North Royalton Bears senior tight end/defensive end Nick Coberly can be easily found when on the football field. At 6-ft., 4-in., 195 pounds, Coberly towers over smaller defensive backs who try to guard him on pass plays. On defense, Nick plays at the end of the defensive line, either side.
And if you notice #7 on the North Royalton sidelines, Coberly will be walking the bench area, constantly talking to his teammates, keeping their spirits high.
North Royalton head coach Nick Ciulli had plenty of praise for Coberly after the team’s first scrimmage against Padua Franciscan. “He’s phenomenal. He’s in great shape. He went both ways in the heat and he was all over the place.”
The Bears are coming off a 3-7 record in 2015. Last season, North Royalton lost four games by seven points or less. But, that doesn’t get Coberly down. “I know that we are going to be young, but with the experience we have coming back, I think we are going to surprise some people this year.”
If you remember back to last year, Coberly was at quarterback for the first eight games of the 2015 season. He also played on defense. Nick thinks he’ll be able to make the adjustment on offense to play tight end. “I think so. My coaches are helping me every practice. And I feel that I’m improving with their help.”
It’s on defense that Coberly will cause plenty of problems for opponents. Nick’s quickness helps him to disrupt offensive plays by the other team. “Playing defensive end I can either rush the passer or drop back into coverage. It all depends how their offense is lined up.”
Coberly says he feels very comfortable with his teammates on this year’s varsity football team. “Our team seems much closer this year. Everybody seems to want to help each other this year. It’s a little bit different.”
As one of the 16 seniors on the North Royalton Football team, Coberly considers himself one of the team leaders, and he takes that duty very seriously. “You could consider all the seniors on the team captains. All of us are trying to help the younger guys get better. That’s what a captain should do.”
The Suburban League’s National Division is filled with plenty of good football teams this year. Coberly says the Bears will not back down from anyone. “We’ll be ready. Every week we will be prepared to take them on.”
Could Nick Coberly become another Division One recruit out of North Royalton? Nick says he’s not thinking about it. “I just want to win some games this year.”
The Bears are hoping “Lucky 7” Nick Coberly will help them get more victories this year.

By JOE JASTRZEMSKI
Contributing Writer