by Jim isabella
Correspondent
Cuyahoga Falls -- A home football opening game is great place to have fun. There is some tailgating. It is a great place for classmates to socialize and neighbors getting together to enjoy a few hours with each others.
It was certainly a festive atmosphere last week for fans of the Cuyahoga Falls football team. The event had all the trimmings, including perfect weather and a full moon.
Unfortunately, the Boardman football team showed up and put a damper on the evening, defeating the Black Tigers 35-0.
The loss gives Falls a record of 0-2 going into this weekend's battle with North (1-1) at Clifford Stadium.
It would be easy to lump the loss to the Spartans into the same category as the one with Barberton as simply a case of getting off to a poor start in the first half. However, the two teams could not be more different - Barberton spreads things out, while Boardman is a run-oriented team that is unique.
Preparing for them is just like Ohio State found out about Navy -- hard to get ready for an offense you rarely see, but they can throw the ball when they wish to.
"You have to give them credit. They were better than us in every aspect of the game," said Falls coach Mike Miller.
The final statistical sheet showed the Black Tigers offense simply could not mount any attack to help keep the defense off the field.
Cuyahoga Falls offense managed just eight first downs. The offense had just 80 yards in total. The running game had just 59 yards on 30 carries, while passing game was even more anemic.
Black Tiger quarterbacks hit just 5-of-16 passes, including one interception, for 26 yards. The average yards per play was just 1.85 with 46 plays from scrimmage. In fairness too Falls, quarterback Dylon Leymon was out with a shoulder injury.
"We hope Dylon can play this week," Miller said.
Boardman is a team that is frustrating to deal with. The Spartans can wear you down with their physical play, but go to the air when they need with a solid passing attack.
The trigger man for the Spartans was Rob Boyd. The 6-foot-2 senior quarterback was extremely effective. He only ran three times for 15 yards, but his ball fakes and execution were difficult for the Black Tigers to deal with. He hit 11-of-17 passes for 145 yards in his three quarters of work.
Boyd's one touchdown throw came with 38 seconds left in the first quarter, as he hit senior wide receiver Chase Hammond, a big target at 6-5 210 pounds, on a 33-yard play.
The Spartans scored twice in the second quarter to lead 21-0 by halftime.
The first touchdown came one play after senior Tyler Blangero returned a punt 42 yards to the Falls 21-yard line. Junior halfback Nick Buonavolonta, who had eight carries for 52 yards, scored on the next play and Trevor Ragan booted the point after for a 14-0 lead with 10:18 left in the half.
The third touchdown was set up on a fumble recovery by Boardman linebacker Ryan Phillis at the Falls 23. On second down-and eight from the Black Tigers' 20, Buonavolonta scored for the second time with 7:27 left in the second quarter.
In the third quarter, the Black Tigers could not stop Boyd again, this time on a 42-yard hookup with Blangero to put the ball on the Falls 23. It took a touchdown saving tackle by junior defensive back Tyler Habony to temporarily stop the Spartans from crossing the goal-line.
Blangero ran the ball on two of the next three plays, scoring on a 7-yard run with 5:48 left for a 28-0 lead.
The final touchdown came on the next possession. It was a 5-yard run by Buonovolonta, his third.
Boardman racked up 13 first downs. The Spartans had a huge advantage in field position provided by the defense, which had five quarterback sacks, and its special teams.
On Sept. 17 at 7:30 p.m., the Black Tigers travel to Brush High School in a Northeast Ohio Conference crossover game. The game is being played on a Thursday to accomidate the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah
E-mail: stowsports@recordpub.com
Phone: 330-688-0088 ext. 3113