Nordonia’s season ends with 49-18 loss in Division II second round
MACEDONIA, Ohio — Nordonia’s playoff run came to an end Thursday night as Walsh Jesuit pulled away for a 49-18 victory in the second round of the Division II playoffs at a neutral site.
The Warriors established control early, jumping out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter behind a dominant ground game that would finish with 381 rushing yards on just 29 attempts. Walsh’s Tobin led all rushers with 266 yards and scored on runs of 80, 29 and 48 yards.
Nordonia answered with a touchdown late in the opening quarter when Connor Whapham punched in a 4-yard run. Quarterback Steven Fakult found Collin Atha on a 3-yard pass for the two-point conversion, cutting the deficit to 8-7.
Walsh responded immediately with a 24-yard touchdown pass from Ternosky to Parris as time expired in the first quarter, then added two more scores in the second period to extend the lead to 28-8 by halftime.
The Knights showed fight before the break when Fakult connected with Atha again, this time on a 2-yard touchdown pass with no time remaining in the half. Riley Edgehouse’s extra point made it 28-15.
Walsh continued to pull away in the second half with two more touchdowns in the third quarter, building a 42-15 advantage. Edgehouse kicked a 30-yard field goal in the fourth quarter to account for Nordonia’s final points, but the Warriors added one more score to set the final margin.
Fakult completed 20 of 43 passes for 195 yards and a touchdown. Whapham led the rushing attack with 30 yards on eight carries. Grant Kaminski paced the receiving corps with 73 yards on receptions. Karsen Fisher added 38 yards on three catches, while Joey Nagy contributed 14 yards on three receptions.
The Knights finished the game with 315 total yards of offense, including 225 through the air and 90 on the ground. Nordonia controlled possession time with 17 first downs but was unable to match Walsh’s explosive plays on the ground.
Nordonia finished the 2025 season with an 8-4 record. The Knights opened 5-0 before finishing 3-3 in their final six regular season games, earning the No. 7 seed in Division II, Region 5. They defeated rival Twinsburg 27-24 in the first round of the playoffs.
The loss closes the chapter on Nordonia’s 2025 season. The Knights advanced to the second round of the Division II playoffs, marking another postseason appearance for the program under head coach Jeff Fox.
“I’m grateful for the support of our community during a good 2025 football season for our Nordonia football family,” Fox said. “Friday nights in Boliantz Stadium were electric this fall sharing the evening with the band, cheerleaders, and student section. The 18 seniors on our team are a great group of young men that represent Northfield, Macedonia, and Sagamore Hills extremely well.”
