BOARDMAN — There are only 15 local football teams still practicing for games on Friday night.

One of those teams is Boardman, and head coach DJ Dota had two things he wanted his boys to understand heading into Week 12: the importance of execution and they have nothing to lose.

“I just want their best on Friday night, on game night,” Dota said. “But we have to prepare all week to get there to be able to do that, but you can’t do that and not show up on Friday night either.”

The Spartans had a unique run to a Division II, Region 5, quarterfinal. There was a big gamble, as well as a week of preparation that set up Friday’s meeting in Akron with Archbishop Hoban.

Boardman entered Week 10 as the No. 12 seed in the region, the last spot in the tournament. The Spartans needed to knock off und

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