Brock Netter, Editor
Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by Holzer Health System.
CHILLICOTHE — With fireworks exploding in the background, Chillicothe’s football team couldn’t help but to shed tears during a massive postgame celebration on Friday night.
It was more than just a football game. It was a brotherhood, shining through for the world to see.
It was a group of young men blocking out the outside noise and setting out to prove that they could walk the walk as well and talk the talk.
They did just that, all night long.
Despite facing late adversity that could have made them crumble, the Cavaliers (2-0) didn’t panic.
They trusted one another, believed in themselves and turned things around to pull off a 26-18 program-changing victory over Wheelersburg.
“Everyone was doubting us, but we knew what we could do. We came out and played our hearts out,” Chillicothe’s Cartae Ligon said. “We faced adversity, but stayed strong, fought back all game, trusted each other and that’s what helped us get the win.”
Ligon was special all night long … but then again, that’s never breaking news.
He shined in the second half in the moments that truly mattered, coming up with a pair of momentum-changing interceptions while finding the end zone repeatedly.
In total, he finished the night with 25 carries for 172 yards and three scores, alongside 12 total tackles and those two picks.
“We just had to get stops, that’s all it came down to,” Ligon said. “It came down to just believing in one another and trusting that each guy is going to do their job and make something good happen.”
Wheelersburg (1-1) struck first when Cameron Conn drilled a 49-yard field goal in the first quarter, putting the Pirates ahead 3-0.
However, the Cavs provided a quick answer and found the end zone as Tay Harris powered his way in from six yards out to make it 6-3 — a score that remained until halftime.
“Our defense being strong sets the tone and dictates how the game is going to go,” Chillicothe’s Trace McAllister said. “We know our offense is going to put up points, so we have to play shutdown defense. Everything comes together as one, and it was special to see.”
After some back-and-forth in the third, Ligon’s impact was about to be felt.
Wheelersburg began to build up steam offensively. But Ligon stepped in front of a pass for an interception and returned it to the Pirates’ three-yard line. He cashed in on the next play, scoring for the first time to put the Cavs ahead 12-3 heading to the fourth.
PHOTOS: Images from Chillicothe’s win over Wheelersburg
The Pirates, showing no signs of panic, calmly put a drive together that ended with Jack Doerr stretching to cross the goal line for a seven-yard score, cutting the deficit to 12-10.
On the ensuing kickoff, the Cavaliers failed to field the kick and the Pirates recovered the ball on CHS’ three-yard line. Stephen Hall powered his way into the end zone, and converted the two-point try, giving ‘Burg an 18-12 lead in a matter of four seconds.
The teams of old at Chillicothe might have imploded at that point.
But these Cavaliers are different.
They simply put their head down, hand in the dirt and went back to work, refusing to let the momentum swing affect all the work they had put in.
“This was the most prepared I’ve ever felt for a game, not just physically but mentally as well,” Chillicothe’s Conner Rutherford said. “It was such a dogfight, but these are the kind of games we want. We had a lot to prove since no one gave us a chance and this was our chance to quiet a lot of people.”
With a heavy dose of Ligon, the Cavs marched down the field and he found paydirt on a three-yard run to tie the game at 18-18 with less than five minutes left.
The Pirates converted a pair of first downs on their ensuing drive, and thought they had the perfect play dialed up when they faked a handoff and threw a pop pass to an open receiver.
But Ligon appeared out of nowhere … again.
He jumped up to intercept the pass and returned it all the way to the five-yard line before scoring on the next play to make it 26-18 after a successful two-point conversion.
“Our guys up front deserve a lot of credit. They were physical and did their job getting into the backfield to disrupt plays, make tackles and play tough,” Ligon said. “I knew in that moment we had to make a play and get a stop. I read the play and just happened to be in the right spot to make it happen, got us down to the five and punched it in.”
The Pirates had one final chance to equalize, but fumbled the ensuing kickoff. The Cavaliers recovered and closed the game in a victory formation.
“This was such a crazy game. I know what it was like for us on the field, I can only imagine what it was like for everyone watching in the stands,” McAllister said. “This is such a great feeling. Everyone has each other’s backs and when something bad happens, we all just lift one another up. It’s such a beautiful thing and success is going to happen when you have that many guys lifting you up. We did it.”
Following Ligon’s final stat line, Harris finished with seven carries for 37 yards and a touchdown while Karter Williams had two catches for 30 yards and an interception on defense.
For Wheelersburg, Hall finished with 21 carries for 79 yards and a touchdown, while Doerr had eight carries for 20 yards and a touchdown.
Chillicothe returns to action on Friday on the road at Western Brown, while Wheelersburg welcomes Jackson to town that same evening.
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