Wednesday, August 22, 2007
A pasta dinner awaits the
winner of a Thursday night
gridiron contest.
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
The jerseys are a pristine white, and everyone is dreaming of winning a championship.
The rite of fall passage in the Mahoning Valley and around the state — high school football — returns this weekend with a full slate of games.
In fact, there are five games on the docket for Thursday night, including the inaugural game for the new Youngstown East High School Panthers. Led by former Rayen School coach Brian Shaner, the Panthers travel to Canfield High School to face Mike Pavlansky’s Cardinals.
Pavlansky led the Cardinals to a share of the Metro Athletic Conference championship last season and a berth in the Division II playoffs.
East will feature potential Division I recruit, quarterback Sal Battles, and a number of players who led Rayen to a 7-3 record a season ago.
Also Thursday is the renewal of the annual “Spaghetti Bowl” game between Leetonia and Lisbon at War Memorial Stadium. The winning team gets rewarded with a spaghetti dinner.
At Stambaugh
Youngstown State University’s Stambaugh Stadium will be a busy place this weekend. Friday night, Cardinal Mooney High School plays host to Mentor in what will be a battle of two teams who played in state championship games last December.
The Cardinals won their second state crown in three years, and sixth overall, with a 26-12 victory over Plain City Jonathon Alder in the Division IV final, while Mentor (also called the Cardinals) lost to Hilliard Davidson, 36-35, in a thrilling double overtime finish in the Division I championship game.
Then, on Saturday, Ursuline High School unveils its 2007 team against Cleveland East Tech.
It’s also a good weekend for a number of rivalry games. In addition to the aforementioned Leetonia-Lisbon game, Chaney High and Austintown Fitch renew their intense rivalry Friday night at the refurbished Falcon Stadium.
Fitch put in a new artificial turf, one of several area schools to do so, and will officially debut it against the Cowboys, their West Side rivals.
For the first time in more than 20 years, a new head coach will patrol the sidelines for the Cowboys. Ron Berdis stepped down after last season, and Chaney graduate John Protopapa, who has years of experience as an assistant and head coach in the area, has taken over.
MVC, MAC
Campbell Memorial plays host to Warren JFK in a renewal of their rivalry from the Mahoning Valley Conference. The Red Devils and Eagles dominated the MVC for a number of years and even met a couple times in the playoffs.
Niles makes the short trip to face Girard in what should be an intriguing matchup. The Red Dragons are coming off a share of the MAC championship, while the Indians hope to continue their run of success under coach Bud McSuley.
So whether there are bragging rights or even a good pasta meal at stake, the weekend is sure to be full of the exciting brand of football that has made the Valley proud for decades.