Creekside faces tough draw at regionals

July 14, 2016 at 12:10a.m.

By Steve WILAJ

STRUTHERS

Creekside Fitness coach Bob Boughner felt good about his team going into Wednesday’s NABF 18-U regional tournament draw.

But as for after — don’t get Boughner wrong, he still likes his squad — he realized Creekside is going to be challenged in the 10-team tournament that will take place at Cene Park and begins today at 5:30 p.m.

“We drew the toughest pool, so we’re gonna have our hands full,” Boughner said. “I’m not saying we can’t do it, though. I’ll throw my team on the field with anybody, but we definitely have the more elite teams.”

Creekside is the lone Youngstown Class B team that will compete this weekend.

It finished third in the Class B season and needs to finish first or second in the regional — which concludes on Sunday — to qualify for the NABF World Series.

Two other Class B teams — Baird Brothers (league champions) and Astro Falcons (league runner-ups) — are already qualified for the World Series, which begins next Thursday at Cene Park.

“You don’t get this far unless you’re good,” Boughner said.

This weekends regional consists of four pool-play games for each team. The top two teams from each pool then advance to a single-elimination playoff.

Creekside’s first game is tonight at 8:30 p.m. against Spartan Blue Elite on Field 3.

It will then play two pool-play games on Friday — against Boys of Summer at 3 p.m. on Field 2 and against Stark County Terriers at 5:30 p.m. on Field 3 — before finishing with a matchup against Hurricane Select on Saturday at 10 a.m. on Field 1.

“It looks like we got in the toughest pool,” said Boughner, who won the 16-U NABF tournament as a coach in both 2012 and 2015. “We got some really good teams in our pool. But I think with the pickups that we got, we have a good shot.”