The Fraternal Order of Police representing North Royalton announced Sunday that its membership had overwhelmingly approved a formal vote of no confidence in Police Chief Keith Tarase The police union said this comes after months of concerns about the chief's leadership decisions Members called his decisions dangerous and alleged that they have compromised officer safety diminished public safety services and fostered a hostile work environment "This overwhelming vote reflects the complete loss of confidence our membership has in Chief Tarase's ability to effectively lead our department and protect our community," said Dennie Soltis Soltis said they have tried to address the issues directly "including a formal meeting with the Mayor attended by virtually every department officer our legitimate concerns have been repeatedly dismissed without any meaningful response or corrective action." The FOP is now calling on city leadership to take immediate action to address the concerns News 5 has reached out to the Mayor of North Royalton for a statement but has not heard back from them yet securing their first trip to a state championship game Here's how the game unfolded through our live updates The final North Royalton shot is long and doesn't make contact with the rim as Perry holds on for a 66-63 win over the Bears in this state semifinal game Perry trailed by as many as 11 points in the third quarter before fighting back into this game Luke Wolf and Preston Dazey scored 18 points apiece for Perry Darnell McLeod added 13 points for the Panthers Drake Jacobsen also scored 11 points for Perry Perry High School basketball reaction: Field House presents historic opportunity to Perry basketball; Panthers blow the doors off Perry nearing trip to the OHSAA state championship gameNorth Royalton has called timeout The Bears have possession with four seconds left in regulation Perry holds a 64-63 lead over North Royalton with 22 seconds left Luke Wolf is going to the foul line for the Panthers Perry holds a 62-60 lead over North Royalton with 45 seconds to play Preston Dazey made two foul shots after gathering an offensive rebound and being fouled on a follow up shot Perry holds a 62-60 lead with 1:21 left in the fourth quarter Perry and North Royalton tied in the final two minutesPerry and North Royalton are tied 60-60 with 1:43 left in the fourth quarter The tie comes after a controversial technical foul call on Perry Panthers guard Darnell McLeod dunked the ball through contact McLeod was whistled for a technical for his reaction after the dunk The Bears made two free throws and then converted a layup to tie the contest Perry just took a 56-54 lead on a basket in the paint by Luke Wolf over North Royalton with 4:14 to play in the fourth quarter Wolf has now scored 16 points for the Panthers Preston Dazey has been active in the post and has 14 points for Perry North Royalton leads Perry 47-45 after three quarters of play The Panthers trailed by as many as 11 points in the third quarter before going on a nice run to get back in the game Luke Wolf has 11 points for Perry while Preston Dazey has contributed 10 points Perry has cut the North Royalton lead to 47-43 with 1:55 to go in the third quarter The Panthers have possession and North Royalton has called a timeout North Royalton maintains lead in third quarterNorth Royalton leads Perry 45-38 with 3:50 left in the third quarter The Bears extended their lead to as many as 11 points before the Panthers closed the gap once again Perry begins the third quarter with possession North Royalton leads 35-29 as we begin play Perry 29Drake Jacobsen blocks a last-second 3 at the buzzer and the Panthers trail by six as we go to the break North Royalton sophomore Lincoln Lee with all 12 of his points in the second quarter to give a huge jolt to the Bears Luke Wolf with a team-high nine points for Perry while doing all the ball-handling Perry's Darnell McLeod also with nine points including a smooth reverse layup with 30 seconds left in the half Seven straight points by Lincoln Lee has North Royalton up 26-18 and Perry calling timeout with 5:25 left in the second quarter The Bears miss a rushed 3 at the first quarter buzzer and we head to the second quarter squared up Luke Wolf has seven points for the Panthers Dylan Lakatos a couple of 3s for his six points for North Royalton Perry trails North Royalton earlyThe Bears lead Perry 11-9 with 3:27 left in the first quarter Both teams settling in after a nervous first couple of minutes Teams are being introduced and Memorial Field House basically is filled up the 14 state semifinal games are played across the state before the finalists head to Dayton for the seven title games in two days .st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By Matt Goul, cleveland.comCANTON Ohio — North Royalton led by 11 points in the third quarter Sunday during the OHSAA Division II state semifinals at the Canton Memorial Field House but couldn’t hold on as Massillon Perry moved on and snapped the Bears’ 24-game winning streak Perry will play Westerville North on Friday night at the University of Dayton Arena after its 66-63 win vs which sought its first state finals appearance The Panthers (14-13) clawed back from that 42-31 deficit rallying within one by the end of the third quarter and taking the lead in the fourth on a shot by Luke Wolf North Royalton (25-2) cut it back to one later on a 3-pointer by Dylan Lakatos who hit five 3s but couldn’t add one more as his final shot missed the rim while junior guard Antonio Escano had 10 points with six rebounds Wolf led Perry with 18 points and six rebounds while Presto Dazey added 18 points and nine rebounds including a thunderous fourth-quarter dunk Watch highlights and hear from North Royalton coach Nick Lapsevich in the above video Contact sports reporter Matt Goul on X (@mgoul), Threads (@mgoul), Bluesky (@mgoul.bsky.social) or email (mgoul@cleveland.com) Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, (updated 8/1/2024) and acknowledgement of our Privacy Policy, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (updated 1/1/2025) © 2025 Advance Local Media LLC. All rights reserved (About Us) The material on this site may not be reproduced except with the prior written permission of Advance Local Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site YouTube's privacy policy is available here and YouTube's terms of service is available here Ad Choices By Avery WilliamsPublished: Jan 2025 at 3:42 PM ESTEmail This LinkShare on FacebookShare on X (formerly Twitter)Share on PinterestShare on LinkedInNORTH ROYALTON Ohio (WOIO) - North Royalton firefighters say one person was hospitalized after a house fire Thursday Firefighters say they quickly brought the fire under control One person living in the home was taken to MetroHealth to be checked out The cause of the fire remains under investigation North Royalton poses with the Division II state runner-up trophy after falling to Bishop Watterson in penalty kicks.Jonathan X .st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By Jonathan X. Simmons, cleveland.comCOLUMBUS North Royalton and Bishop Watterson were tied 1-1 at Historic Crew Stadium and the Division II OHSAA girls soccer state championship was headed to penalty kicks The Bears‘ first two PKs were blocked by Bishop Watterson’s Suzie Roginski and the third sailed over the crossbar left no doubt on their first two PKs and the whole Eagles squad bolted from midfield to celebrate when Megan Goehring’s goal made it official “We talked all week about making sure that we played as long as it took right to make sure that we got what we wanted to accomplish,” Eagles head coach Scott Dempsey said “We really focused on the idea that you have to have to seize the opportunity and there’s no guarantees that we’re going to get a chance to do this again next year So we wanted to make sure that that we took care of our business tonight It would have been nice to do that in 80 minutes the Eagles have made three trips to the state semifinal And neither team had made a state championship appearance before Saturday evening North Royalton had two major tests before making it to the last day of the season beating Hudson in PKs before a 1-0 double overtime win against Loveland we wanted our parents to get full value out of the $15 so we figured their entertainment dollar is better if we keep going to double overtime,” Bears head coach Larry Zajac said We have a lot of little girls in the stands tonight that want to be like No Just under 15 minutes into the matchup Eagles freshman Sophie Scott made a move from the top left and fired a shot to the top right corner of the goal to give Bishop Watterson an early 1-0 lead Sometimes even when she doesn’t have an opportunity and we knew their goalkeeper was very good I think she was pretty courageous and taking that shot but she hit it sweet and it went exactly where she wanted it to go.” The two sides traded possession and scoring opportunities pretty evenly but neither side was able to capitalize for the majority of the game That changed with 7:29 left when Antonio fought off a group of Eagles defenders near the 6-yard box and found the right side of the net to tie the game at 1-1 “So I got the ball and I knew that I had to figure out a way to get it through the box,” Antonio said “So I just kept pushing and I just kept fighting Neither side could gain an edge in either of the overtime periods and the game was headed to PKs The Bears shot first and Roginski made a diving save to stop it The Eagles followed that by taking a 1-0 lead Roginski saved the next North Royalton attempt going to the left while the next Bishop Watterson attempt froze North Royalton’s Leah Prezenkowski and went in to give the Eagles a 2-0 edge “We watched their penalty shoot out against Hudson previously in the tournament You learn certain different tactics that people will do when they’re going or aiming one way or the other And I kind of just look at that and hope for the best.” Antonio’s PK went over the crossbar and then it was Goehring’s turn She hit it hard to the right and the Eagles mobbed her in celebration which is this goalies weaker side,” Goehring said Ohio — The once beloved Carrie Cerino's Restaurant has entered a new era of operation The former North Royalton staple went out of business and shut down back in 2020 just before the pandemic hit A new local owner has since taken over and successfully transformed the space into a large-scale event center and Italian restaurant The restaurant is offering authentic Italian cuisine and dishing out more than 100 new jobs The new owner is eager to make memories here and create a tradition for years to come The moment he set eyes on the historic former Carrie Cerino's restaurant on Ridge Road Edward High School graduate Khadar Soussso saw promise and a lasting future "We beam with pride on being the ones that can give it a new life and welcome those memories back in," Soussou said It is a full-blown Italian menu with Italian chef and homemade pastas," Soussou said As you walk through the main entrance and down the noticeably brighter you're reminded of the rich Cerino family legacy—preserved in a glass case "When we were going through a lot of the things in the attic This family has played such a huge part in where we are today," Soussou said The restaurant is actually the Cerino family home Soussou says they started the business with a bakery and continued adding on and eventually opened the restaurant here "This is the original siding of Carrie Cerino's House We're standing on what used to be their front porch," Soussou said sweat and tears into modernizing the restaurant over the last year plus These spots are where countless families have celebrated weddings proms and family accomplishments over the years was a giving it a bit of a facelift cosmetically a lot of new lighting to freshen it up a bit but still preserving that character," Soussou said Then there's the main kitchen and pastry kitchen where a team of pastry chefs led by Emma Scheer are cranking out desserts for Sousso's Via Roma The Aviator near Cleveland Hopkins International Airport in Brook Park and the recently purchased Michaud's in Strongsville But I also have the support of ownership wants me to do what I'm best at," Scheer said Soussou says buying this space was the perfect complement for elevating his event space portfolio in Northeast Ohio beaming bar and performance space--dubbed "The Grotto" with an aquatic theme From ceilings to the flooring to the artwork to the lighting Steps away is The Cantina for an intimate setting "Great for private dining and a little wine cellar The restaurant and event space is bringing upwards of 130 new jobs to North Royalton It's something city leaders are applauding because it was in a state of limbo for years and switched multiple owners It's another thing where an individual's looking—where are we going to raise our family This right here is the perfect compliment for event spaces and restaurants North Royalton City Council President said Marc Glassman of Marc's grocery stores bought the space Soussou says another owner purchased it and was looking at making it an event space and he's so thrilled to have this opportunity Via Roma will be open seven days a week for dinner they plan to host live performances and comedians For more information on booking events, jobs and a full look at the menu, click here: https://viaromacle.com/. WADSWORTH — Revenge is a dish best served in the playoffs North Royalton which ruined a perfect season for Wadsworth last week played the Grizzlies Friday in a Division II Region 6 playoff opener Friday and the result was much different This time, fifth-seeded Wadsworth walked away a 38-7 winner over 12th-seeded North Royalton TD) was all over the Bears (5-6) in a game that saw the Grizzlies (10-1) score the first 38 points Brysen Hall was 12-of-17 passing for 142 yards and a TD with Jacob Earnest (four catches Tommy Hohn had an interception and forced fumble 86 yards) was the big ground gainer for North Royalton 51 yards) scored the lone touchdown for North Royalton The Bears got on the board on a 41-yard touchdown from Joe Kinney to Nic Piazza The running clock made for just four possessions in the third quarter It's Wadsworth 38-0 over North Royalton heading into the final quarter The junior raced 68 yards to make it 38-0 with 9:40 left Gray has 10 carries for 168 yards and three touchdowns He's also got a 47-yard receiving touchdown Wadsworth stands its ground with North Royalton in its territoryThe Grizzlies kept the running clock intact for the second half when it stood its ground inside the 10 The Bears got it to the 5-yard line but two passes went into the end zone were incomplete The Grizzlies went 75 yards on six plays and have scored on all five drives This time Cooper Gray took a pass in the flat and went 47 yards North Royalton 0 with 5:58 left in the first half North Royalton pushed to the Wadsworth 11 and faced fourth-and-6 but Zach Wise sacked Joe Kinney and forced a fumble Cooper Gray makes them pay with another scoreCooper Gray (6 carries 92 yards) pushes the lead out to 24-0 with 11:55 left in the second quarter on a 22-yard run Jacob Earnest picked off Joe Kinney on the North Royalton 36 and returned it to the 28 It's 17-0 Wadsworth with 1:04 left in the first quarter The quarter ends that way with the Grizzlies on the Bears 22 The Grizzlies forced another three-and-out and took over on their own 47-yard line against North Royalton North Royalton 0 with 2:03 left in the first quarter Wadsworth pushes lead over North Royalton to double digitsJack Dinwiddie kicked a 26-yard field goal to make it Wadsworth 10 North Royalton 0 with 3:47 left in the first quarter Wadsworth forces a three-and-out after scoreThe Grizzlies kept North Royalton offense on the field three plays and returned the ball to the North Royalton 40 It's first-and-10 with 5:27 left in the first quarter Brysen Hall connected with Luke Maddox on a 5-yard slant North Royalton with 6:48 left in the first half A 10-yard pass to Joe Calarco turned into a forced fumble from Tommy Hohn and was scooped up by Brady O'Connor Wadsworth has the ball first-and-10 on the North Royalton 33 with 9:53 left in the first quarter of a scoreless game Playoff history over Wadsworth and North RoyaltonWadsworth is making its 16th playoff appearance It's the third time in a row the Grizzlies have reached the postseason Wadsworth lost in the first round of the Division I postseason to Medina North Royalton is making its seventh postseason appearance It's the fourth time in the last five seasons the Bears have made the playoffs They didn't make the postseason last season  The Bears ruined the Grizzlies’ first undefeated regular season since 2018 last week when Mannix Wasco scored a 13-yard TD with 39 seconds left in a 44-37 win to bring about this rematch back at Wadsworth It also snapped a 15-game regular season winning streak against Ohio teams by the Grizzlies North Royalton has won three of the last four meetings with its only loss coming 49-0 last season in Week 10 Bears, who have won four games in a row, outgained the Grizzlies last week 493-464 and threw for 297 yards. … North Royalton likes to get a plethora of stars involved behind QB Joe Kinney (96-of-207 passing Kinney likes to target Joey Calarco (28 catches two TDs) also get attention in the passing game but the Bears like to go to Grady Baugh (64 carries Division I All-Ohioan Gavin Madigan (ankle) returned last week for Wadsworth Cooper Gray (170 carries for 1,326 yards and 17 TDs) has handled the load in Madigan’s absence Brysen Hall got his first start in Week 3 at quarterback and is 112-of-185 passing for 1,853 yards and 18 touchdowns Lemp (8) and Tommy Hohn (7) and Gavin Madigan (5) lead Medina County in pass breakups North Royalton results this seasonDateOpponentResultAug 44-37Contact Brad Bournival at bbournival@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter at @bbournival Wadsworth defeated North Royalton on Friday in the first round of the OHSAA playoffs.Ryan Isley .st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By Ryan Isley | special to cleveland.comWADSWORTH Ohio – Wadsworth’s football team had been working on a perfect season until it was ruined by North Royalton in the final week of the regular season The Grizzlies did not have to wait long to exact their revenge defeating the Bears 38-7 in an OHSAA Division II Region 6 first-round playoff game on Friday night 4 North Ridgeville in the regional quarterfinals on Friday The Grizzlies were disappointed that their bid for a perfect season ended a week ago at the hand of North Royalton but were excited that there was a quick turnaround for the rematch “(This week) feels so much better,” Wadsworth senior defensive lineman Zach Wise said but then finding out we were able to play that same team again and to have it right back here on our home field one last time’s really special.” Wadsworth (10-1) did not waste any time getting payback on Friday scoring on its first five possessions of the first half and the last possession was just one play to end the second quarter The Wadsworth defense forced a fumble on the first possession of the game for No 12 North Royalton (5-6) as junior defensive back Tommy Hohn hit a Bears wide receiver and knocked the ball loose allowing senior defensive lineman Brady O’Connor to recover it and give the Grizzlies’ offense great starting field position at the North Royalton 33 scoring on a 5-yard touchdown pass from Brysen Hall to Luke Maddox And then after a 26-yard field goal by Jack Dinwiddie made it 10-0 on the next drive running for a 50-yard touchdown on one drive and then a 22-yard touchdown on the first play of the second quarter in the next drive to make it 24-0 North Royalton then had a chance to put points on the board on its next drive but a strip sack by Wise on fourth down with 7:14 left in the second quarter “I guess I just made the play when we needed it most.” The ensuing possession for the Grizzlies found Gray in the end zone for the third time as he took a pass from Hall and weaved his way for a 47-yard touchdown Then on the first possession of the third quarter with a running clock already in play Gray took a pitch and went 68 yards down the left side for his third rushing touchdown of the game and his fourth overall “Our O-line really opened up some huge holes for me tonight,” Gray said That was the end of the night for both Hall and Gray as Hall finished the game 12 of 17 for 142 yards and two touchdowns while Gray had 186 yards rushing on 10 carries and a reception for 47 yards North Royalton finally broke the shutout with 6:43 left in the fourth quarter on a 41-yard touchdown pass from Joe Kinney to Nic Piazza After giving up 493 yards and 44 points in the loss to the Bears last week the Wadsworth defense held North Royalton to 192 yards forced three turnovers – an interception and fumble recovery by Hohn and an interception by Jacob Earnest - and had a pair of sacks and that’s a credit to them,” Wadsworth head coach Justin Todd said “Those were things that we needed to fix and that we knew that we could so I am really proud of the way that our guys responded in practice.” Wadsworth welcomed back junior Gavin Madigan who played just five plays against Nordonia on Oct 4 before getting injured and missed the next three games While the running back/safety played only defense on Friday having him back on the field was a boost for the Grizzlies “It’s huge (to have Gavin back),” Todd said and it just gives you a sense of confidence Any time that we can have number two on the field A judge ordered that a North Royalton man accused of hacking thousands of computers and spying on people will have one more chance at getting his competency restored .st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By Adam Ferrise, cleveland.comCLEVELAND Ohio — The criminal case of a North Royalton man accused of hacking into thousands of computers to surreptitiously watch listen and record people will likely stretch past its eight-year mark The new attempt will take about four months, pushing the case to at least March 2025. The FBI arrested Durachinsky in January 2017, and he has been held in federal custody ever since said he knew the case had lasted a long time because of different delays and appeals “It’s a very difficult issue,” Oliver said “I’ve never had this particular issue before in 30 years on the court.” is accused of using malware called FruitFly to hack into thousands of computers at schools businesses and people’s personal computers The malware also allowed him to remotely turn on people’s web cameras and microphones without them knowing and watch them in real-time including some prosecutors said amounted to child pornography and took copious notes on what he observed when he watched people The most recent issue of competency — whether or not he can assist attorneys in his own defense — has taken up much of the last 18 months If prison psychiatrists cannot restore competency through treatment prosecutors will have to decide whether to drop the case or pursue civil commitment Durachinsky has resisted being ruled incompetent stem from his distrust of his attorneys — the third set he has had since the case began — because he believes they are failing to make proper decisions about the case He said during the hearing that he’s helped in his own defense during evidentiary hearings and in rejecting a plea deal “It seems the only thing I can do to be found competent is to acquiesce to whatever my lawyer says even if I believe he’s wrong or have evidence that they’re wrong,” Durachinsky said He also said he believes he has been prejudiced because of how long he has been in pretrial custody Three psychiatrists have examined Durachinsky in the last year and another ruled that he may be able to be restored a psychiatrist found that he could be restored to competency and that he showed some promise with group and individual treatment said that he believes that Durachinsky could be restored if he is given autism-specific treatment The ruling said all three psychiatrists found that Durachinsky’s autism causes him to fixate on small sometimes insignificant pieces of the law or case precedent and is unable to see the bigger picture regarding his case said that Tuesday’s ruling would likely be the last delay over competency there comes a time when enough is enough,” the judge said “I’ve concluded that there should be one more try at this issue.” Adam Ferrise covers federal courts at cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer. You can find his work here .st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By Matt Goul, cleveland.comNORTH ROYALTON North Royalton turned an early deficit into a big lead on its home floor Dylan Lakatos swiped five of his six steals in the first quarter and Antonio Escano knocked down two of his six 3-pointers in that stretch sending the Bears to a 63-47 boys basketball victory Friday against Solon It marked a ninth straight win for the Bears (10-1, 6-1), who are 18th in this week’s cleveland.com Top 25 and lead the Suburban League’s National Conference 4-2) entered just a half-game back in the standings as both knocked off four-time defending league champion Brecksville-Broadview Heights early in this season This one not only established the Bears’ standing at the midway point of the regular season but also gave coach Nick Lapsevich his 100th career victory at the school great coached and I’m just happy for the kids.” Lapsevich reached the milestone in his seventh year although this season has come after a three-year hiatus in which he spent time on staff at Baldwin Wallace A physical education teacher at North Royalton he took back the school’s boys basketball coaching job in the spring for Ryan Holliday and has a squad that graduated only three seniors from last season’s 16-win team they are already within striking distance of that victory mark 100 in Lapsevich’s career — came Friday with the Bears jumping out to a 10-point lead in the first quarter and 13-point advantage just before halftime while fighting off a Solon squad that would not go away North Royalton’s defense and ball movement proved too much “Coach Laps really preaches defense,” Lakatos said It helps us get those steals and deflections.” The Bears used those plays to work quickly in transition but often not without swinging the ball around in half-court sets They assisted on 20 of their 27 field goals led by junior point guard Sean Bunsey with six assists Lakatos dished out five assists to go with his six steals “Dylan is such a competitor,” Lapsevich said “He doesn’t want to lose out at a game of chess He’s going to dig in and give everything he’s got.” That effort translated into a game-high 24 points by Escano and 17 from sophomore guard Lincoln Lee “I think part of our success is because it’s different guys every night for us,” Lakatos said I think that’s really hard to guard when all five guys on the court could score.” Solon senior forward Davon Simmons led the Comets with 23 points off the bench Luke Kormuth added nine points and eight rebounds for the Comets who next play Tuesday at home against rival Twinsburg Sasha Sunjevaric hauled in eight rebounds North Royalton which will be at Stow-Munroe Falls on Tuesday Contact sports reporter Matt Goul on X (@mgoul), Threads (@mgoul) or email (mgoul@cleveland.com) Share on FacebookShare on X (formerly Twitter)Share on PinterestShare on LinkedInNORTH ROYALTON Ohio (WOIO) - A missing 15-year-old girl has been found safe North Royalton Police posted Carlie Gandolf’s picture on their Facebook page Friday morning police updated that the teenager was located Ohio — A milestone victory for returning coach Nick Lapsevich came at the regular season’s midway point for North Royalton which used plenty of ball movement and defensive pressure Friday to beat Solon The Bears’ 63-47 win marked their ninth straight and gave Lapsevich the 100th victory of his coaching career who retook the boys basketball coaching job at North Royalton after a three-year hiatus His team, which is ranked 18th in the cleveland.com Top 25 used an eight-point run early to take control and not look back Junior Antonio Escano scored a game-high 24 points Senior Dylan Lakatos added 11 points with six steals and five assists Sophomore Lincoln Lee scored 17 points and junior point guard Sean Bunsey dished out six assists Davon Simmons led Solon (5-5) with 23 points off the bench See how it unfolded and hear from Lapsevich with Lakatos Ohio — Antonio Escano didn’t know if he still wanted to play basketball but that all changed for North Royalton’s returning basketball players last spring when Nick Lapsevich once again became their school’s coach Lapsevich stepped down from the position just as both were approaching high school “I’ve known him my whole life pretty much,” said Lakatos, a senior guard and the team’s leading scorer An opportunity to coach college basketball led Lapsevich away from North Royalton for the last three seasons He remained at the high school as a physical education teacher but long hours and travel balancing high school teaching with college coaching at Baldwin Wallace brought him back to a bench he knew so well for six seasons The North Royalton job opened after Ryan Holliday resigned last March “This is where I belong,” Lapsevich said Friday night after the Bears’ 63-47 home win against Solon I’m pretty fortunate to have the opportunity to come back and do this and I just wanted us to do something really special this year.” Lapsevich reached the 100-win milestone and North Royalton (10-1), which is ranked 18th in the cleveland.com Top 25 The Bears are in first place of the Suburban League National Conference with big wins against not only the Comets who had a shot to unseat them from atop the standings Friday but also defending champ Brecksville-Broadview Heights The only team to beat the Bears this season The Bulldogs handed North Royalton its only loss on Dec Lapsevich looked back on it as a “really bad loss.” “I love our resilience through it,” he said “I think we had some things to figure out a little bit and we’re really taking pride defensively.” All but three players are back from North Royalton’s contending squad last year under Holliday Their season ended early in the Division I tournament at home vs With the OHSAA’s expansion to seven divisions North Royalton will compete in Division II this season with an experienced group of guards in Lakatos The Bears have size inside with 6-foot-6 Sasha Sunjevaric an All-Ohio punter in the fall for the football team and emerging sophomore guard in Lincoln Lee They also have depth with returning 6-3 junior forward Mehar Kandola and junior guard Omar Suleiman whose older brother Jadallah led the team in scoring last season it kind of circled around him,” Bunsey said Lapsevich didn’t push too hard in the summer with implementing a new offense he gave them a goal centered around sharing the ball “That’s one thing our coach nonstop presses us about is be the best passing team in Ohio,” said Escano who benefitted Friday from that passing for six 3-pointers and 24 points Lapsevich’s laid-back approach to start his second tenure welcomed Escano back with basketball on his mind “I wouldn’t be here without him,” Escano said “Going up to his basketball camps that we had at the high school from when I was in third grade,” Bunsey said “we really are the sons this dude doesn’t have.”