Ligonier Valley lineman Christian Jablonski pledges to Lehigh

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Sunday, June 23, 2019 | 9:09 PM

Incoming senior Christian Jablonski will be one of the sharpest fangs in the sinister smile known as the front line of the Ligonier Valley football team.

The group has size, experience and talent — Division I talent, as evidenced by the laundry list of scholarship offers presented to several of the Rams’ front blockers.

One of them made his intentions clear Sunday as Jablonski announced his commitment to Lehigh.

He chose the Patriot League program over five additional FCS offers, from Duquesne, Holy Cross, New Hampshire, Richmond, Dartmouth and Fordham.

“Lehigh provides me with the opportunity to play college football at the most competitive level as a true student-athlete,” said Jablonski, who is thinking bigger than football as he approaches the college level.

The 6-foot-5, 260-pound Jablonski was recruited as a defensive end. He also plays offensive tackle for District 6 power Ligonier Valley.

Blessed to say I’ve committed to Lehigh University!!! #BIRD20FPREY pic.twitter.com/753ni8tmk4

— Christian Jablonski (@cjablonski_55) June 23, 2019

Last season, Jablonski made 55 tackles (40 solo), including 12 for loss, and forced a pair of fumbles for the Heritage Conference champion Rams (12-1).

His recruiting began to take off in recent months. He said his goal was to commit before training camp.

“It’s awesome — I’ve been dreaming about this day for a few years and I can’t believe it is a reality,” Jablonski said. “I wanted to have a clear mind going into the camp and season so we can focus on accomplishing all of our goals as a team.”

Now, the attention turns to coveted offensive guard/defensive tackle Michael Petrof, Jablonski’s teammate, who has more than a dozen D-1 offers. Among them are Navy, where he visited this weekend, Air Force, Youngstown State, Duquesne, Robert Morris, Youngstown State, and a number of Ivy and Patriot League schools, including Fordham and Lehigh.

Petrof said he plans to commit before the season.

Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.

Tags: Ligonier Valley