The Nordonia Knights defeated the Mayfield Wildcats 59-46 in a back-and-forth contest that featured 105 total points and multiple lead changes.
Nordonia’s defense proved to be the difference, forcing six turnovers including five interceptions compared to Mayfield’s two turnovers. The Knights converted those opportunities into 14 points, with Fisher returning an interception 36 yards for a touchdown and Jackson taking another pick 72 yards to the house.
Knights quarterback Fakult completed 16 of 21 passes for 335 yards and four touchdowns. His favorite target was Jackson, who hauled in seven receptions for 212 yards and two scores, including touchdown catches of 28 and 33 yards.
The ground game was led by Whapham, who rushed for 74 yards on 13 carries and one touchdown. Montiel added another rushing score from two yards out.
For Mayfield, Koret carried the load on the ground with 102 yards and two touchdowns on 17 attempts. Quarterback D’Agostino completed 15 of 35 passes for 201 yards and three touchdowns, connecting with Sega for a 79-yard scoring strike and finding Haynes for touchdown passes of 13 and 21 yards. However, D’Agostino struggled with turnovers as Nordonia’s defense picked off five of his passes.
The game featured several explosive plays, including a 92-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Nordonia’s Jefferson and an 88-yard kickoff return score by Mayfield’s Murchison.
Nordonia jumped out to a 21-6 first quarter lead but Mayfield battled back to take a 39-34 advantage in the second quarter. The Knights regained control in the third quarter, outscoring the Wildcats 25-7 to put the game away.
The Knights accumulated 445 total yards of offense compared to Mayfield’s 379 yards. Both teams struggled with penalties, as Nordonia was flagged 18 times for 140 yards while Mayfield committed 15 penalties for 140 yards.
With this Week 3 victory, Nordonia (ranked 50th in Ohio and 863rd nationally) improves their early season record and will travel to face Brecksville-Broadview Heights (2-1, 0-0 conference) next Friday. The Bees are ranked 170th in Ohio and 2,763rd nationally. Mayfield looks to bounce back as they continue their 2025 campaign.
Photos by Austin Stanek
Photos by Mila Rose Photos
