On a roll for Mooney

By Sean Barron

For Golden Cardinal guests, it’s more than just a game

Many participants were grateful to promote the school and see longtime friends.

YOUNGSTOWN — Even though he’s played on boccie teams for several years, the game was not the main motivation behind Greg DeAngelo’s decision to try his skills in an all-day tournament.

His main reason? To reach out to and honor his alma mater, Cardinal Mooney High School.

“Mooney is an excellent place to get a wonderful education,” the 1980 graduate said. “It’s a small-school camaraderie ... and you know all of your classmates.”

DeAngelo, an owner of DD 4 Hire in Boardman, said that he and his wife, Maribeth, play the game weekly.

He was one of more than 400 people who attended or participated in Sunday’s seventh annual Golden Cardinal Boccie Social at the MVR restaurant, 410 W. Walnut St.

The main purposes of the nine-hour fundraiser, hosted by the Golden Cardinals, a booster organization, were to raise money to provide scholarships for deserving students and help make it easier for youngsters to attend a private or religious school such as Mooney, a few organizers noted.

The scholarships are up to $1,000 and help roughly 20 new Mooney students annually, noted Ron Stoops, the school’s assistant football coach.

Between 10 and 15 people were on each of about 24 teams that competed by playing a minimum of three games in a round-robin fashion. The event wrapped up with a championship final.

First-place finishers received a football signed by Bob Stoops or Mark “Bo” Pelini, a Mooney graduate and the University of Nebraska’s head football coach.

Several teams found themselves as the recipients of special guests who stepped in throughout the tournament. They included middleweight boxing champion Kelly Pavlik, Pelini and his brother, Carl, University of Nebraska’s defensive coordinator.

Many of the sports figures such as Bob Stoops, a 1978 Mooney graduate and the University of Oklahoma’s head football coach, saw the tournament as an ideal opportunity to gather with friends and fellow alumni. Stoops wasn’t shy about expressing his feelings regarding his alma mater.

“It’s great to be around family and friends and to help Mooney any way I can,” he said, adding that playing boccie provides a great environment to interact with others.

The annual boccie tournament started as a marketing tool for Mooney and has evolved into an event that every year attracts many local and national sports personalities as well as alumni from near and far, noted Carmine Cassese, MVR’s owner.

“It’s grown into a great fundraiser for us,” Cassese said. “The celebrities enhance it.”

Also part of the festivities were Chinese and silent auctions with a variety of sports memorabilia given away. Items included autographed football helmets, YSU sweat shirts, jerseys by former OSU quarterback Troy Smith and other players, photographs of Pavlik and former baseball player Reggie Jackson, autographed footballs by former Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre and others, and fishing gear.

The coaches also were in town to assist with the Cardinal Mooney Camp of Champions, a two-day football camp that got under way today. Between 250 and 300 youngsters in grades four through nine were expected to attend the program at Mooney.