Folks in Springboro view their favorite son — the 6-foot-6, 275-pound starting tight end of the New York Giants — a lot differently than do people in Boston.

“They made up special shirts here — they’re blue with red lettering and white trim — and they say ‘Boro’s Own Giant’ on the front and have No. 85 and BALLARD on the back,” said Ben Ballard, Jake’s dad.

“They had them at the high school and the Image Market right off Main Street, and the other day they’d already sold over 1,000 of them.

“It’s kinda neat, and I bet a lot of folks will be wearing them on Super Bowl Sunday.”

Today, Ballard and the Giants meet the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

Although the Pats are slightly favored, the Giants — thanks in a big way to the late-game heroics of Ballard — did edge New England 24-20 on Nov. 6 in Foxborough.

Ballard had four catches for 67 yards in that game, including two memorable receptions on the winning drive.

First, he made a leaping 28-yard catch on a desperation, third-down pass by Eli Manning. Then, with 15 seconds left, he caught the 1-yard game-winning touchdown.

It was that performance that prompted a humorous, back-and-forth tweaking between Ballard and a Boston TV crew on the Super Bowl field last Tuesday during Media Day.

“We’re from Boston and we like to have our villains,” the guy with the microphone said with feigned indignation. “You realize you very quickly could become Public Enemy No. 1 in our town after what you pulled in Week 9.”

Seeing Ballard start to grin, the guy snapped: “Wipe that smile off your face as you think back on it.”

Unable to completely ditch his delight, Ballard just nodded: “Yeah, a lot of people remind me of that. A lot say stuff on Twitter. They call me a Patriots Killer. But I don’t listen to it too much. I just got lucky a couple of times.”

The Boston guy wasn’t buying the bit about luck: “We don’t need it to happen twice. You’re not going to pull any of that crap on Sunday again are you?”

“I can’t promise that. We’ll just have to see what happens,” Ballard said.

“You can promise it — you can promise it right now,” the guy said.

When Ballard just beamed, the guy gave one final tongue-in-cheek volley: “I hope you take this in the spirit it is intended. I wish you nothing but the worst on Sunday.”

To that Ballard deadpanned: “I would say I appreciate it … but I really don’t.”

When the TV crew finally tromped off, Ballard said quietly: “It’s cool to be thought of as a threat.”

And today that’s what Ballard will be, said Giants head coach Tom Coughlin: “He’ll have a huge impact on the game.”

New England almost certainly will concentrate on the Giants’ trio of talented wide receivers — Victor Cruz, Hakeem Nicks and Mario Manningham — and that could make Ballard an enticing target for Manning.

“Our tight ends are not going to get double teamed,” said Giants offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride. “If they can beat a linebacker, in most cases they’ll have chances to catch the ball and make some big plays.”

Ballard did just that this year until he partially tore the posterior cruciate ligament in his right knee against Washington on Dec. 18 and missed the final two regular-season games.

Up to then he had 38 catches for 604 yards and four touchdowns. Ironically, in his entire four-year career at Ohio State he had just 34 receptions for 377 yards and three scores — all of the touchdowns coming by his sophomore year.

“Yeah, back then that was a little frustrating,” he admitted. “There just weren’t enough footballs to go around.”

A talented family

Ballard was blessed with athletic genes from both his parents.

His dad played college football at Xavier before embarking of a 32-year career as a prep football coach throughout southwest Ohio and including head coaching stints at Fenwick and Waynesville, and 10 years as an assistant at Springboro.

Ballard’s mom, Debby — now a surgical nurse at Good Samaritan Hospital — was such a stellar basketball player at Springboro that she’s in the school’s athletic hall of fame. So is her dad, Gil Burson, one of the school’s all-time hoops hotshots.

Jake’s sister Becky — who played basketball at Franklin College — is in the hall of fame, too. So is Jake.

And Josh Ballard, Jake’s twin brother who happens to be four inches and 45 pounds smaller, was a standout linebacker at Morehead State University. More beefcake than just beef, he has done some modeling and now works in the Miami Valley as a medical sales rep.

When Jake went to OSU, he did get several balls thrown to him his first two seasons, but then — with the emergence of scrambling quarterback Terrelle Pryor — saw his role turned almost solely into a blocking tight end.

“Every offseason it would be the same. The coaches would say, ‘We’re going to focus on getting you the ball and getting you involved,’ but then it never happened,” Ballard said. “But like I’ve said before, we won a lot of games when I was there, so I wouldn’t change a thing.”

But the limited usage did submarine his draft status.

“I didn’t figure I’d get picked, but I still remember draft day,” he said. “I was at a wedding and I kept checking my phone and seeing all these guys from all kinds of schools being taken, and it was very depressing.”

In all, 19 tight ends were chosen in the 2010 draft, but Ballard wasn’t one of them.

The Cleveland Browns and New York both wanted him as a free agent, and he smartly chose the Manning-led Giants.

“There have been some rough patches in my young NFL career,” Ballard said. “I got to New York, got hurt, got cut, got picked up by them again and then was put on the practice squad. I was there most of my last year.”

He finally was signed to the roster and played in just one mid-December game last season. But when starting tight end Kevin Boss left for the Oakland Raiders this past August, Ballard did everything he could to fill that void.

Over the summer, he had put on the extra weight the Giants had suggested and worked out at Ohio State — “all I did was run routes” — with since-departed quarterback Taylor Graham.

“He started the first preseason game this year and he just never looked back after that,” said Jake’s dad, Ben. “As the season went on, he really seemed to win Eli’s trust, and when the balls started coming his way, he caught them.”

Not celebrating yet

When the Giants beat San Francisco in the NFC title game, Ballard called his dad, who had been at the Green Bay game the week before but skipped the 49ers’ trip so Debby could go.

“When I got Dad on the phone, he was more excited than I was,” Ballard said with a laugh. “He was yelling, ‘You’re going to the Super Bowl! … You’re going to the Super Bowl!’ But he was so loud I was like, ‘Dad, I can barely understand you.’ ”

Before the Giants left for Indianapolis, Ballard had his parents come to his townhouse in New Jersey — he lives with teammates Bear Pascoe and Jim Cordle — and took them out on the town.

“We took a limo into Manhattan for dinner at a great place — Del Frisco’s Grille — a couple of blocks off Times Square,” Ben said. “We had a good time, and when we finally drove back here to Springboro, we brought Jake’s dog along home with us.”

Ballard’s Golden Retriever is named Jager.

“As in Jagermeister?” he was asked.

He just grinned: “Ummm … well, I did get him when I was in college, so …”

Ballard said he was able to get 10 Super Bowl tickets at $900 each for family members. Several other people from Springboro, including some of the guys he played high school football with, planned just to come to Indianapolis and join the party even without tickets.

While Ballard thought he might get a chance to see some of those folks, he said the session would be brief. All his focus is on this game. He said he doesn’t want to get this close to a title and fall short, something he experienced in high school.

“I still remember being 12-0 and then losing to Dayton Carroll and not making it to the state finals,” he said.

It’s a memory like that that has kept him from celebrating the season he’s had so far. And so the four balls he caught for touchdowns this year — and then kept — simply sit in his room back in Jersey.

“After the season is over I’ll figure out how I’m going to display them,” he said. “I’ll probably put them in cases or something, but I’ll wait until this game is over and see what I have.”

He doesn’t say it, but you get the idea he’d like to add another touchdown ball or two to the collection.

In the process it would help him put a permanent frame on that perfect nickname:

“Patriot Killer.”

By Tom Archdeacon, Staff Writer Updated 11:10 PM Saturday, February 4, 2012

SENIORS – Stephan Sukola, Sean Welsh, Andrew Gleason, Cory Davis, Jesse McReynolds, Brad Black, Alex Dawson, Kody Barth, Carson Cook, Kyle Ludy, Clarke Franz, Jordan Pelphrey, Jordan Nicoll, Wilson Main, Kyle Longworth, Conrad Lamb and Devon Shoopman.

JUNIORS – Chris Harwood, Alex Kelly, Shawn Frechette, Keifer Campbell, Jordan Yukon, Adam Hendizadeh, Josh Whitney, Jeff Zuckowitz, Josh Steenbock, Daniel Olsen, and Brendan Hogarth.

SOPHOMORES – Kelly Mahle, Connor Phillips, Andrew Weinman, Josh Kemph, Ryan Robinson, Austin Wofford, Alex Foley, Devin Cook, Austin Pellegrino, Blake Massa, and Zach Miller.

FRESHMEN – Michael Rasnic, Brent Ludy, Keegan Brown, Jaret Lakes, Mitchell Young, Brandon Gedart, and Elijah Bennett.

Alabama was certainly impressive in their decisive win over LSU in the BCS national title game.  There were a lot of things to admire about Alabama’s play: great defense, efficient offense, no turnovers, 1 penalty the entire game, outstanding hustle and effort on special teams.  But, maybe the most impressive thing about them in my mind, was the post-game awards ceremony.

That may sound strange coming from a football coach, to be most impressed by the awards ceremony, but for me, that segment showed what made Alabama truly standout from everyone else in the country.  Yes, the great athletes on their team made them standout, but LSU had that same kind of talent and athleticsm on display.  To me, what made everything come full circle for the Crimson Tide was their attitude of TEAM before ME.  It was almost as if no one wanted to take any credit or accept any award as an individual.  I’ll give you some examples:

1.  When Nick Saban, the head coach was interviewed immediately following the game, the only thing that he wanted to talk about was his players, the fans, and the community of Tuscaloosa.  At the trophy presentation, the reporter tried to trick him and asked him if his dad, who has passed on, were here, what would he be most proud of.  Surely he’d have something to be proud of about his son and his accomplishment as a coach, but Saban answered that if his dad were here, he’d be most proud and most impressed with the total team effort of Alabama on this night.

2.  When Alabama’s QB was given the offensive player of the game award, he was almost embarrassed to talk about the role that he’d played in the game but glowed when he mentioned his offensive line, the defensive effort and even went as far as to mention on the stage the great effort that the Alabama scout team had given during the bowl preparation!

3.  When the Alabama linebacker was given the plaque for the defensive player of the game, he wouldn’t even hold it in his hands.  He immediately handed it to his teammates and told them to pass it around to the rest of the defense.  He said for every defensive player to touch that plaque because it belonged to all of them in a dominant performance.

There’s an old quote that reads “It’s amazing what can be accomplished when no one cares who gets the credit.” 

That unselfish attitude was certainly on display throughout the game and even more so at the end when it was time to recognize individuals.  It was all about team for the Tide and I believe, that attitude propelled them to a national title.

It’s OK to have dreams.  It’s OK to have personal goals, in fact, you should.  BUT, can the goals of the team be just a little bit more important?  I think those Alabama players and coaches would say that it was worth it. 

GO BORO!

Coach Wilhite

Coach Wilhite and the Springboro Panther football team would like to extend a heart felt thank you to Stephen Harding and the Wee Panther players and coaches for the unbelievable support at Friday night’s home football game vs. Butler.  Friday night was pee-wee night in Springboro with all youth football players being admitted to the game free and being recognized with their coaches during the pre-game. 

It was an awesome sight to see the youth players form a tunnel for the varsity players as they entered the field.   Boro pride was riding high and it’s clear that the future of Springboro football is in good hands.

ALSO, A SPECIAL THANKS TO THE WEE PANTHERS FOR PARTNERING WITH THE HIGH SCHOOL TO HELP RAISE $1,480 ON FRIDAY NIGHT FOR THE DILLON GOODING FAMILY.  WE ARE BLESSED TO BE A PART OF A COMMUNITY THAT CARES FOR EACH OTHER!

Ballard caught an 8-yard touchdown pass with 3:14 remaining to bring the Giants within one score of the division leading Cowboys.  Then, after the New York defense got a stop, Ballard had 2 huge catches to contribute to quarterback Eli Manning’s masterful 2 minute drill, the second of which got the Giants offense down to the Dallas 1-yard line. 

The Giants blocked a Dallas FG attempt to end the game and reclaim first place in the NFC East division.  The Giants now control their own destiny toward the NFL Playoffs and their up and coming tight end from Springboro, Ohio continues to be a meaningful piece of the Giants offense.

Springboro senior quarterback Josh Little had an impressive performance going 12 of 19 for 390 yards, 4 TDs and no interceptions.  His top target was sophomore wide receiver Jack Schaaf who hauled in 6 receptions for 196 yards and 2 TDs.  Little also distributed the ball well to his other weapons including Jake Johnson on a 50 yard TD reception in the 1st quarter and an 18 yard TD strike to sophomore tight end Jordan Rigg.  Springboro runningback Jalen Campbell led all rushers on the night picking up 137 yards on 18 carries. 

The Springboro defense limited the Buccs to 85 yards on the ground as they faced an aireal assault by Xenia quarterback Zach Newsock.  Newsock threw it 40 times, completing 21 of them for 279 yards, 3 TDs and an interception.  Sophomore linebacker Joe Kylin had the interception for the Panthers in the endzone preventing another Newsock TD pass.

The Springboro victory puts the Panthers in 2nd place in the GWOC South and gives them an opportunity to compete for a share of the GWOC South title against arch rival Lebanon in the traditional Week 10 showdown.  The Panthers defeated the Warriors 49-42 in triple overtime last season at Lebanon.  The Warriors will certainly enter CareFlight Field looking to avenge last year’s loss.  The division leading Fairborn Skyhawks have already clinched a share of the South title and the winner of the Boro – Lebanon tilt will be crowned co-champions.  Game time is 7:30 and it is Senior Night at CareFlight Field.

The Panthers opened the 2nd half with a great defense and forced a quick Miamisburg 3 and out.  The Springboro offense then took that posession down the field and scored on a 16 yard Josh Little to Jake Johnson TD pass.  The next posession resulted in a Miamisburg punt and the Panthers offense went to work again capping the scoring drive off with a Little to Kyle Longworth 37 yard TD pass on fourth down.  A third Miamisburg 3rd quarter punt was returned 80 yards by Johnson for a Springboro score.  The Panthers started the 3rd quarter down 7-0 and ended it leading 21-7.  They used a potent ground game in the 2nd half to chew up the clock and provide 2 scoring drives. 

Little finished the game 14 or 24 for 223 yards passing and 3 TDs.  Jalen Campbell rushed 15 times for 87 yards and Longworth added 54 yards.  Zak Kruer led Miamisburg with 10 yards on 15 carries.  In addition to the punt return for a TD, Johnson caught a TD pass and had an interception of defense.  Saftey Jack Schaaf and linebacker Jordan Nicoll also had interceptions for the Panthers.  The Springboro defense held Miamisburg to 221 yards of offense and were led by senior Jarren O’Mara with 16 tackles and sophomore Joe Kylin with 14 tackles.

The Panthers make their final road trip next week as they head to 2-6 Xenia for another GWOC South game.

Springboro took several chances on in the kicking game that didn’t pay off.  The Panthers attempted a surprise onside kick to start the game that didn’t go the needed 10 yards and Fairborn started the game at midfield, scoring on the opening posession.  Later in the 2nd quarter, Springboro ran a fake punt that didn’t get the needed yardage and gave the ball back to the Skyhawks at the Boro 38 yardline.  Fairborn would go on to score on that posession as well.  Couple those stats with 2 Springboro turnovers to 0 Fairborn turnovers and those stats were the difference in an otherwise close game.

Fairborn totaled 447 yards on the night to Springboro’s 389.  Fairborn’s Kendrick Williams was 11 for 25 passing for 199 yards and 2 TDs.  Josh Little completed 10 of 25 passes for 181 yards and 2 TD’s and 2 interceptions.  Winston Childers led Fairborn in rushing with 119 yards and a TD on 16 carries and Jalen Campbell totaled 199 yards and a touchdown on his 13 carries.

The win puts Fairborn on top of the GWOC South standings and leaves Springboro trying to rebound for it’s first division win next week on the road at Miamisburg.

The Elks were led by senior running back Chris Barr who had 164 yards rushing on 28 carries and scored 3 TDs.  In total, Centerville rushed for 440 yards on the night.  Kyle Longworth led Springboro rushers with 66 yards on 18 carries and Josh Little threw for a score and ran one in as well.

The Panthers hope to get the second half of their season started on the right note next Friday as they make the long journey up to Sidney to take on the 0-5 Yellow Jackets.