by In a battle between two great programs right next to each other, the slightest difference can decide who moves on and who goes home. That is what Nordonia’s special teams did tonight as they helped make the difference and advance the Knights 23-21 over the Walsh Jesuit Warriors.
Both teams’ defenses showed up as for the first three offensive drives for the whole game, only one first down was converted between the two teams. Then the Warriors got a rhythm going with many QB powers from Ben Biel. Kinzy Shea and Cayden Levert also got in on the fun as all the plays were runs up the middle. After an incomplete pass, Biel took the snap and faked the toss, only to find a hole from the warrior o-line and took the ball in the end zone for a touchdown and a 7-0 lead.
Steven Fakult helped the Knights offense get going when he was able to sling the ball around in the pocket to the likes of Brock Barwidi and Braden Myers to help get the offense going into a goal to go situation. After three tries that did not make it to the end zone, the Knights chose to go for a field goal, and it bounced off and missed creating a turnover on downs for the Warriors. The Warriors kept the ball on the ground with good runs from Dom Courtad and Biel. The warriors kept it on the ground for the whole time but was eventually figured out by the Knights defense and forced a turnover on downs.
The next drive for Nordonia went better as John Koran was able to make some things happen. Fakult then looked at Barwidi and Dominik Jackson for catches that gave them first downs and big gains. After Walsh Jesuit forced a three and out, Walsh then blocked the ensuing punt from Dario Jeras, but after a couple juggles from the ball, Braden Myers from Nordonia found the ball and recovered it to give the Knights new life. Fakult connected with Barwidi and Jackson for big gains to get them in the red zone. Another thing is Fakult threw a screen pass that was batted down but stayed in the air long enough for him to catch it and get a few yards out of it. One play later, Nordonia cooked up their version of the Philly special as Barwidi found Fakult for a touchdown to tie the game up at 7-7.
After a three and out from Walsh, Nordonia got the ball back and Fakult slung the ball around for big gains to many different receivers like Jackson that helped set up a Fakult to Grant Kaminski connection in the end zone for a touchdown and a 14-7 lead. The defense then forced the Warriors out of the end zone to go into halftime with that 14-7 lead.
Walsh did get the ball to start the second half, but a couple of negative plays caused them to turn the ball over on fourth down. Nordonia went three and out on their behalf and caused them to punt which landed at the Warrior 6. On the first play of that ensuing drive, a bad snap went over Jayden Kainec’s head and landed in the end zone. It was recovered by Kainec and forced a safety that extended the Knights lead to 16-7. Nordonia took the ball and got something going and was able to convert some big third downs. After two Karsen Fisher runs, Fakult threw a pass that was picked off by Walsh’s Davion Hereford to stop the drive.
After good runs from Courtad and a big run from Biel to convert on fourth down, Shea stepped up in the pocket to find Drew Wollschelger that helped him get behind the Knight’s secondary for a 47-yard touchdown to cut the deficit at 16-14. Nordonia had some momentum going, but Fakult took a bad sack that set them up in a bad spot and caused a punt out of it. Fakult also did a phenomenal job punting with rolls that set up the Warrior offense deep in their territory.
The Knights defense did their job and caused a three and out that gave them the ball right back. After two runs that got minimal yards from CJ Mayes, Fakult found Jackson on a slant and Jackson took the catch into the endzone for a 23-14 lead. On the ensuing kickoff, Nordonia went for the onside kick and recovered it to give their offense the ball right back. The Warrior Defense was not having it tonight and forced a three and out to give them the ball right back.
The Warriors got some good plays going on offense, but a penalty set them up in a bad situation and caused them to go three and out after Shea threw two incomplete passes. The Knights got the ball back, but on the second play of their drive, Fakult threw a bad pass that was intercepted by Mason Fulst of the Warriors and gave the ball to his offense. On fourth down of the ensuing offensive drive, Biel got a big 17-yard run that gave Walsh new life after three straight incompletions got them in the scenario. After a big run from Vinny Salamone, Shea found Cameron Brunson on a post for a 33-yard touchdown and helped cut the deficit to 23-21.
The warrior defense then forced three straight Fakult incompletions to give them the ball again to see if they could take the lead. After two runs from Biel, Walsh committed a costly false start that haunted them for the rest of the game. A third down for three yards helped set up the biggest play of the game. Biel faked a run and threw a pass intended for Cayden Levert but was picked off by Myers after a juggle to give the Knights the opportunity to seal the game. On the second play of the ensuing drive, Fakult took the ball and scrambled for an 11-yard gain that officially sealed the win. Two kneel downs later, the clock ran zero and the game was over with the win going to Nordonia 23-21.
The Knights will play Highland for the Region 5 Championship. Walsh will end the season with an 8-3 record and a lot of hope for next year with a lot of big-time players returning.
Players of the Game:
Nordonia- Steven Fakult- three total touchdowns and over 200 yards that helped the Knights get the victory with great plays and leadership that kept his team in the game for the whole night.
Walsh Jesuit- Ben Biel- 103 yards rushing off 12 carries, helped the Warriors all night offensively to get into favorable situations with great runs as well as some great plays on defense.
