Seven Valley teams get early start on 2015 season in tonight’s games

August 27, 2015 at 12:08a.m.

The 2015 high school football season will get off to a fast start, with five games being played tonight involving seven area schools. They include; Niles at Girard, Marlington at Poland, Lisbon at Tuscawaras Central Catholic, Wellsville at Toronto (at Steubenville) and Western Reserve at Columbiana.

“It’s exciting, because with so few games being played the spotlight becomes a bit brighter,” said Niles coach Brian Shaner. “It has a ‘game of the week’ feel to it. We’re going to have fans from other communities coming to see our game because their team plays on Friday.

“As a coach, you have to plan a bit differently leading up to the game because you lose a (practice) day, but it’s definitely worth it for the kids.”

The Girard-Niles series is the oldest ongoing rivalry in Trumbull County. Tonight marks the 73rd meeting between the two schools, with Niles owning a 39-25-8 advantage.

“Just the fact that it’s Girard makes the game huge for us,” Shaner said. “Throw in the fact that we kick off the season, and there’s no worries whatsoever about getting these kids focused and ready to go.”

THE ROOKIES

Seven area schools will enter the season under new football leadership. They include; Leetonia (Hadi Hadi), Liberty (Chet Allen), Newton Falls (Josh Franke), Southern (Rich Wright), Southington (Bill Bohren), United (Mike Demster) and Wellsville (Derrick Spann).

Among them, Hadi, Allen, Demster and Spann are all rookie head coaches.

“It’s exciting, I’m sure I am just as excited as my players are to get the season going,” Spann said. “Wellsville is my home, and all the people here are like family to me. So I feel like I’m heading into the season with a lot of great people who are right by my side. I really feel like this is a community effort”

Spann was an assistant at Wellsville for the past two seasons. For the past 20 years, he ran the Wellsville Little Tigers program.

“I know these players, they know me, they know that with me football is all about family, forming relationships and building character,” Spann said.

Spann’s head coaching career will get off to a unique start, as Wellsville will kick off its season tonight at one of the most storied high school football stadiums in the state. The Tigers play Toronto in a game which will be held at Harding Stadium in Steubenville. The contest is part of a double-header, which begins at 5:45 p.m. when Steubenville hosts Cleveland John F. Kennedy.

The Wellsville-Toronto game is expected to begin at approximately 8 p.m.. Both games will be televised by WTOV9.

“How cool is that for a small-town program?” Spann said. “The kids are pumped, the coaches — who are all Wellsville guys — they’re excited. The exposure is great for the program and it’s a great experience for the players. It’s something they’ll cherish for a long time.”

FIFTY YEARS AND COUNTING

Bill Bohren is living proof that the start of a new season never gets old.

Bohren, who was a rookie head coach in 1965, will be on the sidelines Friday when his Southington Wildcats travel to Jackson-Milton.

“I’m as excited to start the season today as I have ever been,” Bohren said. “If you lose that enthusiasm, it’s time to get out. This is the greatest time of the year, nothing beats it.’

Bohren’s first coaching gig was in Illinois — ironically at Ohio High School. His team lost its opener at Tiskilwa 12-0, then went on to win eight straight.

“We were a school with 39 boys, and fortunately 33 of them played football,” Bohren said. “We were in a conference called the Little Eight, which was filled with veteran coaches. Luckily, I had some good players. Lots of big farm boys who worked their tails off.”

For two years, Bohren was the school’s football, basketball and track coach. He had a two-year record of 15-4 on the gridiron and was 28-21 on the hardwood.

“I really didn’t know beans about coaching basketball,” Bohren said. “Football was easier for me, and I had better success so I decided that would be my sport.”

Little has changed about Bohren’s coaching habits. On game days he still arrives at school much earlier than needed. He still insists on a quiet bus ride to games (“to get our mind on the game”) and expects silence on the way home following a loss (“to focus on what we did wrong”).

One current rule that Bohren didn’t have to worry about implementing in years past?

“No cell phones on the bus,” Bohren said. “I don’t want everyone quiet only because they are all looking down at their cell phones.”

SIDELINE NOTES

Hubbard enters the season with the area’s longest current regular-season winning streak (22 games) while East Liverpool is looking to snap a 10-game losing streak. ... Jackson-Milton and Sebring are the only two schools in the Mahoning Valley to never reach the playoffs. ... Champion holds the longest current playoff drought among all area post-season participants. The Golden Flashes haven’t been to the post-season since 1994.....Crestview and Hubbard are the only two area schools to have a winning record in each of the last 11 years. ... Lakeview coach Tom Pavlansky is entering his 17th season with the Bulldogs. Pavlansky’s tenure is the longest among all coaches in Trumbull County. In Mahoning County, South Range coach Dan Yeagley is entering his 21st season with the Raiders. Bob Spaite has been at the same school — Columbiana — for 22 years. Spaite’s stint with the Clippers is the longest current tenure among the 44 coaches in the Mahoning Valley. ... Poland owns the area’s longest current consecutive playoff appearance streak at eight years. Crestview owns the longest current streak among Columbiana County schools (seven), while in Trumbull County Liberty and Hubbard have both reached the post-season in each of the last three years.