By Todd Porter

Canton Repository

PLAIN TOWNSHIp

As the fog rolled in at Bob Commings Field on Friday night, Mark D’Eramo looked skyward for an answer. Boardman High School’s football coach was looking for one more break.

He got it.

“I was just thinking we need a turnover, and one goes over his head,” D’Eramo said after Boardman beat GlenOak 35-28, for the fourth year in a row. “I thought, ‘Oh my gosh. God is good.’ ”

It was another back-breaking turnover for the Golden Eagles, who came into the game ranked seventh in the initial Associated Press state poll. GlenOak had two turnovers in the first half that led to 14 points for the Spartans.

Down 35-28 with under 90 seconds to play, the Golden Eagles drove all the way to the Boardman 21. That’s when D’Eramo’s prayer was answered.

A shotgun snap soared over GlenOak quarterback Reid Worstell’s head and Boardman recovered at midfield. So in addition to the 14 points Boardman scored in the first half off turnovers, GlenOak had just erased what could have been the game-tying touchdown drive.

It was the kind of mistakes GlenOak coach Scott Garcia was concerned about entering the game.

As it turns out, for good reason.

“That continues to happen where we look good at times and then awful and we make mistakes,” Garcia said. “If we don’t get it corrected, this is what will happen. You can’t do that against a good football team.”

Boardman helped GlenOak on the game’s first drive with a pass interference on a third-and-13. The Golden Eagles made the most of the penalty on the next play. Josh Lever hit a seam to daylight, taking a jet sweep down the runway for a 66-yard touchdown run and a 6-0 lead.

Lever never touched the ball the rest of the game.

But Boardman marched right down the field on a nine-play, 67-yard drive and took a 7-6 lead. Quarterback John Babos hit Turel Thompson on an inside screen and he took it 30 yards for the score.

Worstell was picked off on a deflected pass and Scott Aey returned it 70 yards for a 14-6 lead late in the first quarter.

Worstell went right back to work and GlenOak converted two third-down plays with tough inside runs from Justin Smith. From the Boardman 23, running back Tyler Lancaster took a jet sweep into the end zone for a TD. Holder Maverick Sales faked the PAT and hit Spencer Zernechel in the back of the end zone for the 2-point conversion and a 14-14 tie with 11:15 left in the second quarter.

After forcing a three-and-out, GlenOak turned it over for the second time in the half, and Boardman answered on the next play. Babos took a keeper 45 yards for a TD and a 21-14 lead with 6:30 left in the half.

“Those are difference makers,” D’Eramo said.