Cards defeat Boardman

Mooney beat the Spartans 23-17 in their first meeting since the 2003 season.

By JOE SCALZO

Vindicator sports staff

BOARDMAN — The end came not with a roar, but (depending on what side of the stadium you were on) a sigh of relief or of frustration.

The first Boardman-Mooney football game in six years lived up to the hype from an effort and drama standpoint — but not necessarily from an execution standpoint — as the Cardinals held off the Spartans down the stretch for a 23-17 victory Friday in front of at least 8,500 fans at Boardman Stadium.

Senior Braylon Heard, a West Virginia recruit, sealed it with his second interception on the game’s last play. But there was no massive celebration, as both teams knew they had done enough to win — and enough to lose.

“I wish we had done better, but beating Boardman 23-17 is good for our program,” said senior John Stoops, who had two Mooney’s five interceptions. “This sets the tone for our season.

“There was, what, like 12,000 fans? The intensity was great on both sides of the ball. Both teams going back and forth. Just a great game.”

Defense dominated for much of the contest, with Heard making the biggest play of the game early in the third quarter. Trailing 9-7, Boardman drove to Mooney’s 20 on its first drive of the second half. On third and 9, Rob Boyd tried to throw into zone coverage near the Cardinals’ 5. Heard picked it, then took it 94 yards for a crucial touchdown, giving Mooney a 16-7 lead.

Minutes later, Stoops made the game’s second-biggest play.

On the ensuing possession, the Spartans drove to Mooney’s 1 — a drive set up by a 71-yard pass from Boyd to Chase Hammond. On third-and-goal, Boyd’s pass was tipped by Don D’Alesio and Stoops grabbed it in the end zone.

The Cardinals then drove 80 yards in six plays, with Karrington Griffin scoring from 7 yards out to make it 23-7.

“In these types of games, momentum swings are enormous,” said Mooney coach P.J. Fecko. “One of the things we talked to the guys about was, when the other team gets some momentum, we’ve got to find a way to swing it back as soon as possible.

“Thankfully we found a way to do that.”

Although the Spartans dominated the rest of the half, those mistakes proved costly.

But Boardman cut the deficit to six midway through the fourth and had a golden opportunity to take control with 4:35 left and the ball on its own 48.

But Stoops again picked off Boyd and the Spartans never seriously threatened on their last two possessions.

“Imagine that — five turnovers and we still had a chance to win at the end,” said Boardman coach D.J. Ogilvie, shaking his head. “That’s a tribute to our defense and how hard the kids played.”

The Spartans bottled up Heard — he had just 25 yards on 13 carries — and held the Spartans to just 166 net yards, with 53 of those coming on a long run by Charlie Brown. Cardinal senior Ray Vinopal touched the ball just twice, fumbling both away on Mooney’s first two possessions.

“Obviously, we got ourselves in a heck of a mess at the beginning of the game,” said Fecko.

Mark Brandenstein, who had a monster game on defense, had Mooney’s other TD, a 6 yard run in the first quarter.

Boyd, a senior two-year starter, completed 6 of 17 passes for 188 yards, including three to Hammond for 156. He also had 35 yards rushing, while senior Tyler Walls had 33 yards on 11 carries before suffering a dislocated ankle midway through the fourth. He left out on a stretcher and was taken to St. Elizabeth’s.

The game succeeded in capturing the city’s attention, and Stoops said it’s one he’ll never forget.

“I’m a Boardman kid,” said Stoops, whose father Ron is the defensive coordinator and whose brother Joe had the game’s other interception. “I live in Boardman and I went to St. Charles, so it’s great to get a chance to play all your friends and showcase your talents.

“It’s great to get this win under our belt and get the ball rolling and get on the way to a state championship.”

scalzo@vindy.com