-1) lost the season opener in overtime to a tough Mayfield ball club. Since then, the Knights have won four straight, blowing out Twinsburg, Parma and Cloverleaf, and edged out Green last week 29-26.
The key to the Knights success is a high-powered, balanced offense. Senior Tyler Alders quarterbacks the Knights and has a talented corps of receivers to choose from. Junior running back Jordon Nobles leads the ground attack.
As for the Indians, they are coming off a close shave against a physical Highland team on the road. Head Coach Ron Viscounte is extremely pleased with the character of his team, which kept fighting back, playing with a lot of heart in the victory over the Hornets.
Key for Copley is going to be the performance of its defense, which must contain an impressive Nordoinia offense, which has scored 49 points against Parma and 51 points in its victory over Cloverleaf.
TOMAHAWK CHOPS
Welcome Back - Did you know Nordonia is a charter member of the Suburban League? The Knights were a member of the league from its founding in 1949 until it left in 1973 to join the Metro League.
Computer Ratings - Last week's win over Highland has elevated Copley back into the top tier of the Division II Region 5 computer ratings. The Indians are tied with Tallmadge in third place. The top eight teams from each region make the state playoffs.
Suburban League Represented - Tallmadge (#24) and Nordonia (#25) are ranked in The Plain Dealer's Top 25 Football Poll. Copley was also ranked in the PD's poll until losing to Tallmadge.
Follow the Indians all season long at CopleyIndiansFootball.org, or, on Facebook.
