Tag Archive for: Boardman

BOARDMAN KEEPS PACE IN THE AAC

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The All-American Conference (AAC) always has fun, energetic matchups amongst the five member schools consistently between both the boys and girls. However, when considering Austintown-Fitch and Boardman, there may not be a better rivalry inside the conference. When The Spartans anThe Falcons lock horns, it is bound to be a good matchup, the type you throw records and stats out the window. Wednesday night in Austintown was no different! With the first matchup of the season on the hardwood between the two programs occurring on the girls side. 

Heading into Wednesday, both programs had a lot riding into this game when considering a conference championship. With Fitch dropping their first conference game, earlier this season, against The Canfield Cardinals. While The Spartans had a thriller, comeback, victory against The Howland Tigers in their only other conference bout. Meaning Fitch needed a win to keep pace in the conference and Boardman needed the win to keep hold of first place. 

The Spartans came out with high energy! Knocking down multiple shots to quickly take an 11-0 lead on The Falcons. Fitch was able to battle back, hitting back-to-back shots from distance to cut their deficit to five after the first quarter of play. Leading into the second, Austintown continued chipping away at Boardmans lead, with girls like Sam Severn and Kylie Folkwein finding their shots from distance. The Spartans held a slim lead, 18-17, at the half. 

By the second half, both squads were dead set on beating their rival. With one look at the rebounding battle, it was apparent, with Jocelyn Jourdan having a great night for Fitch both on the boards and as a scoring threat. On the other side, Cami Goske made life and Gia Triveri made life difficult from the elbows to the blocks, as the two owned the pain for The Spartans! The third quarter saw much of the same as the first half showed, with the two teams exchanging a dozen points each. Giving some drama for the final eight minutes, with the lead still favoring Boardman by a single point, 30-29. 

By quarter four, The Spartans seized control of the ballgame. With Mackenzie Riccitelli continuing to impress with her scoring ability, the combo guard continued to be dangerous from all spots on the court. Paired with her passing ability, Riccitelli helped lead Boardman to a game-clinching, fourth quarter run against their rivals! Nailing down some big free throws to put the game on ice, Boardman outscored Fitch 17-8 in the final quarter to capture their second win in the conference. 

After the loss, the next time Fitch (2-6)(0-2) will be in action will be in The South Range Holiday Tournament, starting on Wednesday, December 28th. Following the win, Boardman (5-3)(2-0) now has their weights set on a premier area matchup with The Salem Quakers (9-1)(4-1). As that non-conference matchup between The Quakers and The Spartans will occur in Boardman on Wednesday, December 28th. 

Interviews with Spartans Head Coach Jeff Hammerton and Player of the Game Mackenzie Riccitelli can be found below! 

 

Scoring (Boardman)

Mackenzie Riccitelli: 18 PTS. (Player of the Game)

Cami Goske: 12 PTS.

Ava Freeborough: 6 PTS.

Gia Triveri: 4 PTS.

Bella Martin: 4 PTS.

Reagan Smith: 3 PTS.

Scoring (Fitch)

Jocelyn Jourdan: 15 PTS.

Kylie Folkwein: 10 PTS. 

Zayda Creque: 4 PTS.

Sam Severn: 3 PTS.

Kara Pirone: 3 PTS.

Rachel Spalding: 2 PTS.

 

Scoring by Quarter

Q1: Boardman 11 – 6 Fitch

Q2: Boardman 7 – 11 Fitch.

Q3: Boardman 12 – 12 Fitch

Q4: Boardman 17 – 8 Fitch

Final: Boardman 47 – 38 Fitch

*Contributed By YSN’s Ty Bartell

SPARTANS NEVER SAY DIE

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HOWLAND CENTER, OH – The Boardman Spartans pulled off a comeback age for the ages. On the road at Howland, they would claw back from a 30-11 second-quarter deficit as they edged the Tigers 53-49 to open up AAC play. It all started when they used a 17-4 run to end the first half to only be down 34-28 at the break. In fact, the Spartans trailed throughout the majority of the game before they took the lead with less than two minutes to go.

 

The win was sealed by the Spartans’ own Mackenzie Riccitelli. The junior sank two clutch free throws and then got a layup off of a steal, all in a matter of the game’s final ten seconds. She led all scorers on the night with 26 points while going a perfect 10/10 from the line.

 

Despite being picked apart by the Howland offense with 24 first quarter points, the Spartan defense adjusted by shutting down the lanes and crashing the boards. Other key contributors behind Riccitelli include Faith Walston with her 9 points and Bella Martin (6 points) grabbing key offensive rebounds in transition. Sarah Bero also came in with 5 points and 9 boards.

 

Boardman (3-3. 1-0 AAC) will stay on the road this Saturday when they travel out to Girard. The Spartans will look to go above .500 for the first time since the 2018-19 season. The Indians are currently 4-2 and will play at Hubbard before Saturday’s game.

 

Howland (2-4, 0-1 AAC) will drop their second-straight as they will take a week off before starting their annual Toni Ross Holiday Tournament next Wednesday against Warren Harding. The Tigers won this tournament last year by beating Maplewood 67-35 and Champion 60-35. They swept the Raider last season by scores of 68-32 at home and 52-20 on the road.

 

Boardman coach Jeff Hammerton talked to YSN’s Noah Ricks as he reflected on the Spartans’ miraculous win. The full interview can be watched below.

*Contributed By YSN’s Noah Ricks

BOARDMAN BENCH COMES UP BIG

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BLARDMAN OH- In his postgame press conference, Boardman head coach Jeff Hammerton said that Reagan Smith’s last practice was the best one she had all season. The hope is always that a player will use that momentum. We’ll Smith did just that becoming a huge factor off the bench in Boardman’s 55-24 win over Mooney.

Smith paced the way for the Spartans with a game-high 16 points.  Mackenzie Riccitelli was also in double figures scoring 13 for Boardman.  Ava Freeborough added 6 points to the cause as well.  Mooney was led by Olivia Rouser who chipped in 13 hard earned points.

Boardman will start up conference play on Wednesday as they hit the road to Howland.  Mooney will try to bounce back Saturday on the road against Austintown Fitch.

 

POLAND’S BALANCE PROVES KEY TO VICTORY

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BOARDMAN OH- It wasn’t a night for Poland where one player went off on the score sheet, but that proved to be okay. The Bulldogs found themselves in a dogfight with Boardman. After battling for four quarters, the teams were still all tied up. Poland made just enough plays to escape their first road test with a 51-48 win.

Arianna Daniels led the Bulldogs with 10 points on the night. The Dogs had 5 players with 7 points or more. Ava Nicholudis had a strong night with 9 points. Both Mary Brant, and Katie McDonald finished the day with 8 points. Rounding out the scoring was Sarah Forsyth with 7 points.

Gia Triveri was a tough puzzle for the Poland defense. She finished with a game-high 16 points. Mackenzie Riccitelli was also in double figures for Boardman with 14 points.  Bella Martin put together a solid 9 point performance.

After this exciting win Poland will look forward to NE8 play as they open their conference slate on Thursday at home against Girard.  Boardman will return to action on Saturday as they host Cardinal Mooney.

1987 CARDINAL MOONEY AND BOARDMAN FOOTBALL REVISITED- 35 YEARS LATER

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By Radar Pavlov

This weekend will mark the Golden Anniversary of the Ohio High School Athletic Association Football Championships from Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium at the Pro Football Hall if Fame in Canton, Ohio.

Here in the Mahoning Valley, we have a rich tradition of seeing High School Football over the years.

Many of us that lived in the Mahoning Valley in the past and in the here-in-now present still remember the 1973 Class AAA Football Championship Game between Cardinal Mooney and Warren Western Reserve, the 3 times that 3 schools from the Mahoning Valley that played in the Football Championship Game:

1989: Campbell Memorial (Division III), Warren JFK (Division IV), McDonald (Division V),

1994: West Branch (Division III), Wellsville (Division V), McDonald (Division VI),

2022: Canfield (Division III), South Range (Division V), and Warren JFK (Division VII),

2009 with Cardinal Mooney and Ursuline (Division V) winning football state titles in their respective divisions.

And then, there was the year of 1987, the year that Cardinal Mooney won their fourth OHSAA Football title under the late Don Bucci in Division III while Boardman came oh so close to winning it all in Division I.

This year marks 35 years since Mooney’s and Boardman’s Football deep run to the OHSAA Championship Round.

If you’re a football fan living in the Mahoning Valley that follows High School Football regularly, here was how we got to ‘87.

In the first 11 years of the OHSAA Football Playoffs, between the years of 1972 and 1982 – 4 different schools from the Mahoning Valley won an OHSAA Football Championship on 6 different occasions:

Brookfield – 1978 (Class AA)

Cardinal Mooney – 1973 (Class AAA), 1980 (Division II), 1982 (Division II)

Warren Harding – 1974 (Class AAA)

Warren Western Reserve – 1972 (Class AAA)

In the 4 years that proceeded 1987 between the years of 1983 and 1986, only Cardinal Mooney played for an OHSAA Football Title during that period, but they were shut out by Gallion, 6-0, in the 1985 OHSAA Division III Football Championship Game played at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio.

Coming into the 1987 High School Football season in the Mahoning Valley, the Mahoning Valley was coming off a fourth straight season of no school winning an Ohio High School Athletic Association Football Title of any of the 5 Division classes in 1986.

Going into 1987, the Boardman Spartans Varsity Football Team had never made an Ohio High School Athletic Athletic Association Football Postseason Appearance which includes the years that Boardman was led by a future Miami Hurricanes NCAA National Champion and Cleveland Browns Quarterback by the name of Bernie Kosar (1979 to 1981) while the Cardinal Mooney Cardinals Varsity Football Team we’re perennial OHSAA Football postseason Contenders, but was coming off an embarrassing playoff upset by Campbell Memorial in the Ohio High School Athletic Association Division III Region 9 Semifinals the previous year.

There were three other Mahoning Valley schools that qualified for the OHSAA Football Playoffs in that memorable year of 1987: Struthers (Division III Region 9, defeated Orrville in the Regional Semifinals; lost to Cardinal Mooney in the Regional Finals), Springfield Local (Division IV Region 13, lost to Gate Mills Hawken in the Regional Semifinals) and McDonald (Division V Region 17, lost to Mogadore in the Regional Semifinals), but Boardman and Cardinal Mooney we’re the cream of the crop in High School Football in the Mahoning Valley in 1987.

Here is a look at those two schools from 1987, beginning with the school that almost won it all in OHSAA Division I, the Boardman Spartans.

1987 Boardman Spartans Football

Led by Boardman Head Football Coach Bill Bohren, the Boardman Spartans Football posted a record of 7-2 in the regular season which was good for a #3 Seed in the OHSAA Football Division I Region 1 Computer Rankings at the end of the regular season to qualify for the playoffs for the first time in school history. Only losses to New Castle (Week 1, 1987) and future OHSAA 1987 Division III Football State Champion Cardinal Mooney (Week 6, 1987) prevented Boardman from going undefeated during their 1987 Regular Season.

While Boardman’s Offense scored only 165 points in their 9 regular season contests (conservative in today’s OHSAA Football), Boardman’s defense was king, posting shutouts in 5 games during the regular season, allowing a total of 29 points.

In the OHSAA Playoffs in ‘87, Boardman took full advantage of being in the football postseason for the first time in school history by posting their 6th shutout of 1987 by upsetting Euclid, 31-0, in the Division I Region 1 Semifinals played in Mentor, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland, then in the greatest football game in Boardman history, they upset a Cleveland St. Joseph team that featured a future Heisman Trophy from Michigan, a future Super Bowl MVP and college football analyst by the name of Desmond Howard in 3 overtimes, 20-19, in the Division I Region 1 Finals played at the old Rubber Bowl in Akron. Boardman then defeated Sandusky in the Division III Semifinals 21-14, in a game played at the Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio before losing to Cincinnati Princeton, 14-7, in the Division III Championship Game also in Columbus.

Boardman Spartans Football had never advanced to the Ohio High School Athletic Association Football Championship Game before 1987, and they never advanced to one since 1987, even though Boardman made a State Semifinal appearance in 1995 in Division I.

Here is a game-by-game results summary of 1987 Boardman Spartans Football:

9-4-1987 0 at New Castle 9

9-11-1987 35 Chaney 0

9-19-1987 35 at Lorain Admiral King 6

10-2-1987 47 Howland 0

10-10-1987 6 vs. Cardinal Mooney (at YSU) 7

10-16-1987 7 Ursuline 0

10-23-1987 32 Indiana (PA) 7

10-30-1987 3 at Austintown Fitch 0

11-6-1987 10 South 0

11-14-1987 * 31 Euclid (at Mentor, Ohio) 0

11-21-1987 * 20 Cleveland St. Joseph (3OT) (at Akron, Ohio) 19

11-28-1987 * 21 Sandusky (at Columbus, Ohio) 14

12-5-1987 * 7 Cincinnati Princeton (at Columbus, Ohio) 14

*-OHSAA Football Division I Playoffs Head Coach: BILL BOHREN Record: 10-3

Next, the one that won it all in OHSAA Division III, were the Cardinal Mooney Cardinals.

1987 Cardinal Mooney Cardinals Football

Led by Cardinal Mooney Head Football Coach Don Bucci, the Cardinal Mooney Cardinals Football team posted a regular season record of 8-1 in 1987 which was good for a #1 Seed in the OHSAA Football Division III Region 9 Computer Rankings at the end of the regular season to qualify for the playoffs. Only a loss to a Cleveland St. Joseph team that featured Howard and a future Michigan and NFL journeyman quarterback named Elvis Grbac in Week 2 prevented a perfect season for Cardinal Mooney. While Mooney’s Offense scored only 135 points in 9 games of regular season play, Mooney’s defense permitted only 29 points from their opponents, posting shutouts in 6 regular season games for Mooney.

In the OHSAA playoffs, Mooney football kicked it into another gear by outscoring their 4 Division III football playoff opponents by a combined score of 95-10 in victories over Wickliffe (21-0, Division III Region 9 Semifinals at Stambaugh Stadium), Struthers (21-3, Division III Region 9 Finals at Stambaugh Stadium), Elyria Catholic (23-0, Division III Semifinals at Berea, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland) and Thornville Sheridan (30-7, Division III Finals at Ohio Stadium on the campus of the Ohio State University, in Columbus, Ohio) to claim their 4th OHSAA Football Championship under Don Bucci while posting 2 more shutouts bring their season total of shutouts to 8 games overall while becoming the first Ohio High School Football school to win OHSAA football championships in 3 different classes: (1973 – AAA, 1980 – II, 1982 – II).

Sadly, it would be the last OHSAA football title for Mooney Football under Bucci even though they would make 3 state semifinals appearances in the 1990s (1990, 1996, 1999, all in Division III), and they would not win it all again until 2004 under Bucci’s successor, P.J. Fedko.

Here is a game-by-game results summary of 1987 Cardinal Mooney Cardinals Football:

9-5-1987 28 Ashtabula (at YSU) 0

9-11-1987 11 Cleveland St. Joseph (at YSU) 20

9-18-1987 7 at Austintown Fitch 3

9-25-1987 8 at Canton McKinley 0

10-10-1987 7 Boardman (at YSU) 6

10-16-1987 15 at Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary’s 0

10-24-1987 20 at Cincinnati St. Xavier 0

10-31-1987 14 Ursuline (at YSU) 0

11-6-1987 25 vs. Chaney (at YSU) 0

11-13-1987 * 21 Wickliffe (at YSU) 0

11-20-1987 * 21 Struthers (at YSU) 3

11-27-1987 * 23 Elyria Catholic (at Berea, Ohio) 0

12-4-1987 * 30 Thornville Sheridan (at Columbus, Ohio) 7

*-OHSAA Football Division III Playoffs Head Coach: DON BUCCI Record: 12-1

As this unforgettable 2022 High School Football season in the Mahoning Valley comes to a close this weekend in Canton, Ohio, all of us at YSN would like to say a big thank you to the student-athletes, the coaches, and the families of the 1987 Boardman Spartans Football and 1987 Cardinal Mooney Cardinals Football teams 35 years later for making our community proud of all of the accomplishments from that great year of 1987.

To share a quote from a hit song from 1987, both Boardman and Cardinal Mooney Football had the time of their lives in the year 1987.

Until the next On The Radar, this is Radar Pavlov reporting for YSN Live.

CARDINALS UP FOR THE TASK

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BOARDMAN, OH- Basketball season is underway as we are already seeing some big comebacks, like the one in Boardman as the Spartans hosted Cardinal Mooney Friday night. Boardman got the better start, but Mooney turned the tide as the first half came to an end. The momentum swing carried over into the second half as the Cardinals roared back in the third and stood tall in the fourth to come away with a 47-38 victory over the Spartans.
It seemed as if Boardman would be the better team from the start as Mooney was just behind cutting the lead various times within the first half. In the second, Mooney slowly turned the notch up and ended the first half with a buzzer beater to tie it up at 21 going into halftime. To start the second half, the roles reversed as Mooney came out and used the momentum to get a lead and Boardman was fighting to cut the deficit. The Mooney offense turned out to be too much for the Spartans in the fourth quarter as the Cardinals extended their lead out of the reach of Boardman.
For Mooney, Rocco Turner led the way with 14 points. Nick Pregibon added 11 for the Cardinals on the night.
For Boardman, David D’Altorio led the way with 14 points of his own.
Looking ahead, Mooney will be back in action at home Tuesday night as they will host Urban Academy. For Boardman, they will also be back in action Tuesday night as they go on the road and will travel to Hickory.

*Contributed By YSN’s Brendan Miller

LEOPARDS HOLD UP FOR FIRST WIN

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LOUISVILLE OH- It’s been a tough opening for Louisville. Their first two games of the season were against power houses in Division 1, and it wouldn’t get any easier on Wednesday as they welcomed in a up and coming Boardman team. The Leopards jumped out to an early lead, and then had to keep a Spartans comeback from getting out of control. They’d go on to hoist their first win of the season 51-46.

Brooke Haren has been leading the Leopards all season, and that trend didn’t change. She scored 17 points to lead the way.  Taryn Miglich was right behind her scoring 14 points to get herself in double figures.  Taylor McCully also finished in double digits for Louisville scoring 11.

Mackenzie Riccitelli finished the game with a game-high 18 points for Boardman.  Gia Triveri put in an important 10 points.  Boardman came back from being down 14-2 after one quarter of play.  They won, or tied the next three quarters.

Louisville is now 1-2 and will continue play on Thursday December 8th as they host Howland.  Boardman will return home to host Poland on Monday.

BOARDMAN IS BACK; RACES PAST RAIDERS

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CANFIELD, OH- If you thought the Boardman Lady Spartans basketball program was going to be down for long- you thought wrong.  The Lady Spartans got things back on track in a big way, beating South Range 44-20 in the Thrillerdome on Monday night.

Nearly a week after giving up 66 points to Marlington, Head Coach Jeff Hammerton focused on defense in practices, and it paid off against the Lady Raiders.  Boardman held South Range in check from the jump as they outscored Range 15-2 in the first stanza and 28-4 at the break.

South Range would find some rhythm in the second half with a 5-0 run led by Taylor McClish’s 3-pointer, but Boardman proved to be too much with their suffocating defense throughout the contest.

Mackenzie Riccitelli led all scorers with 17 points in the victory.  Gia Triveri was all over the court and posted 11 tallies as well.  Cami Goske and Bella Martin each chipped in five points as well.

For South Range, Taylor McClish paced the Raiders with five points, Emma Cunningham and Giada Pauline had four apiece.  Ceci Foster hit a three late in the contest, and Devin Sauerwein and Sydney Penick contributed a bucket, respectively.

South Range falls to 0-2 and will look to face Ursuline on 12/5, while Boardman evens things at 1-1 and will host Poland the following Monday at 7pm.

 

BOARDMAN BASKETBALL COACH’S CORNER (EP 1) WITH PAT BIRCH

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BOARDMAN OH- Can you feel the anticipation for hoops season? As the calendar continues to flip, the weather gets a bit colder, and basketball gets a bit closer. There are so many reasons to be excited about Boardman basketball this year. The Spartans have sustained success over the last couple seasons, and there is no reason to believe that won’t continue this year. Last season the Spartans finished the year 15-9 (7-1) they finished 1st in the conference, and it wasn’t particularly close.  This season Boardman opens up their quest for a repeat crown on November 22 in the Canton Fieldhouse against Canton McKinley.

Head coach Pat Birch was kind enough to come on an interview with YSN’s Running Point to give us a peak behind the curtain. Not only do they preview the Spartans season, they go over the roster, the schedule, and all the reasons to be excited about the year ahead. Don’t miss out! Check out Episode 1 of Coach’s Corner with Pat Birch

 

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BOARDMAN GIRLS BASKETBALL COACH’S CORNER (EP 1) WITH JEFF HAMMERTON

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BOARDMAN OH- It’s the start of a new era in Boardman Girls Basketball, although Jeff Hammerton isn’t new to this program. He does take his first year back in the head coaching chair this season for the Spartans.  He has brought excitement to the program, and what they’re building. The Spartans were young and talented last season. They finished the year at 8-15.  They had plenty of games that they felt they could have won, so there’s no surprise they expect to improve that record this year.  They will start aiming for that goal on November 28 on the road at South Range.

Coach Hammerton took the time to hop on an interview with YSN’s Ty Bartell to give us a solid preview of the Spartans season. They go over key names on the roster, interesting matchups that appear on the schedule, and much more. Get ready Spartans fans basketball is right around the corner. Check out Episode 1 of Coach’s Corner With Jeff Hammerton.

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