BHS varsity beats Warren Harding

The Boardman Spartans stunned the Warren Harding Raiders on Oct. 9 with a touchdown in the last five seconds of play to win the game 18-14. The Spartans scored first in game as Adam Deeley kicked a 32-yard field goal. With 19 seconds left in the first quarter, Harding scored to put the game at 7-3 heading into the second quarter of play. Harding scored again to put the Raiders up 14-3 but with three seconds left on the clock Deeley made a 27-yard field goal to put the halftime score at 14-6.

In the third quarter, Koby Adu-Poku scored on a one-yard run with 47 seconds left in the quarter to push the score to 14-12 heading into the final quarter. That touchdown was set up by a long pass from quarterback J.R. Ryan to Travis Koontz to put the ball on the 1-yard line. In the fourth quarter the Boardman defense stopped Harding on a fourth and five at the Boardman 21-yard line. Then the Spartans went on a drive of 53-yards led by Adu-Poku who carried the ball 12 times on the drive for 53-yards. That helped set up a Deeley field goal opportunity from the Raiders 12-yard line with five seconds left in the game. As Deeley attempted the kick, it was blocked by the Raiders behind the line of scrimmage. The Raiders ran to the opposite end zone to celebrate while fireworks were going off in the background with the crowd thinking the Raiders had won. But the ball was still alive and the Spartan’s Gavin Strines alertly picked up the ball and returned it for a touchdown as time ran out and the Spartans won 18-14.

Leading the way offensively for the Spartans was Adu-Poku with 112-yards on 26 carries. Ryan completed four out of nine passing attempts for 65-yards with Koontz on the end of two completions for 46-yards. The entire Spartan defense kept the high scoring Raiders to just 14 points, one of the lowest point totals for them all season. The win moved the Spartans up to number seven in their region.