Tigers fall to Cavaliers in week one shutout
By: Caiel Woody
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CHILLICOTHE, Ohio (WOUB) — For the first time in nearly forty years, Circleville and Chillicothe face each other in a refreshingly exciting week one matchup that has a just a little bit more meaning to it, as players from both teams voiced frustrations about how they felt the opposition had disrespected them, so these boys came out with something to prove. Chillicothe would take this restart of the rivalry, 34-0.
The Tigers would start the night off by giving a short kick, to try and catch the Cavaliers sleeping, but the ball would only end up rolling out of bounds untouched giving Chillicothe great field position. Tay Harris would start the drive off with a chunk run but after that the Cavs would start running the same RPO back-to-back-to-back-to-back, and no matter how many times Harris would look for the pass, it did not change the fact that Cartae Ligon would be handed off the ball.
A mixture of good running and some penalties on Circleville would leave Chillicothe three yards from the endzone as Ligon would punch it into the paint for the first points of the season, and with a good extra point by Jace Jarell the Cavs were up 7-0 in the early stages of the first quarter.
Ray Ezell would be Circleville’s response on offense, after a good return by him switched the field, he matched it huge play that got taken away due to a penalty, afterwards the Tigers offense would give a very lengthy three and out before punting the ball away. With the ball now in his hands, Ligon would take the ball about fifty yards up the field, but as if penalties were becoming the name of the game, they would now take a play away from the Cavs as they would make their way back further than they started.
Ligon did not let this affect him however, as he just proceeded to run some more, first with a field switching carry putting the ball just 36 yards from the goal line, then a short sprint to the sideline where he HURDLED somebody at the end of the play, but after that a scramble by Harris would end with a loose ball, that Chillicothe’s big men were able to land on before it was too far gone. This would lead the Cavaliers into a ridiculously long fourth and goal which ended in a turnover on downs after they went for six.
Ezell would run for some good yards and even move the chains some, but some holding calls and a sack by Aydin Scales would lead Circleville to punt the ball again. The Cavs repeating the cycle just kept feeding Cartae and he just kept delivering, dancing around the defense, running through tackles, and ending the drive with another touchdown of his own; Chillicothe would go up another seven points giving them a 14-0 lead in the second quarter.
A big pass to Kadian Sanchez, would bring life back to the Tigers sideline who were seeing their offense in the redzone for the first time all game. With the help of a hard count Circleville would gain even more yards towards some points, but Chillicothe’s defense would stay strong forcing a field goal, that ended up being blocked by that same Cartae Ligon who could not be stopped on offense, but was now showing he cannot be stopped on defense either.
Circleville would not put a finger on the scoreboard before giving the ball back to Chillicothe with only seven minutes left in the half. Alec Spradlin and Ligon would switch the field to start the drive, but an unsportsmanlike penalty would switch it right back. A holding call pushed them back even further and then in a second and 25 situation they would get yet another penalty that the Tigers would end up deferring, getting forced to punt; the snap would be fumbled, yet somehow Harris managed to get the ball away by the skin of his teeth.
With less than three minutes to string together some points before the half was over, two good runs and another Chillicothe penalty led to Ezell going down with a cramp, and in an amazing moment of sportsmanship Coby Suwannasing from Chillicothe would help him stretch as the trainers made their way over. Once play resumed Karter Williams would intercept Jace Captain’s pass almost taking the pick for six, but he was stopped short, which turned even shorter after the revelation of a penalty would bring the Cavs back yet again this time to their own 27 where they would kneel the ball to close the first half up 14-0.
Circleville would open the second half with a strong methodical drive that was cut short by a Cartae Ligon pick six that just deflated the Tigers’ morale, but this was just more of the same play that Circleville had showcased the whole night. They could and would force mistakes out of Chillicothe, yet in the end they were never able to capitalize, the Tigers would eat away at the clock and the Cavs defense but if you cannot score then all the stops are meaningless.
Chillicothe had a simple gameplan, feed Ligon until it stops working and even though the Tigers defense knew what was coming, they had such a hard time putting a stop to Ligon who was not only floating like a butterfly but stinging like a bee every time the ball would touch his hands.
The only thing that made Ligon’s play better was the fact that the rest of the Cavs were playing just as well, just as fast, and just as strong. Having one player that can be a game changer is what gives teams great stats, but having a whole team playing at that high a level is what wins games, and that is why Chillicothe beat Circleville 34-zip to open their season.
Week one jitters are gone, so now we have a new week. On Aug. 28, Circleville heads to Washington CH to take on the Blue Lions, and Chillicothe hosts last year’s state runner-up, Wheelersburg, in a high-stakes matchup.