OLSH’s fully charged defense shuts down Ligonier Valley
By:
Friday, September 20, 2024 | 10:43 PM
Players from OLSH, from left, Ethan Davis, Colby Zwigart, Vann Kavals and Tristan Vojtecky, prepare for their game against Ligonier Valley on Sept. 20, 2024, at Moon.
Players from OLSH (left) and Ligonier Valley head to midfield for the coin toss before their game Sept. 20, 2024, at Moon.
Players from Ligonier Valley, from left, Sam Caldwell, John Jablunovsky, Aidan Mulheren and Wade Lamont, prepare for their game against OLSH on Sept. 20, 2024, at Moon.
Players from OLSH prepare for their game against Ligonier Valley on Sept. 20, 2024, at Moon.
Players from Ligonier Valley prepare for their game against OLSH on Sept. 20, 2024, at Moon.
Players from Ligonier Valley prepare for their game against OLSH on Sept. 20, 2024, at Moon.
The Our Lady of the Sacred Heart defense held Ligonier Valley to just 107 yards of offense, leading the Chargers to a 28-7 victory Friday night in Moon.
Vann Kavals recorded three sacks, Owen Nestor had an interception, and Talen Ellis tallied two interceptions.
“I feel like all year we’ve been playing pretty strong, but tonight we showed our full potential,” Nestor said. “We played very well on defense tonight.”
The Rams were scoreless for the last three quarters with their only touchdown coming on a John Jablunovsky 65-yard punt return.
“We came out ready to hit, ready to play,” Kavals said. “Everybody stepped up big. We had young guys coming out hitting. I was getting double teamed, which opened up my teammates. We had some some young kids making some big-time plays. I loved what I saw.”
Kavals also powered the fully charged offense. Kavals completed 13 of 19 passes for 132 yards, tossing three touchdown passes. He also got it going on the ground, running for 115 yards on 12 carries.
Iseia Fields-Schulz was his leading target. He hauled in six passes for 81 yards and a 35-yard touchdown reception.
They also were quite the duo at the defensive end position, pressuring Ligonier Valley all night and keeping the Rams offense out of the red zone.
“It was the first time both of us were D-ends and we were cooking,” Kavals said. “At wide receiver, he’s a stud, and we had those other guys at wide receiver open it up for him. A huge game from him, huge game from our defense, and a huge game from our offense.”
Despite playing together for four years, this was their first time being the defensive end duo.
“We’ve been playing since freshman year,” Fields-Schulz said. “He got hurt freshman year, but we were always supposed to be the D-end duo. It just feels great to have us both as D-ends.”
Fields-Schulz added: “For receiving, the connection’s just there. We go to the field. We work out together. We get all that stuff down.”
Although the Chargers were victorious, Ligonier Valley struck first.
Jablunovsky took a 65-yard punt to the house in the first quarter. Hunter Carr drilled the PAT, giving the Rams an early 7-0 lead.
The Rams forced a turnover on downs and two punts in the first quarter. Nevertheless, they tallied just 16 yards on offense.
The OLSH defense continued its strong play in the second half, forcing a three-and-out to start the second quarter.
A long, 61-yard drive that took up the majority of the second quarter was capped off with a Kavals 22-yard touchdown pass to John Anderson. Patrick Altmar hit the extra point to tie it 7-7.
Ellis then picked off a Boden Schreyer pass to give the Chargers the ball back.
OLSH took the lead on Ethan Davis’ 14-yard touchdown run with 41 seconds left in the first half.
OLSH shut down the Rams from there, going into halftime with a 14-7 lead.
After a chop block penalty and a Fields-Schulz sack, the Rams were forced to punt.
OLSH extended its lead to 21-7 when Kavals found Colby Zwigart with a shovel pass for a 5-yard touchdown.
The Chargers forced another three-and-out and a quick, three-minute drive was finished with a Kavals 35-yard touchdown pass to Fields-Schulz to make it 28-7.
Nestor picked off a Schreyer pass to get the ball back midway through the fourth, and Ellis notched another interception late in regulation.
Ligonier Valley coach Roger Beitel commented on the team’s performance.
“That’s my fault because it was terrible,” Beitel said. “We weren’t prepared. It’s my job to get them ready to play. Offensively, we were awful. Defensively, we didn’t tackle. There were presnap penalties. We just killed ourselves. This is the worst football game we played all season. OLSH did a great job. They took advantage of everything.”
Kavals was glad to get the win on senior night.
“It was emotional before the game,” Kavals said. “It’s the game everybody loves to play. Guys came up, stepped up for us seniors. Seniors came out ready to play. We all played for each other, and it showed.”
Tags: Ligonier Valley, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart
More High School Football
• Fierce defenses square off when Pine-Richland, Peters Township meet in WPIAL title rematch• Trib HSSN PIAA football preview capsules for Week 13
• Through the Years: 40 years ago, Freeport finally got the better of nemesis Jeannette
• Kiski Area football coach Sam Albert hangs up head coach’s whistle after 3 decades
• WPIAL Class 3A championship preview: Avonworth, Central Valley set for rematch
