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Boardman Gridiron makes football an event
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The Boardman High School Gridiron Club is seen with the large, inflatable tunnel the organization purchased for the team to emerge from during pregame entrances.
Boardman Gridiron Club
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By Jon Moffett
The Gridiron Club supports the football team and the community.
BOARDMAN — Though the calendar says fall, high school students are preparing for another season. Homecoming season.
“You start to feel that energy from the kids,” Tim Saxton said.
Saxton is in his seventh year as principal of Boardman High School. Saxton, a Boardman graduate, said the students give the school a complete makeover for the homecoming dance.
“They really transform our school cafeteria into something special,” Saxton said. “When I’m at the dance Saturday to chaperone, I barely recognize it as our cafeteria.”
The dance may be the marquee event, Saxton said, but the football game is what people come back for.
Boardman football is an event in itself, courtesy of the Gridiron Club.
“The Gridiron Club is an organization that is basically split into two ideas,” said Len Morris, president of the club. “One is to support community spirit and the other is to support the football team.”
Morris, a co-owner and treasurer of Serex Vending Services in Austintown, said there are 111 club members. He has been in the Gridiron Club for three years, and has been president for the past two.
His son, Dan, is a senior offensive lineman for the Spartans. The elder Morris, a graduate of the former Woodrow Wilson High School, also played on the line in school.
Despite not having graduated from Boardman, Morris acknowledged his passion for the school and the football program has grown.
“It’s my way to keep involved as close as I possibly can without actually being on the team,” Morris said.
The Gridiron Club helps the football team by supplying things to help build team unity and brotherhood.
“As a school, we can provide the necessary equipment for the kids to play,” Saxton said. “But they purchase other things like T-shirts and game day shirts for the boys. They’ve been tremendous in helping with that.”
Morris said the Gridiron Club is responsible for adding the special touches to the team.
“The football coach is responsible for getting the team ready,” Morris said. “We’re like the polish or the fluff side of it. We take care of getting the kids practice shirts and pants and things like that.”
The Gridiron Club also deals with building community involvement for the school and giving the football field a “Spartan atmosphere” for home games. The Gridiron Club purchased a large inflatable tunnel and Spartan helmet for the team to emerge through during pregame entrances. Morris said the team adds smoke to the tunnel area for more mystique.
“The boys come out, the smoke comes on, the band is blaring and it’s a nice entrance way onto the field to get the kids started,” Morris said. “It also serves as a way for the opposing team to know that they’re playing in a hostile stadium, and that this is Boardman’s field. You’re welcome to be here, but you’re not welcome to win.”
Morris said that aside from the football team, the Gridiron Club works to promote community involvement with the school and all athletic programs. The club paints a Boardman B on people’s driveways as a fund raiser. The club also purchased a new Spartan mascot for the school, Morris said.
Morris said that some of the member of the club no longer have children in Boardman schools, but remain because of the family feel of the group.
“There aren’t very many past football players that are on the Gridiron Club, and we want to start promoting that saying you are former sons of the gridiron, so why not help out current sons of the gridiron.”
Saxton said the help of the club has benefited everything about the football program, not just the team.
“It makes it special for the kids and it makes it classy,” Saxton said. “It’s all those little things that make the season special, and we owe all of that to the Gridiron Club.”
Boardman’s homecoming game is Friday. The Gridiron Club partnered with National City Bank for a “Rally Towel” promotion, where the first 1,000 fans will receive a white towel with the Boardman logo on them. There will also be a raffle for an LCD television, courtesy of National City.
Boardman (5-1) plays the Massillon-Jackson Polar Bears and the game will begin at 7:30.
jmoffett@vindy.com
SEE ALSO: Seniors court homecoming crown.