Tag Archive for: spartans

SPARTANS RUN AWAY WITH VICTORY OVER HICKORY

POLAND, OH- Boardman had an impressive neutral-site victory, 62-49 over a talented Hickory Hornets team in the United Way Holiday Classic at Poland High School.

Derrick Anderson shined for the Spartans with 29 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists. Tommy Fryda had a very good game for the Spartans with 11 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 rebounds. Connor Miller had a big presence for the Spartans scoring 6 points and grabbing 5 rebounds. Zach Ryan played great defense and tallied 5 points and grabbed 3 rebounds. Ethan Anderson had a huge defensive night with 6 blocks to go along with 7 rebounds and 4 points. Daeone Martin attacked the rim well for 4 points to go along with 3 assists. Charlie Davis had a very solid night, scoring with a big 3 point shot and grabbing 4 rebounds.

Boardman improves to 3-0 on the young season and will look to keep improving Tuesday night at home vs Uniontown Lake.

 

*Story contributed by Pat Birch and boardmanathletics.com

POLAND UNITED IN WIN OVER BOARDMAN

POLAND OH- The Poland Lady Bulldogs hosted the United Way Classic Saturday and won their matchup on the day over Boardman 56-33.

The Bulldogs defense kept on their dominating as they held the Spartans to just 9 points in the first half. Boardman tried and tried to get open looks but it seemed every outside shot was highly contested. The Spartans did not shoot well from behind the arc. The Bulldogs complimented their strong defense with maybe their best offensive output of the season. They were up 30-9 at the break and their offense was starting to stay away from unforced turnovers. Connie Cougras was a big reason they had such offensive balance. She went 2 for 4 from three and gave the Bulldogs a great lift off the bench. The game was pretty much decided at the half. Coach Blanch used an opportunity to get younger kids into a big atmosphere. Almost everyone that got in the game was able to get on the scoreboard. And those that didn’t still get their name in the stat book with rebounds or assists. An entire team effort helped Poland cruise to a 56-33 win.

Jackie Grisdale led the Bulldogs with 13 points and 9 rebounds. Kailyn Brown was also in double figures with 12 points 8 rebounds. Connie Cougras finished with 9.

Poland returns to action Thursday as they travel to Jefferson.

SPARTANS DISTRIBUTE SCORING; SHOOT PAST LAKEVIEW

BOARDMAN, OH- Boardman used a big first quarter, outscoring Lakeview 26-4, to earn their first home win of the season 76-42.

Thirteen Spartans got in the scoring column, led by Derrick Anderson with 17 points, 8 assists, and 4 rebounds. Ethan Anderson had a big night inside with 14 points, 8 rebounds and 2 blocks. Andrew Clark was in double figures with 11 points, while also grabbing 3 rebounds. Tommy Fryda and Connor Miller each had 6 points. Fryda added 3 assists and Miller grabbed 3 rebounds and 2 steals. Joey Zahran added 5 points and 2 rebounds. Zach Ryan, Charlie Davis and Spencer Smith each connected on a triple for 3 points. Ryan also snagged 2 steals. Trey DePietro had an “and 1” to get 3 points on the night. Daeone Martin and Jimmy Goske each had 2 points, Martin dishing out 2 assists and snagging 2 steals as well.  Marco Stilliana rounded out the scoring with 1 point to go along with a great assist. Ty Ventresco added a couple of rebounds inside.

Boardman improves to 2-0 on the season. The Spartans play a very talented Hickory team at Poland on Saturday in the United Way Classic.

 

*Story contributed by Pat Birch and boardmanathletics.org

WEST BRANCH PROVES TOO MUCH FOR LADY SPARTANS

BELOIT, OH- Boardman dropped a game at West Branch on Saturday afternoon by the score of 72-38. The Spartans were 12-44 from the field and 11-25 at the line. Many easy missed opportunities in the first 20 minutes of the game dug the Spartans a 17 point deficit. West Branch hit a barrage of 3s, connecting on 8 triples in the second half alone to put the game well out of reach.

Boardman was lead by Raegan Burkey’s 10 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals. Bailey Moore added 7 points on only 3 shots. Katie Stamp tallied 6 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 steals. Maria Torres added 4 points from the free-throw line. Emma Tokarsky each scored 3 points. Serene Khatib and Dana Haus each added a basket. Gia Triveri added a free throw to cap off the scoring. The Spartans continue their travels around Mahoning County visiting rival Canfield next Thursday and then down 224 at Poland in the United Way Classic.

 

*Story contributed by Justin Coffin and boardmanathletics.org

BOARDMAN ETCHES FIRST VICTORY OVER LADY CARDS

BOARDMAN, OH- The Boardman Lady Spartans Basketball team picked up their first victory of the season with a comeback win over rival Cardinal Mooney 66-58. Down by as much as 11 and trailing by 9 at the half, Boardman exploded with a 28 point 3rd quarter to overcome the deficit and build a lead outscoring the Cardinals 43-26 in the second half for the 8 point win!

Maria Torres made her first start since January and went off for 17 points and 5 rebounds to lead the maroon and white in scoring. Katie Stamp, a Junior captain hit some huge 3rd and 4th court jumpers to extend the Spartans lead in the second half, scoring 14 points and grabbing 4 rebounds. Junior Captain, Emma Tokarsky was Boardman’s vocal leader on and off the court and scored 10 of her 12 points at the free-throw line knocking down 10 of her 12 free throw attempts along with 8 rebounds and 2 assists. Freshman guard Gia Triveri tallied 8 points on the night while Junior Serene Khatib played big minutes down the stretch with 7 points and 4 rebounds. Spartan PG and Junior Captain, Raegan Burkey fouled out late in the game but was huge in the win stuffing the stat sheet with 5 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, and 6 steals. Bailey Moore hit a big 3 pointer in the second half for the Spartans as well. Jenna Olexa, Jalaya Bailey, and Bella Martin played important minutes for the Spartans en route to the win!

The Spartans have a very difficult schedule coming up with 4 consecutive road games at West Branch, Canfield, Poland, and South Range. The Spartans take on the West Branch Warriors this Saturday with the JV tipping at noon and varsity to follow around 1:30.

 

*Story contributed by Justin Coffin and boardmanathletics.org

SPARTANS WIN THRILLER

CANTON, OH- Boardman opened up the season in dramatic fashion with a come from behind victory on the road at Canton Glenoak.  After trailing by 15 at halftime and as many as 22, the Spartans chipped away at Glenoak’s lead heading into the 4th. Both teams made big plays down the stretch but the Spartans led by Derrick Anderson and Daeone Martin prevailed 70-68.

Anderson had a career-high 30 points to go along with 5 rebounds and 3 assists. Martin had a big second half with 13 points, including 7/7 from the free-throw line to finish with 19 points for the game, along with 3 rebounds and 3 steals. Sophomore Trey DePietro had a big night with 8 points and 8 rebounds including many tip outs for extra possessions. Ethan Andersen battled inside and foul trouble on his way to 7 points and 5 rebounds. Tommy Fryda and Charlie Davis both hit timely 3’s along with great hustle plays. Connor Miller grabbed 4 rebounds along with 2 drawn charges. Zach Ryan had 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals in an all-around good effort.

Boardman’s next schedule game against Farrell has been postponed. The Spartans will play again next Tuesday vs Lakeview in the home opener.

 

*Story contributed by Pat Birch and boardmanathletics.com

BERNIE; THE BROWN FROM YOUNGSTOWN

By Scott Mincher

 

The high school playoffs are in full swing, The college season’s getting interesting and the playoff picture is taking shape in the pros. Depending on how you view life, It’s either fun or agonizing to be a football fan during November. It can be less gut-wrenching through, for a person or people to still be a fan of the game while rooting exclusively for players. This brings us to our first 2019 player profile. It brings me great delight to write about a guy that’s a legend with Boardman high school and with the Cleveland Browns, You probably guessed it, That man is Bernie Kosar. Depending on who you ask. He’ll go down as a local football favorite as well as a great pro quarterback who is the definition of veneration in Youngstown and Cleveland. Or one of the many really good quarterbacks who weren’t great or elite because he lost three AFC championship games to Hall Of Famer John Elway. Because of my age what I respect Bernie most for is his football mind and his ability to see a play and know what’s gonna happen before the play unfolds, So from my perspective, it’s all relative. One thing I think all fans that know anything about Bernie’s playing days agree he was a very smart and accurate quarterback. As a senior at Boardman high school, he earned Parade magazine All-American honors for the 1981 season. During his career at Boardman, his teams were 6-0 (during a strike-shortened season) and 8-2 his senior year, when he threw for 2,022 yards and 19 touchdowns and was named Ohio Player of the Year. In his junior year, the fall of 1980, Kosar claimed the starting quarterback job, despite the coaching staff’s trepidation about his throwing motion — a critique that would stay with him for years. “He doesn’t throw the ball, he lets go of it like a guy losing a bar of soap in the shower,” legendary sports columnist Jim Murray once wrote. “The first look you get at Kosar’s delivery you think it’s a gag. “I’ve seen bridal bouquets thrown with more velocity.” His mobility was another issue or lack thereof. Kosar’s cumbersome gait, his sidesaddle way of standing at the line to get his feet out of the way of his center at the snap, his arm slot, throwing motion, release point — it was all a hot mess. But inside that package was some special stuff, too — something virtually every coach at every level had to learn for himself Kosar had an elite football IQ and was frequently able to decipher a defense quicker than his coaches. He was also a pinpoint passer and had the toughness and moxie to move an offense against a superior foe. His penchant for delivering in the clutch would become another key trait, to the point he was described as a pressure junkie. “The ultimate way of how a quarterback is judged is on the end results. How I look is of no consequence to me,” Kosar said. “Sometimes I throw underhanded, side-armed, off the wrong foot, all the good stuff. But I’ve been doing that my whole life.”

The Boardman staff learned not to tamper with success and watched Bernie guide their squad to a 6-0 record. The season was sidetracked only by a teacher’s strike in the district that cost the Spartans a conference title and a playoff spot. But Bernie showed enough that coach Gene Pushic scrapped the program’s power-oriented attack to take advantage of their budding star’s arm talent. In 1981, Boardman finished 8-2 and just missed the playoffs. Kosar earned first-team All-Ohio recognition and was the state’s Division I offensive player of the year. He longed to attend Ohio State, but Earle Bruce couldn’t get past those mechanical flaws. Instead, Howard Schnellenberger was convinced of Kosar’s talent and wooed him to Miami, Fla. But before that, while he was still at Boardman, He was a basketball starter as a sophomore and eventually became Boardman’s leading scorer and rebounder. An excellent third baseman and pitcher in baseball, his father and one of his coaches figured that was his best sport. But Bernie’s passion was football. And, despite his unorthodox style, it was his future, too. You can find this and more on Bernie’s high school career as well as other stories about him on richlandsource.com As far as his college career goes, Bernie had a magical clutch performance against the Nebraska CornHuskers. He passed for 300 yards and two touchdowns, all while ending Nebraska’s 22 game winning streak and leading Miami to their first National Championship and winning 1983 Orange Bowl MVP honors, Arguably his greatest accomplishment at Miami. In 1984, he set Hurricane season records with 3,642 yards and 25 touchdowns, was a second-team All-American and finished fourth in Heisman Trophy voting. Kosar’s career completion percentage of 62.3 percent is still a Hurricanes record. In 1985 underclassmen had until April 15 to notify the league about their eligibility for the April 30 regular draft. In January 1985, a Florida television report stated that Kosar had decided to forgo his two years of eligibility and declare for the NFL Draft. Kosar denied the report at the time but added that he would keep his options open. At a March 15 news conference, Kosar announced that he would make himself available for the 1985 NFL Draft and that he would like to play for the Cleveland Browns in his native Ohio. After the announcement, both NFL and United States Football League teams were interested and Kosar’s agent, John Geletka, even met with the USFL’s commissioner, Harry Usher to confirm the USFL’s interest level.

After a prolonged NFL draft controversy. On June 25, 1985, Kosar became officially eligible for the supplemental draft when he took his exam finals and the university notified the NFL front office that he had graduated. On July 3, 1985, the Browns selected Kosar and signed him to a five-year contract.

Some of his biggest career highlights with the Browns are when he had his most productive year statistically in 1987. During that strike-shortened season, he completed 62 percent of his passes for 3,033 yards and 22 touchdowns and led the AFC in quarterback rating. He’d also go on to set a record for consecutive playoff games with at least three touchdown passes (3 games) having thrown three scores against both Indianapolis and Denver in 1987, and three against Buffalo in 1989. Some other career accolades include setting an NFL record for consecutive pass attempts without an interception with 286. In 1990 and 1991, Kosar set a league record by throwing 308 consecutive passes without an interception, which stood for almost two decades. Being a two time Pro Bowler in 1987 and 1989, and helping the Cowboys get to Super Bowl XXVIII by filling in for Troy Aikman and passing for a touchdown in a victory. He would end up taking the last snap in Super Bowl XXVIII getting a ring as the Cowboys backup quarterback. For as many great accomplishments that Kosar achieved in his career, Our team at YSN was able to find a quote from Bernie stating that he had only one regret. “My goal was to win a Super Bowl for Cleveland,” Kosar said. “It’s why I wanted to play here in the first place. It’s home.” (Quote via richlandsource.com)

It’s quotes like that that make Bernie Kosar an idol in Youngstown and Cleveland even to this day. and even more, the reason why I like to think of him as Bernie The Wonderful Brown from Youngstown!!

BOARDMAN FOOTBALL COACH’S CORNER (EP. 7) WITH JOE IGNAZIO

Week nine saw Coach Joe Ignazio and the Boardman Spartans host the Austintown Fitch Falcons. Unfortunately the Spartans fell just a little short. Week ten will be a new opportunity for Boardman as they will welcome the Cardinals from Canfield to Spartan Stadium on Friday night.

The legendary Steve Leslie, caught up with Coach Ignazio this week to talk about Spartans season and also what his squad needs to do to close out the 2019 football season with a win.

 

All that and more in this week’s episode of Boardman Spartans football coach’s corner with head coach, Joe Ignazio!

 

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SIMONS SHATTERS RECORDS; FITCH FLIES OVER SPARTANS

BOARDMAN, OH- It may be an understatement to talk about the Austintown Fitch’s excitement to have Junior Todd Simons back in the lineup.  After a tough loss last week to McDowell, the Falcons came out to face their rival Boardman- and showed no mercy.

The Falcon football team found their way back in the win column in dominating fashion.  For the 4th year in a row, the Falcons beat rival Boardman 40-14 Friday night.  The Falcons set the tone in the first quarter on their second drive when sophomore quarterback Devin Sherwood hooked up with junior receiver Todd Simons for a 99-yard touchdown pass, which is the longest touchdown pass in Fitch history.  Sherwood broke his own single-game passing record he set last week, throwing 20 for 23, 381 yards and 2 touchdowns.  Sherwood also rushed 11 times for 79 yards and 2 touchdowns.  Simons broke the single-game receiving yards record finishing the night with  7 receptions for 193 yards and 2 touchdowns and added an interception.  Sophomore running back Tyree Mitchell added a 3-yard touchdown run in the second quarter.  He finished the night with 10 carries and 55 yards.  Senior quarterback Allison Edwards added on to the Falcons victory with a 2-yard touchdown run in the 4th quarter.

The Falcons look to finish the season off strong when they head to Stambaugh Stadium next Friday night against Cardinal Mooney.

 

*Story contributed by Luke Peterson and austintownathletics.com

BOARDMAN FOOTBALL COACH’S CORNER (EP. 6) WITH JOE IGNAZIO

Week eight matched Coach Joe Ignazio and the Boardman Spartans up with the Ursuline Fighting Irish at Stambaugh Stadium and at the end of the night, the Spartans were going back home with a 34-19 victory. Up next in week nine, Boardman will take on the Austintown Fitch Falcons at Spartan Stadium on Friday night.

YSN’s own, Steve Leslie, sat down with Coach Ignazio this week to talk some Spartans football but also discussed what the Spartans need to do here in week nine to keep their playoff hopes alive.

 

Episode six of Boardman Spartans football coach’s corner with head coach, Joe Ignazio, is LIVE!

 

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