SYLVANIA, Ohio — Northview overview:
2023 Record: 2-8 (Missed playoffs)
Head Coach: Greg Silm (3rd year)
2024 Schedule:
WEEK 1 8/23 vs. Southview
WEEK 2 8/30 @ Clay
WEEK 3 9/6 @ Napoleon
WEEK 4 9/13 vs. Lima Senior
WEEK 5 9/20 @ Bowling Green
WEEK 6 9/27 vs. Perrysburg*
WEEK 7 10/4 @ Springfield*
WEEK 8 10/11 @ Whitmer*
WEEK 9 10/18 vs. Anthony Wayne*
WEEK 10 10/25 vs. Findlay*
*Denotes Northern Lakes League Buckeye Division game
There's not a whole lot of expectation pouring into Northview's football program heading into 2024. An element that is being used as fuel to not only flip that narrative but also make a run toward the playoffs.
"People are going to count you out in life, so you have to find a way," head coach Greg Silm said.
A strong message for a group craving success. So far through Fall camp, that's resonated within the team.
"We're going to look in the paper and it's going to be Northview is picked to lose," Silm said. "I think they take that a little personally which is good, they need to. All offseason, our thing is we're going to outwork people."
Entering his third season as the leader of the Wildcats, Silm and his group are tasked with replacing 22 seniors. A difficult proposition but one that does provide an opportunity for players to rise to the occasion.
"Now, they got to be that guy stepping up for us," Silm said. "This group of seniors feel like the island of misfit toys a little bit because they haven't won a ton."
One of the captains for Northview this season is senior left tackle Brady Nicholson.
"I'm just looking for a really great season. We all want to make playoffs, that's something big we all want to do," Nicholson said. "I haven't made playoffs in the three years I've been here, so we just want to put our hearts into every game."
Aside from the COVID season, 2017 marks the last postseason appearance for this group. Now with the newly formed Northern Lakes League Buckeye Division, that challenge grows bigger with the gauntlet of playoff teams they'll have to face.
"We just learned the difficulty of how hard it is to be in one of the best divisions in Ohio," senior Gavin Roehrig said. "We're really looking forward to a new season and seeing what we can bring to the table."
That's the focus for these Wildcats, controlling what you can control.
"We're going to be smaller than everybody else and slower, but we got to work harder than everybody else," Nicholson said. "We just have to keep putting the grind in, day in and day out."
There'll be no better atmosphere to help set the tone this fall than inside a newly renovated Cats Stadium against rival Southview.
"Our guys remember the score last year, they remember the feeling walking off that field of 'You just got your butts kicked in front of the whole city,'" Silm said. "It's going to springboard us no matter what happens. Win, lose or draw it's going to springboard us."
The Battle of Sylvania will be one of WTOL 11's featured games on Week One of Big Board Friday.