Longtime Boardman Lady Spartan basketball coach, Ron Moschella, can often be seen ‘coming off the bench’ and exhorting his players, most if not all of whom will tell you his bark is bigger than his bite.
      ‘Coach Mosh’ at one time, wanted to coach at his college alma mater, Kent State; and once applied for the top spot at Youngstown State.
      But college coaching wasn’t in the cards and in more than four decades of coaching girls basketball at the high school level, the 66-year-old coach has piled-up 671 wins and many, many accolades.
      Toss in several of years of coaching boys golf at Boardman High School, and girls and boys basketball at Columbiana High School, and ‘Mosh’ has posted more than 700 wins in his prep coaching career, a standard few coaches ever reach.
      Last Saturday, during ceremonies held at the Columbus Marriott, Moschella was among a select group of four coaches from around the state to gain induction into the 30th Ohio High School Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame.
      Moschella is the second former Boardman High School hoop coach to gain inducted into the statewide Hall of Fame, as legendary Boardman boys cage coach Alan Burns was honored in 1999.
      Coach Mosh has been referred to as animated, guarded, confrontational, loud, pointed, dedicated and driven.
      The two references to which all agree, however, is that Ron Moschella is a success and a winner because he never compromised his principles in the classroom, or on the field of play.
      A 1968 graduate of Ursuline High School, he is a 1972 graduate of The Kent State University where he earned his B.S. Ed. in Business and Physical Education. He later earned his M.S. Ed. in Administration from Youngstown State University (1980).
      Moschella started his teaching/coaching career in the Howland School System where he taught marketing education and served as Tigers golf coach for seven years, baseball coach for three years and tennis coach for two years.
      He moved to Boardman High School in 1978 where he taught marketing education, business law and physical education.
      He became head coach of the Boardman girls’ basketball program in 1981, a post that he held for 31 years.
      He elevated the Lady Spartans to new heights with 19 Steel Valley Conference titles and two Federal League crowns.
      The 2002 UPI and AP “Coach of the Year,” he is a 21-time recipient of the Mahoning Valley Coaches Association “Coach of the Year” award, a four-time recipient (1986, 1992, 1995 and 2002) of NEO “Coach of the Year” laurels and the 2001 Ohio High School Basketball Association “Coach of the Year” honor as well.
      Selected to coach in the 1987 Ohio State All Star game, his Boardman teams advanced to district play in 21 seasons, winning 14 district titles and finishing as runners-up on seven other occasions.
      The Lady Spartans were regional finalists in 1986, 1996, 2001 and 2005, and won the regional title is both 2005 and 2008 and were regional semi-finalists on 10 separate occasions. Under Moschella, Boardman teams advanced to the Ohio ‘Final Four’ twice, in 2005 and 2008.
      He was also honored by the OHSBCA for his 500th victory in 2007 and again 2013 for his 600th win.
      Moschella is known for his demand of excellence from his players, not only on the court, but also in the classroom and was honored by the The Crier, the BHS yearbook, with its dedication to him in 1997. Then, in 2000, he was named the Boardman High School Teacher of the Year.
      Moschella was inducted into the Curbstone Coaches Hall of Fame in 2010 and the Boardman High School Hall of Fame in 2013.
      Following his retirement from Boardman, he was offered the opportunity to coach girls’ basketball at Columbiana High School. After two consecutive winning seasons with the girls, Moschella was offered the Columbiana boys position as well. Both teams finished the 2014-15 season with winning records.
      He enters his fourth season with Columbiana girl this year, where loyal followers from his days at Boardman, still show up to watch the lady Clippers, where one of his assistant coach is one of his best-ever players, Courtney Schiffhauer, who went on to star at Michigan State.
      Ron and his wife Judy, his high school sweetheart, reside in Boardman and have three daughters: Christine (Brian Terlesky), Nadine (Nick Colla) and Jolene (Don Ross), who all played successfully for their father at Boardman and each has been inducted into the BHS Hall of Fame.
      Ron and Judy are proud grandparents of ten grandchildren: Brian, Tyler, Emma, Jimmy, Jenna, Nicholas, Lia, Tessa, Gianna and Lena.
      PICTURED:  RON MOSCHELLA’S BOARDMAN HIGH SCHOOL LADY SPARTAN cage team claimed a huge win in the 1986 regional semifinals when they upset #1-ranked Barberton, 51-41. Hugging the Hall of Fame coach at the end of the game in this photo is Joanne Dzuray.