Boardman Hall of fame Inductees

Eleven Boardman High School sports figures will be inducted into the BHS Hall of Fame during a dinner at Antone’s today at 4 p.m. The Spartans’ 1967 state finalist baseball team also will be honored.

Jeff Conklin: Track (1998)

Jeff Conklin was an exceptional BHS runner in football and track. A three-year letterman, he was All-Steel Valley Conference in football as a junior and senior, as well as a team captain as a senior. He earned four letters in track on teams that won the SVC title from 1995-1998. He was on the 1996 4x100 state qualifier relay team, in addition to being the SVC and district champion in the 100 and 200 sprints. In 1998, he was the state runner-up in the 200 and was named the Mahoning County Male Track Athlete of the Year and Poland Invitational MVP.

Matt Diffley: Track (1998)

A specialist in the intermediate and high hurdles, Matt Diffley forged a track career at BHS which includes school records in both events. He also was part of the 4x100 relay team that set the school record as well. He won the SVC title three times in the 100 and 300 hurdles, twice in the 4x100 relay. He was a state qualifier in the 300 hurdles and 4x100, placing first in the Ohio Indoor Championships 55 hurdles. After graduation, he attended Miami of Ohio, where ran track from 1998-1999 and was on the sailing team from 1998-2002, when he received his BS degree in business. He earned his Master’s of Accountancy from Ohio State in 2003.

Joe DiPasqua: Basketball (1992)

A deadly shooter and a great all-around team player as well, Joe DiPasqua still holds two BHS boys basketball records: most 3-pointers in a season (52) and career (69). During one period of time Joe had scored a “three” in 23 consecutive games. Since his graduation, no player has scored 36 points in a game or averaged 19 points per game as he did. His senior year, he made All-Ohio Division I, All-NEO, and All-SVC and All-Mahoning Valley Playbook. He was also awarded the Darl V. Dolan basketball trophy. He went on to YSU, graduating in 1996 and earning a Doctor of Optometry degree in Chicago in 2000.

Steve Gresock: Football (1981)

Steve Gresock was a two-way powerhouse for BHS as a fullback/ linebacker on a couple of the best overall football teams in school history. In his junior year, he was an all-conference linebacker on the SVC co-championship team. He was also named All-NE Ohio and All-State teams. As team co-captain his senior year, he led the Spartans to an undefeated but abbreviated 6-0 season, again earning All-SVC honors as well as All-NEO and All-State. Steve became an All-American at the College of DuPage in Illinois in 1984 and was named a captain the next year. Transferring later to Ohio State, he earned their Ironman Award in 1987 before receiving his BS degree in 1988.

Meredith Konya: Golf (1998)

An honors student and a phenomenal golfer, Dr. Meredith Konya dominated girls golf in her time at BHS. She was a first team All-SVC selection all four years of her career here, as well as serving as team captain three of those years. She holds the school record of 35 for a 9-hole match. Her teams at BHS were undefeated in the regular season all four years, including four straight SVC and three regional championships, with top-five state rankings each year. She attended YSU on a golf scholarship, where she made the Mid-Continent Conference All-Academic Team three years in a row before earning her BS degree, magna cum laude, in 2001. She continued her education at NEOUCOM to complete her medical degree. She is a musculo-skeletal physiatrist at the Cleveland Clinic.

Ron Moschella: Contributor

Coach “Mosch” has a storied history at BHS symbolized by his record 573 wins as girls head basketball coach for more than 30 years. This career is punctuated with numerous accolades, achievements and highlights which include: UPIAP Coach of the Year (2002), Ohio High School Basketball Coaches Assoc. Coach of the Year (2001), four-time NEO Coach of the Year, 23-time MVCA Coach of the Year, Ohio State All-Star Game Coach (1987) and induction into the Curbstone Coaches Hall of Fame (2010). His teams made the state final four twice and went to regionals 14 times, while winning 21 conference titles. He was beloved in the classroom as well, receiving the yearbook dedication in 1997 and voted Teacher of the Year by the senior class of 2000. He was a standout athlete at Ursuline before attending Kent State and receiving his bachelor’s degree in 1972.

Don Ross Jr.: Baseball (1997)

As one of the most dominating pitchers in BHS baseball history, Don Ross Jr. set season and career records in strikeouts and wins that still stand. A three-year letterman, he led the Spartans to three SVC and sectional titles, with a district championship his senior year. His junior year, he pitched a no-hitter against Warren Harding and was an All-SVC selection as a junior and senior. Following his father Don Sr., (a BHS Hall of Fame pitcher as well) into the insurance business, he graduated from the Hondros College of Insurance in 1999, and is Partner/Vice-President of the Ross & Ross Insurance Agency.

Jesse Potter: Basketball (1996)

Potter capped off his three-year letterman career in basketball at BHS with a senior year of championship achievements. Averaging a team-leading 18.5 point and 11.3 rebounds per game, he made All-SVC and All-NEO Inland. He was also selected for the Mahoning Valley Coaches All-Star Game and nominated to play in the Ohio North-South Game. His team that year won the SVC championship and finished the season as Division I district semifinalists. He also made All-SVC in tennis as a senior. After graduation, he attended LeMoyne College where he started on the basketball team for four years, named MVP in 2000 and ranked in the top 10 in career rebounds and blocked shots. After receiving his degree, he played in Portugal, Germany, and Belize before earning his Master’s Degree in Sports Management at Drexel in 2011. he is serving as assistant athletic director at YSU.

Jeff Ryan: Football (1998)

One of the all-time great quarterbacks in BHS and YSU history, Jeff Ryan was a three-sport letterman in high school in football, basketball and baseball. He captained the football and basketball teams as a senior, earning All-State honorable mention for basketball. In football, he was named All-SVC, All-NEO, and All-State, as well as gaining honorable mention as a USA Today All-American. He also played in the Big 33 Game and was named Mahoning Valley Playbook Player of the Year. HE went on to play four years at YSU, where he made All-Gateway Conference and honorable mention All-American in 2000 and 2001. As a member of the Division I-AA national runner-up team in 1999, he was a team captain. He was inducted into the YSU Hall of Fame in 2011. After graduation, he earned his MBA in 2008 at Ashland.

Chris Tuminello: Football (1998)

One of the best offensive linemen to ever play for BHS, Chris Tuminello capped off his career by making first team All-Ohio D-I, All-NEO D-I and All-SVC. He also won the team’s Offensive Line MVP and Scholar Athlete Awards. He entered Toledo as a full scholarship recipient and engineering student. He played on two Mid-American Conference title teams which won the Motor City Bowl game in 2001 and appeared again there in 2002. His senior year, he was named a captain and scholar-athlete as well as first-team All-MAC and Academic All-American. He earned his BS in engineering in 2003 and MS the following year. HE resides in Kentucky where he is a civil engineer administrating highway construction projects.

Adriane (Blewitt) Wilson: Track (1998)

Longtime BHS girls track coach Denise Gorski described Adriane Blewitt Wilson as perhaps “the most successful field athlete” in school history. Overcoming difficult personal setbacks in high school and college, she reached the highest levels of competition. She still holds school records for shot put and discus after a career of SVC championship seasons in both events, including multiple district and regional title throws, not to mention finishing second and sixth at the state meet in the disc and shot, respectively. She competed at Ashland from 1998-2004, where she was a 13-time All-American and seven-time National Champion, twice named the NCAA Division II Athlete of the Year. She set D-II records in both events. Since graduating in 2005, she has competed three times in the Olympic Trials in the shot put and has been ranked in the top 10 among U.S. shot putters for the last 10 years. She coached throwers from 2009-2011 and is a personal coach at Athlete Arena in Irmo, S.C.