Cartae Ligon stars as Chillicothe upends Wheelersburg
By: Andrew Woods
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CHILLICOTHE, Ohio (WOUB) – It seemed like the playoffs came early in Chillicothe as the Cavaliers hosted the Wheelersburg Pirates on Friday, August 28.
The stands at Herrnstein Field were packed with loud fans from both teams. Meanwhile, the play on the field lived up to the hype, as Chillicothe (2-0) and Wheelersburg (1-1) pushed each other to their limits. In the end, Cartae Ligon showed up under the lights and made several big plays down the stretch to give Chillicothe a signature 28-16 win.
The game started off as a defensive struggle. Chillicothe’s first two drives ended in three-and-outs, while Wheelersburg’s first drive ended with Karter Williams intercepting a tipped ball.
The Pirates finally gained momentum late in the first quarter thanks to a long Stephen Hall run. Although the Pirates’ drive stalled, Cameron Conn put them on the board with a 49-yard field goal.
Chillicothe responded with their own push down the field. Cartae Ligon sparked the Cavaliers’ offense by dodging several Wheelersburg tackles on his way to a first down, while Wheelersburg committed two personal fouls to keep the drive going. After a few more chunk plays, Tay Harris scored a five-yard touchdown to give Chillicothe the lead. However, in what would become a theme, the Cavaliers missed the extra point.
The score remained at 6-3 throughout the second quarter. Both defenses made big plays throughout the quarter, while several promising drives and big plays were foiled by penalties.
The defensive trend continued throughout the third quarter. While Wheelersburg’s first drive ended in a three-and-out, the Pirates stripped the ball from Cartae Ligon. However, neither team would give way until Cartae Ligon made his presence known.
With Wheelersburg driving down the field late in the third quarter, Ligon grabbed an errant pass out of the air and returned the interception to the Wheelersburg five-yard line. Ligon finished the job on the next play with a rushing touchdown to make the score 12-3, Chillicothe.
Wheelersburg answered on their next drive by keeping the ball on the ground and taking advantage of two Chillicothe penalties. The Pirates’ physical run game allowed Jack Doerr to punch in a six-yard rushing score to narrow the Cavaliers’ lead to two points.
Wheelersburg then got a lucky break on the ensuing kickoff. A ball that looked like it was bound for the end zone remained in play thanks to a lucky bounce. The Pirates’ Logan Whitt was in the area and made a heads-up play, grabbing the ball and putting the Pirates in a goal-to-go situation.
After Wheelersburg’s big plays dramatically flipped the momentum, Cartae Ligon was determined to keep Chillicothe in the game.
On the Cavaliers’ next drive, Ligon, who totaled 172 yards rushing on 25 total carries, ripped off chunk run after chunk run to move Chillicothe down the field. Despite some penalties in the red zone, Ligon kept the Cavaliers moving and punched in a short touchdown. However, a failed two-point conversion meant Chillicothe could only tie the game at 18 points apiece.
Wheelersburg threatened to take the lead back, moving into Chillicothe territory and threatening to score with a long Cameron Conn field goal. However, the Cavaliers defense refused to break, forcing the Pirates into a third-and-3 on the Chillicothe 43-yard line with under two minutes to go.
On third down, Doerr dropped back for a play-action pass. However, Ligon read the play perfectly, grabbing his second interception of the game and returning it all the way to the Wheelersburg 5-yard line.
Ligon then punched in another touchdown on the next play, which was followed by Tay Harris punching in a two-point conversion to put Chillicothe up 26-18.
Chillicothe delivered the knockout blow with a big play on the ensuing kickoff. A squib kick bounced over Wheelersburg returner Hunter Henderson’s head. Chillicothe gunner Coby Suwannasing grabbed the bouncing ball to seal the game for the Cavaliers.
The Chillicothe defense held up incredibly well against a Wheelersburg offense that scored 63 points in their Week one game against Portsmouth. The Cavaliers held Wheelersburg to only 145 total yards and forced four turnovers. Chillicothe especially shined on third down, allowing Wheelersburg to convert only two of their 13 third-down attempts.
Chillicothe will look to clinch their best start since 2017 with a win over Western Brown. Meanwhile, Wheelersburg will try to get back on track with a win over fellow FAC foe Jackson.