Evan BeardFootball (2002) |
Evan Beard capped off a phenomenal football career at BHS by becoming the school’s all-time rushing leader his senior year. As a team captain, he also ran for over 100 yards for the third year in a row against state powerhouse Cleveland St. Ignatius, the only back to ever do so. His teams made the state playoffs twice and were Steel Valley Conference Champions once. He was named All-SVC 1st Team, All-NEO first team, and All-Ohio second team, while leading the defensive squad in tackles, ranking third all-time in school history. He also ran the 100m dash in track, as well as throwing the shotput and discus.
Evan entered the U.S. Naval Academy after graduation and played football there despite enduring several injuries. He earned his B.S. in economics in 2006 and spent 5 years as a Naval Intelligence Officer. He holds Master’s Degrees from St. John’s College in Maryland and the University of Oxford, in England. Evan currently heads Exotic Accounts and Art Services at U.S. Trust Bank of America in New York City, where he resides with his wife Anya and two daughters, Aurora and Aella. |
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Joe ConroyFootball (1974) |
A standout gridder for Coach Jim Orr at Tight End on offense and as a Defensive End, Joe Conroy also lettered in basketball for Coach Al Burns, and threw both shotput and discus for the Spartan track team. Considered to have possessed one of the best vertical jumps (44”) of any BHS athlete, Joe was an All-Steel Valley Conference 1st Team selection in football as a Senior. He walked on at the University of Toledo, and later earned a scholarship, then as a four-year starter, was an All- Mid-American Conference 1st Team pick his Senior year. As a Freshman, he started all 11 games and received UT’s Norman Cohen Award, given to the team’s top Freshman. He went on to serve as a team captain his Senior year, earning the Nicholson Trophy (MVP) and amassing 490 career tackles which is 2nd all-time in UT history.
Earning his BS degree from Toledo in 1979, Joe became a member of the beach volleyball circuit, then later became the winningest volleyball coach at YSU, where he led the team to two conference titles and earned four “Coach of the Year” awards. He currently serves as coordinator for YSU’s intramural programs. He and his wife Mariame live in Canfield and are the proud parents of daughters, Allison and Emily (Nat) Forider and their son, Joe Jr. |
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Terence DialsBasketball (2001) |
Probably the most successful Spartan-turned-OSU Buckeye basketball player ever, Terence Dials demonstrated Hall of Fame prowess during his BHS career, which only continued at Ohio State, culminating in his OSU Hall of Fame induction in 2015. As a sophomore at Boardman, Terence earned 1st Team All-Steel Valley Conference honors and led the team to an SVC title. In his Junior year, he helped secure another SVC crown for the Spartans and again was named 1st Team All-SVC and All-NEO, as well as 3rd Team All-State. Coming off pre-season knee surgery as a Senior, Terence only played 11 games but was still selected 1st Team All-SVC and All-NEO, and 3rd Team All-State. He was named one of the Top 100 seniors in America and played in both the Ohio-Kentucky and Ohio North-South All-Star games. He holds school records for most blocked shots in a game (10), season (92), and career (167).
As a Buckeye, Terence emerged as one of the best college players in the country. He was selected Captain for OSU in 2005 and 2006, as well as Team MVP both years. He played 132 games and is ranked 4th in field goal percentage, 5th in rebounds, and 14th in career scoring. As a senior he was selected 1st Team All-Big Ten and Player of the Year. Since college graduation, Terence has played pro basketball in Europe where he was named an All-Star three times in the French Pro-A League. In Uruguay, he was a member of the 2015 League Championship team. He is a licensed real estate agent in the Columbus area, and currently is a Compound Specialist for a group of pharmacies. He is the proud father of two daughters, Alivia and Gabrielle. |
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Jason KellerSoccer (1993) |
Jason played goalie and was only one of several stars on a Boys Soccer team coached by longtime Boardman educator and alumnus, Dave Brenner. A four-year letterman, Jason capped off his career in 1993 as a Team Captain and was selected 1st Team All-Steel Valley Conference for the third year running, 1st Team All-NE Ohio and 1st Team All-District in Division I, playing in the annual Akron All-Star Game that year. His stellar play led the Spartans to three District Championships and four straight SVC titles. During his ironman-like career spanning four varsity seasons, he played in every game except for two which he missed due to a minor injury. After graduation, Jason played at the professional level for Tampa Bay and Pittsburgh before ending his playing days to become involved in the sport he loved as a coach.
Jason has coached at several levels over the years beginning as an assistant coach at the college level from 2001-2003 (Campbell University) and later became the Head Coach for the BHS Girls Varsity team in 1999 & 2000. Afterwards, he coached at Cardinal Mooney taking the Varsity Girls to a #1 state-wide ranking in 2006 and as Regional Finalists in 2007 & 2008. He currently resides in Poland where his world revolves around his 4-year old son, Landon. |
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Jeff MihokFootball (1996) |
Jeff Mihok joins his brother Brian in the Hall of Fame as another outstanding lineman, earning two varsity letters, culminating in a 1st Team All-Steel Valley Conference selection as a Senior when he was also named All-NEO Honorable Mention. Jeff continued his scholastic football career after graduation at nearby Geneva College, where he made 1st Team All-Presidents Athletic Conference in both 1998 and 1999, also receiving Honorable Mention as a 1999 N.A.I.A. All-American. He was cited as one of the Top 100 football players of all-time at Geneva College.
Jeff returned to Boardman after earning his degree in 2001, where he married BHS classmate Jen Glozer. He is the Director of Sales and Marketing for Pharmacy Data Management, Inc. He and Jen are also raising two daughters, Alexis and Abigail, and their son Zachary. |
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Samantha (Blewitt) MiletoTrack / Field (1996) |
One of Boardman’s all-time greats in girls track and field events, Samantha Blewitt qualified for the State track meet in the discus in both 1994 and 1995. During her Senior season she amassed the second highest points scored in girls track history and was named MVP in Field Events at the annual Salem Invitational Meet. Her 36’ 7-1/2” shot put record and 127’ 7” discus throw record still stand today.
After attending Kent State University, Samantha returned to her hometown, where she worked as a server at the Springfield Grille for 14 years and recently signed on at Aqua Pazzo. She also has her own eBay business called “All for Nina.” She and her husband Nick Mileto reside in Boardman with their daughter Nina. |
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Matt RepecBaseball (2002) |
A three-year starter for the Spartan baseball team, Matt Repec earned All-Steel Valley Conference 1st Team honors each of those years. Matt was a key member of his senior year state playoff team, a shortstop/pitcher who was named by the Youngstown Vindicator both Baseball Player of the Year and Spring Season Male Athlete of the Year. He was also selected for the 1st Team Mizuno All-Ohio team. Matt attended Winthrop University after high school graduation and made the All-Big South Conference team each of his four years there. His senior year Winthrop won the Big South Championship, and he was chosen as a 1st Team member of the Big South Championship squad. Matt was selected by the Colorado Rockies in the 2006 MLB draft and played several seasons for their organization. He was later named as the shortstop for the Big South Conference All-Decade Team (2001-2010). Matt currently works as Senior Manager of Integrations and Testing Services at Benefit Focus. He and his wife Karilyn reside in Charleston, SC. |
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Ashlee RussoBasketball (2002) |
As captain of the BHS Girls Basketball team both her Junior and Senior years, Ashlee Russo made All-Steel Valley Conference, All-NEO, and All- State both seasons. She capped off her career by scoring over 1,000 points and setting the free throw record at 82%. Her teams were SVC Champions all four years, going to the Regional Tournament twice. Graduating as class Valedictorian, Ashlee received an athletic scholarship to attend YSU, where she played three years and was named team captain her Senior year, before finishing her medical studies at NEOUCOM in 2010. She performed her residency at Ohio State in 2013 and completed a fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation in 2014.
Ashlee’s medical career includes membership in Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society and an Excellence in Teaching Award from the Ohio State University Medical Center. She is now in private practice as a pulmonary and critical care physician with Pulmonary Rehabilitation Associates. She and her husband George Rohan reside in Boardman. |
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Frank SantoreBaseball (1999) |
Frank Santore’s four-year baseball career at BHS culminated in an outstanding Senior year which landed him on the All-Ohio Team as 1st Team playing at first base. He was All-Steel Valley Conference 1st Team as both a Junior and a Senior. Frank finished his career by tying the (then) record for base hits in a season at 42.
Frank continued his baseball career at YSU, playing four years there before his graduation in 2004 while also making the Dean’s List. That same year, his team won the Horizon League Championship and appeared in the College World Series. Frank continued to play for several years in the Youngstown Class “AA” summer league and in addition coached at Hiram College. He is currently Sales Manager at Ridge Manor Nursery in Perry, Ohio where he lives with his wife Lindsey, daughter Audrey, and son Frankie. |
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Bob SchneiderBasketball (1990) |
A three-year starter who averaged double- digits in scoring and rebounds in each of those seasons, Bob Schneider was also named All-Steel Valley Conference 2nd Team as a Junior and again as a Senior, and All-NEO Honorable Mention in his final year. He was the team’s leading rebounder all three years he played Varsity hoops. Bob was also a two-year starting member of the Spartan Football team, and was named a team captain as a Senior. On the gridiron, he led the Steel Valley Conference in receptions and was named All-SVC 1st Team and All-NEO Honorable Mention and was a member of the 1987 State Runner-Up squad.
Bob went on to earn his Bachelor’s degree from YSU in 1994, and he currently serves as Vice-President and General Manager of Lamar Outdoor Advertising here in town and also sits on the Board of Directors of the Better Business Bureau. He and his wife, Stacy reside in Canfield with their three teenage children—daughter, Morgan and sons, Alex and Ryan. |
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Dave SmercanskyContributor |
As Spartan Baseball Coach, (1989-2000) Dave Smercansky helped BHS compile a 198-90 overall record, seven Steel Valley Conference titles, nine Sectional championships, five District crowns, a Regional championship and a State runner-up finish (1991). “Smerc” was a nine-time Mahoning Valley “Coach of the Year,” serving as assistant Athletic Director for two years before starting his tenure as full-time Athletic Director from 2003 until his retirement in 2013.
A native of Poland, Ohio and 1975 PSHS graduate, Dave was a three-year letter winner in Baseball, earning All-Mahoning Valley Conference 1st Team honors twice and still holds the record for most innings pitched in a season (72 2/3). He went on to earn four letters in Baseball at YSU, playing for the legendary Dom Rosselli, and still holds records there for career wins (20), single season Earned Run Average (0.26) and career ERA (1.78). He has been enshrined in the YSU Athletics Hall of Fame (1995), Youngstown Old-Timers Hall of Fame (2002), Curbstone Coaches Hall of Fame (2012), and the Poland High School Athletics Hall of Fame (2013). Coaching baseball at Westminster College since his retirement from BHS, Dave still plays senior men’s baseball and is president of the local 50 Plus Baseball League. He and his wife Mary Lynn reside in Poland. |
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Ed StraussContributor (Posthumous) |
From 1962-86, Ed Strauss was a teacher, coach, guidance counselor and administrator at Boardman High School and a fixture at all of its athletic events for well over five decades. A humble man who was truly one of the good guys in area sports, Ed was raised in the Buckeye Plat area of Youngstown’s South Side. He graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School in 1945, where he lettered in Football and Basketball for the then Presidents, and played on their 1942 undefeated City-Series Championship squad. He was inducted into the WWHS Athletics Hall of Fame this past May.
A graduate of Shepherd College in 1951, Ed was a three-sport star there and was named to their Athletics Hall of Fame in 2000. Coaching at East HS, Struthers and finally BHS, he eventually began to film Spartan Football games on Fridays, Hiram College on Saturday afternoons, and several different schools that same night. He did statistics for both Boys and Girls Basketball for many years, as well as serve as scorekeeper and timekeeper. He even painted the gym floor back in the 1980s! After retirement from BHS, Ed became YSU’s head Softball Coach and remains their all-time wins leader with 207. He was inducted into the YSU Athletics Hall of Fame in 2012, passing away after a brief illness last spring. Married to the former Mary Ann Sabol, they were parents of three daughters—Kathy (Dan) Dowler, Sue (Elio) Andreatta, Michele (Scott) Shaffer—and son Eric (Nicole). |
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Steve VallosFootball, Wrestling, Track (2002) |
A bona-fide three-sport superstar at BHS, Steve Vallos was named to the Vindicator’s All-Star Team in Football, Wrestling, and Track & Field his Senior year. A 1st Team All-Steel Valley Conference pick in Football and Track, Steve made All-NEO 1st Team and All-Ohio Honorable Mention in Football, and was selected to participate in both the Ohio North-South and “Big 33” All-star games. He was named the Vindicator’s Wrestler of the Year in 2002, a 1st-Team Eastern Ohio Wrestling League selection, and qualified for the state wrestling tournament in 11th and 12th grade, finishing 2nd as a Senior. Steve also finished 3rd in the discus at the State Track Meet his Junior and Senior years. Recognized as an outstanding student, as a Senior he was awarded the George Brownlee Scholarship.
Steve played college football at Wake Forest, where in 2006 he captained the ACC Championship Team and was made All-American. Leaving Wake Forest as their all-time leader in career starts, he was drafted in 2007 by the Seattle Seahawks in the 7th round and went on to play for seven years in the NFL, concluding his career playing in Super Bowl 48 with the 2013 AFC Champion Denver Broncos. Steve has since returned to Wake Forest, where he is now their Regional Director of Development and lives in Winston-Salem, NC with his wife Lindsey and 3 children—Teddy (6), Lucy (5), and Gigi (2). |