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Tonight's Mooney-Boardman rivalry pits brother against brother
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There will be more than a rivalry on the field at tonight’s Boardman-Mooney game. Brothers Doug Velasquez, left, and Tom Velasquez, far right, will face off on opposing sidelines, with Doug serving as defensive assistant for the Spartans, and Tom sharing defensive coordinator duties for the Cardinals. Making things more interesting is that their nephew, Ryan Ebie, center, is a defensive tackle with the Spartans.
Tonight’s Mooney-Boardman game has a family feel
By Greg Gulas
YOUNGSTOWN
Every rivalry game seems to have a subplot. Tonight’s Boardman-Cardinal Mooney football game is no different.
The Velasquez brothers, Tom and Doug, will face off from opposing sidelines, with Tom sharing defensive coordinator duties with Chris Amill at Mooney and Doug serving as a defensive assistant at Boardman. Making things more interesting, their nephew, Ryan Ebie, is a senior defensive tackle with the Spartans.
The Velasquez brothers played for Boardman during the mid- to late-80s and combined to go 1-3 against the Cardinals with the lone win coming in 1986.
Tom, who graduated in 1986, was a two-year letterwinner for Bill Bohren and led the Steel Valley Conference in sacks as a senior (15) and earned second team all-conference honors. He’s been a coach for the past 26 years at Ursuline, Salem, Beaver Local and, since 2004, Cardinal Mooney.
“I must admit that I don’t look at it as going up against my brother,” Tom said. “I’m just preparing for Boardman and must add that they really looked good against Cleveland Benedictine last week.”
Mooney coach P.J. Fecko said Tom has been an excellent addition to the staff.
“I got to know Tom through my cousins so I knew what a quality guy and coach he was,” Fecko said. “He’s done an outstanding job for us both on and off the field and is a positive role model to everyone.”
Doug, a 1989 Boardman graduate, was a two-time all-conference, all-district and all-state linebacker, helping the Spartans reach the Division I title game in 1987. He earned a scholarship to Morehead (Ky.) State and played two seasons for the Eagles under current Jets coach Rex Ryan. He has coached at Ursuline (where he won a state championship), Springfield, Beaver Local, Salem and Struthers. He now assists defensive coordinator Mike Popio.
“Doug [Velasquez] brings an interesting component to our staff in a state title while at Ursuline, and the success that he has enjoyed at Beaver Local and his other stops along the way,” said Boardman coach Mark D’Eramo. “What I like most, however, is that he brings Boardman passion; an intensity that bleeds maroon and white.”
Facing his older brother is a challenge, he said.
“My brother and I both coached at Salem under Bill [Bohren] and he was instrumental in bringing me to Ursuline,” Doug said. “We’re both defensive coaches so while it will be a different feeling matching wits, it is also a nice feeling.
“They will be at the top of their game and wanting to bounce back from last week’s opening season loss to Cleveland St. Ignatius. I want to beat them as much as any team on our schedule this year, but will root for them the other nine weeks.”
Ryan Ebie moved from defensive end to tackle after recording 67 tackles and two sacks last fall. That necessitated a number change, going from 33 to 68, the same number his uncles wore.
The family patriarch, Gerald, passed away in June and Ryan credits him and his uncles for making him the player he is today.
“They taught me from a very young age how to be a tough and resilient football player and to always put God first,” said Ryan, the son of Margee (Velasquez) Ebie. “Every Friday night I try to go out there and make them proud. My grandpa passed away two months ago and after every game he waited at the fence for me, hugged me and told me what a good game my team and I had.
“It will be very difficult without him this year so I am dedicating my senior season to him.”
Mooney has won four straight in the series, which resumed in 2009 after a five-year hiatus. Overall, the Cardinals hold a 23-15 edge in the rivalry.
“The game itself is always going to be an exciting game,” said Fecko. “It’s a healthy competition between two great programs.”
Add to the fact that many of the players from both squads reside in the same community and that’s when loyalties can become tested.
“Over the years it has been a very special game,” D’Eramo said. “What makes it so special is that it’s a backyard rivalry between two programs with excellent football traditions. The games have always been hard fought but in my estimation, when Bill Bohren served as the Spartans coach and Don Bucci coached Cardinal Mooney, that’s when the series escalated.
“Like the old Steel Valley Conference days, the players know each other so there is plenty of motivation. These are tough kids on both sides of the football.”
Gerald’s wife, Marge, may have the toughest job of anyone this weekend.
When asked who she wanted to win, she said, “I want Ryan to have a great game and may the best team win.”