Ligon Romps for 420 Yards; Cavs Beat Broncos 35-16
Article presented by Tomlinson Insurance Agency …
Playmaker – Mr. Excitement – Sophomore Sensation – Game changer. He’s Cartae Ligon.
420 yards on 31 lugs and 5 touchdowns. Some teams dream to be as productive over 48-minutes. When Ligon found a crease behind his offensive line and was a bolt of lightning – BOOM – Touchdown. Cue the fireworks.
Yes, fireworks. A new addition to the Friday night experience at The O. Brian Knoles of the Ohio Pyro Arts Guild and his crew shot fireworks after each Chillicothe touchdown. “We’ve got enough for five touchdowns” Knoles said before the game. Little did he know, Ligon would cross the Broncos’ goal line five times… runs of 57, 2, 25, 57 and 39 yards each.
The 420 yards is certainly a record night for a Cavalier since the 2013 renovation of The Obadiah Harris Family Athletic Complex. Heck, it may well be a school record if such records existed. Jim Strausbaugh scored six touchdowns for Chillicothe in an 80-0 shellacking of Waverly on September 20, 1935. However, total yards weren’t tracked back then as they are today. It’s easy to say, Ligon’s night was a modern-day CHS record.
While eyes were on Ligon running wild, the Chillicothe defense stood tall. They surrendered 444 yards to Western Brown, but they managed to turn the Broncos away in the red zone several times, including three goal line stands.
Another sophomore, Broncos quarterback Deon Bradford, completed 31 passes on staggering 58 attempts for 397 yards.
“The effort was consistent” said Cavs first year coach T.J. Carper noting the linemen for Chillicothe were doing double duty in the trenches. He credited their off-season conditioning program for their stamina Friday. “The harder you work in December, January, February, March, April, May all the way up into August, the easier August, September, October, November are gonna be for you.”
While the Cavaliers defensive secondary bent for nearly 400 yards through the air, they recorded double figures in passes defended, including two interceptions. Of the nearly 60 passes thrown by the Broncos, a couple were batted down at the line of scrimmage and others were broken up downfield. The defense did its job.
Another story line was Chillicothe’s Tay Harris making his first varsity start at quarterback, filling in for Andrew Hamman. Harris was pressed into action last Friday when Hamman suffered a leg injury at London. “He’s Tay’s number-1 cheerleader” Carper said of Hamman. “Every day after practices this week, he was in the meeting room with Tay, encouraging him.”
Harris completed six of his ten passes for 78 yards. Those numbers may not be eye-catching, their effectiveness was revealed in creating the opportunities for Ligon’s career night.
The win was the first for Carper since October 20, 2023 while leading the Vinton County Vikings to a TVC championship. His first victory as a Cavalier was special. “It feels great” Carper said with a smile on Litter Media RADIO.
Chillicothe (1-2) will host Portsmouth West September 12th at 7pm. The Senators have suffered back-to-back losses the last two weeks: a 13-12 loss to Portsmouth and falling to Hillsboro 49-34 Friday night. Western Brown (0-3) will entertain Jackson in Mt. Orab. After a 2-0 start, the Ironmen dropped a 17-7 decision to Wheelersburg Friday.
Hear more about the game by clicking on the images below
