BY GREG GULAS
      Boardman News Sports
      bnews@zoominternet.net
      The Boardman Spartans boys’ basketball team went 22-2 this past season, fashioned a 10-game win streak to start the season and a 12-game win skein at the end before being eliminated in the district semifinals by Canton McKinley, 59-47.
      Their success the past two seasons--- they were 20-4 in 2018-19 and are now 42-6 in their past 48 contests, have won consecutive All-American Conference Red Tier games, have won 18 straight league games and are 23-1 at home ---was due in large part to the play of senior guard Derrick Anderson and junior center Ethan Andersen, both of whom were recently named Ohio Division I all-state selections.
      Add to the mix senior guards Tommy Fryda and Daeone Martin, who also earned post-season honors and it’s easy to understand why head coach Pat Birch’s team has been so successful over the past two campaigns.
      Derrick Anderson, Ethan Andersen and Fryda were named to the All-American Conference Red Tier first-team, Derrick Anderson was voted the AAC Red Tier Player-of-the-Year for the second straight season, Martin earned second-team laurels with both Derrick Anderson (second-team) and Ethan Andersen (honorable mention) earning all-Ohio laurels.
      “I am extremely proud of all of our players for their accomplishments. Not only is earning all-Ohio recognition an individual award but it’s also a testament to our team, Birch said. “Derrick will go down as one of the best players to ever come through Boardman High School.
      “Not only has Derrick been a phenomenal basketball player, he has also been an equally great kid and teammate and despite all of the accolades he has received, he remains extremely humble and selfless.”
      Derrick Anderson finishes his highly decorated career with 1,045 points, which is third all-time on the program’s scoring ledger. He becomes just the sixth player in program history to reach that scoring plateau.
      He was named AAC Red Tier POY and earned first-team Northeast Ohio Inland District the past two years and is now a back-to-back state pick, having earned special mention honors as a junior a season ago.
      Anderson has had several colleges express an interest in him once he graduates but the recruiting process, however, is currently on hold nationwide as everyone continues to deal with the effects associated with the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.
      “Being named all-state two years in a row and AAC player of the year in consecutive seasons is nothing short of a blessing,” added Anderson, who expects to major in either business or the theater. “I’m truly blessed to have been honored that way because these last two years have been unforgettable.
      “Everything that we have achieved is something that won’t ever go away. I would like to thank my coaches, teammates, family, friends and entire Boardman community for everything because without them, none of this would have been possible. My plan for college is to play the game that I love. I don’t know how it will happen or where I’ll end up, so I’ll just continue to be patient and trust God.”
      At 6-7, Ethan Anderson is the tallest Spartan on the team and had a breakout season this past year as a junior.
      While Derrick was the top scorer on the team (22.7 points per game), Ethan finished second, averaging 10.9 points per fray while Tommy Fryda – he set the single season record for triples with 61 ( he was 61 of 130 for 46.9 percent, ending his career with 84 “treys” overall – was third at 10.5 points per contest, the only three players that finished in double figures on the year.
      Andersen led the team in rebounds, hauling in a team best 7.9 per fray.
      “Ethan has been such an important piece of our success over the past two seasons,” Birch stated. “His size and skill set has allowed us to take huge strides as a team. He is a hard-working kid who gets it done on the court and in the classroom, where he has a perfect 4.0 cumulative grade point average. We will build next year’s team around Ethan’s skill set and I think he will really flourish offensively being the focal point.”
      In addition to his all-state honorable mention and AAC Red Tier first-team selections – he was a second team pick a year ago – Andersen also earned second-team all-Northeast Ohio Inland District.
      “It’s very exciting to be honored. As a team, we worked hard all season and I need to say thank you to my coaches, teammates and parents,” he noted. “We had two great seasons and nine awesome senior leaders this year. I weigh 185 pounds so the goal is to get into the weight room, work hard in the off-season and put on some weight before next year begins.”
      While several colleges have already made overtures to Andersen, he’ll join Trey Metzka of Struthers and Austintown Fitch’s Todd Simons when they AAU ball this off-season with the Pittsburgh Flash.
      “We were scheduled to begin practices last week, but everything has been pushed back due to the coronavirus situation,” he said. “We have four tournaments scheduled for July in Toledo, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Providence, Rhode Island and in Pittsburgh. I’m really looking forward to the competition.”
      While recapping the team this season, Birch called Fryda and Martin special senior leaders.
      “Tommy Fryda is a hard-working, tough kid who is a great competitor and electric shooter,” Birch stated. “Daeone was our quiet contributor, a workman-like player who showed up every day with the same approach and produced some really big moments.”
      2020 All-American Conference
      Red Tier Team
      First-Team Selections:
      Todd Simons, Junior, Austintown Fitch
      Derrick Anderson, Senior, Boardman
      Ethan Andersen, Junior, Boardman
      Tommy Fryda, Senior, Boardman
      Joe Bruno, Senior, Canfield
      Cam Durig, Senior, Howland
      Aston Bates, Junior, Warren Harding
      D’Muntize Owens, Senior, Warren Harding
      Second-Team Selections:
      Kris Brown, Senior, Austintown Fitch
      Devin Sherwood, Sophomore, Austintown Fitch
      Daeone Martin, Senior, Boardman
      Brayden Beck, Senior, Canfield
      Trey Dye, Junior, Canfield
      Justin Jones, Senior, Howland
      DeAveion Burgess, Junior, Warren Harding
      AAC Player of the Year
      Derrick Anderson, Senior, Boardman
      ALL-OHIO SELECTIONS
      First Team
      Max Land, Cincinnati Moeller, 6-4, sr., 14.1 (points per game); Matt Allocco, Hilliard Bradley, 6-4, sr., 18.0; VonCameron Davis, Walnut Ridge, 6-5, sr., 27.3; Sean Jones, Gahanna, 5-11, so., 19.0; Brandon Noel, Chillicothe, 6-8, sr., 18.0; Josiah Fulcher, Lima Senior, 6-foot-2, senior, 21.3; John Hugley, Lyndhurst Brush, 6-10, sr., 23.0; Grant Huffman, Lakewood St. Edward, 6-4, sr., 17.0; Kade Ruegsegger, Dover, 6-4, sr., 24.5; Kobe Johnson, Canton McKinley, 6-3, jr., 18.1
      Second Team
      Gabe Cupps, Centerville, 6-1, fr., 10.3; Nate Johnson, Lakota East, 6-3, jr., 17.0; Kalen McKinney, West Carrollton, 6-3, sr., 18.2; Trevell Adams, Columbus South, 6-0, sr., 15.7; Keaton Turner, Dublin Coffman, 6-0, sr., 22.6; Sean Craig, Sylvania Northview, 6-6, so., 20.3; Luke Chicone, Mentor, 5-10, jr., 18.4; Devontae Blanton, Lakewood St. Edward, 6-6, sr., 17.1; Garrison Keeslar, Green, 6-5, sr., 12.1; Derrick Anderson, Boardman, 6-1, sr., 22.2; Christian Parker, Canton GlenOak, 6-5, sr., 18.9
      Honorable Mention
      Adrian Michael, Toledo Start, 5-10, sr., 10.9; Luke Denbow, Ashland, 6-1, so., 18.2; Kendal Marshall, Toledo Central Catholic, 6-3, sr., 11.1; Feisal Crumby, Toledo St. Francis, 12.2; Dominique Cole, Toledo Central Catholic, 6-6, sr., 10.7; Dashad Floyd, Toledo Start, 6-1, sr., 11.2; Brady Lichtenberg, Toledo St. John’s; 6-1, jr., 12.7; Noah Moser, Springboro, 6-4, sr., Mo Njie, Centerville, 6-9, sr., Alex Williams, Moeller, 6-4, jr., Trey Robinson, Hamilton, 6-6, sr., DeArius Randle-Barker, Princeton, 6-1, sr., Julian Mackey, Lakota West, 6-3, sr., Jackson Holt, Turpin, 6-3, jr.; Tre Beard, Chillicothe, 5-11, sr., 13.9; Tegan Myers, Logan, 6-0, so., 14.7; Brandon Ford, Ashtabula Lakeside, 6-0, jr., 18.2; Chad Rogers, Mentor, 6-5, sr., 21.4; Luke Floriea, Mentor, 5-10, sr., 15.5; Omar Abuhamdeh, North Royalton, 5-10, jr., 13.0; Bishop Thomas, Painesville Harvey, 6-3, sr., 19.4; Chris Blauman, Madison, 6-3, sr., 20.4; Tyler Jackson, Garfield Heights, 6-4, jr., 14.4; Brent Walker, Canton McKinley, 6-6, jr., 12.8; Quentin Toles, Massillon Perry, 5-11, jr., 14.8; Jayden Ballard, Massillon Washington, 6-3, jr., 12.9; Corey Tripp, Medina, 6-3, jr., 12.7; Tre Massey, Brunswick, 6-2, jr. 21.2; Ethan Andersen, Boardman, 6-7, jr., 11.2; D’Muntize Owens, Warren Harding, 5-11, sr., 16.0; Todd Simons, Austintown Fitch, 6-3, jr., 21.0; Trevin Carter, Akron Ellet, 6-1, sr., 19.0; Maison Ross, Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit, 6-3, sr., 13.9; Erik Stern, Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit, 6-8, jr., 14.1; Jack Christian, Marysville, 5-10, jr., 18.2; Bobby Crenshaw, Newark, 6-0, sr., 12.5; Marcus Johnson, South, 6-4, sr., 14.7; Kaveon Ross, Walnut Ridge, 6-6, sr., 15.7; Victor Searls, St. Charles, 6-8, sr., 14.5; Bilal Sow, Canal Winchester, 6-4, sr., 19.3; Brock Waits, Grove City, 6-0, jr., 19.8