2A Football Preview: N. Fayette glad Solon moved up

Count North Fayette among the 64 Class 2A schools not sad to say so long to Solon, the three-time defending 2A champs who have been elevated to Class 3A for the 2010-11 prep football seasons.“It feels good not to have Solon in our class, but by no means do we feel like we have to back down from anyone,” North Fayette Coach Bob Lape said. “They're leaving, but in the same breath you got teams like New Hampton dropping down from 3A that will be pretty good.”Like Solon, North Fayette has its own rich tradition of winning. The Hawks are 203-63 all-time since 1984, when West Union and Fayette combined to form the school. They won a Class 2A state championship in 1992. Lape is entering his third year as head coach, but spent the previous 18 years as an assistant on Ron Wymer's staff.North Fayette has been particularly strong the past six years with a 52-2 mark in regular-season games. Both losses came in the 2008 season. The Hawks reached the playoffs each of those six years and made it as far as the semifinals three times. All three semifinal losses were to the eventual state champions, including twice in the last three years to Solon.“I'd like to think we could have beaten Central Lyon or Boyden-Hull, but you never know,” Lape said of the foes his teams would have faced in the championship games had it beaten Solon. “I'm just glad we got as far as we did.”Despite losing five players who earned all-state recognition, including three first teamers, North Fayette is again regarded among the elite teams in the state. The Hawks have to replace a pair of 1,000-yard rushers and all five starting offensive linemen, but will open the season Friday ranked second behind Iowa City Regina.“If we can stay healthy, and I can't stress enough stay healthy, we can be very good,” Lape said. “Tradition and pride go a long way. This team doesn't want to be the team not to win a district title.”Junior Jake Greco takes over the bulk of the rushing load, moving from wingback to fullback in the Hawks' Wing-T attack. Greco rushed for nearly 850 yards last season, but he is stepping into the shoes of Tanner Mork, one of those first-team all-staters.“As good as Mork was, Greco is a pure athlete,” Lape said. “He plays football, basketball, runs track and plays baseball. He's going to make a lot of noise in this district.”Senior Reid Nuss returns as starting quarterback. He rushed for nearly 600 yards and also passed for more than 600.While the defense returns eight players with experience, it's that tradition that could carry this team.“We've had some good athletes and our communities are very supportive,” Lape said. “It's a big deal to play football here. That tradition has been running for quite a while. It's what we do. We play football.”

- By Mike Koolbeck, Gazette Correspondent