Opponent Preview: Boardman (Week 1)

Here is the first of my previews of Mentor opponents for the 2014 season.  Every 2-3 days or so I will try to post some info on each opponent starting in Week 1 with Boardman.  It will lead up to the beginning of the season.

Week 1

Who: Boardman

What:  2014 regular season opener

Where:  Boardman Spartan Stadium

When:  August 29th at 7:00pm

Opposing Coach: Joe Ignazio (2nd season as head coach)

History:  These two teams did not play last season.  Mentor had Erie McDowell in Week 1 and Boardman had Hilliard Darby.

Looking Back...
Boardman and Mentor had very different 2013 seasons.  The Spartans finished with just one win - and it came against Massillon Perry (0-10).  Mentor (13-2) was the state runners-up.  Offensively, Boardman averaged 9.2 ppg last season.  Mentor scored 35+ in 13 of their 15 games.

Schedule...
Aside from replacing Hilliard Darby with Mentor, the 2014 schedule is the same as 2013.  Boardman has a rugged non-conference schedule which also includes Mooney (DIV runners-up in 2013), Fitch (12-1), and Poland (DIII regional semifinalist).  Boardman plays in the Federal League - consistently one of the state's top big school football conferences.  Even with some expected improvement, the Spartans will have their hands full again in 2014 with a pretty demanding schedule.

2014 Boardman Outlook...
Moving down to Division II last season, Boardman (1-9) had one of their most disappointing seasons in their proud program's history.  A low turnout led to the program cancelling the JV season, left with roughly 40 players in the program.  Most of the top offensive players (including their QB, top linemen, and leading rushers/receivers) from 2013 were seniors.  This was a team that didn't have a lot of success and really can't blame it on a rebuilding season with the number of seniors in key starting positions.  One position of strength will be at linebacker.   Evan Croutch and Mario Graziani received all-district mention.  Croutch (6'1, 225) was a standout LB that has multiple scholarship offers, including Buffalo.  Graziani, also a standout wrestler, was a standout sophomore last season.  Unfortunately for any Boardman fans reading, I don't expect a season much better than 2013.

Next Preview:  St Ignatius (Week 2)