Ligonier Valley steamrolls Shade for third Appalachian Bowl title

By: HSSN Staff
Saturday, October 27, 2018 | 10:42 PM

WINDBER – Ligonier Valley football players were eager to see if they could slow down the high-powered Shade offense led by senior quarterback Brady Fyfe.

The Shade quarterback is having another record-setting season, having thrown for 2,723 yards and 38 touchdowns, and the Panthers were outscoring teams from the WestPAC Conference at will.

But Shade hadn’t met a team that was bigger and quicker until Saturday in the Appalachian Bowl at Windber Stadium.

Ligonier Valley got two touchdowns each from junior running back Kyrie Miller and junior tight end Cage Dowden, and the defense didn’t allow Shade to score until late in the game in a 45-8 victory.

It was the Rams (10-0) third-consecutive Appalachian Bowl title. The only thing the players were disappointed about was that it allowed Shade (9-1) to score. The Panthers were the first team from the conference to score against the Rams in the title game.

“If you told me that we’d only allow eight points to that team before the game, I would have taken that,” Ligonier Valley coach Roger Beitel said. “That’s a great team, and Brady is a great quarterback.

“Our defense did a great job keeping them in front of them. That’s a big play team, and we took that away from them.”

Fyfe completed 22 of 31 passes for 156 yards, but the Rams defense forced them to a short-game attack.

“We couldn’t block them, and that forced us to a short-game attack,” Shade coach Don Fyfe said. “We had our opportunities early in the game, but we just didn’t connect.”

Shade dominated the early part of the game, but its first two drives stalled in Ligonier Valley territory.

After Miller, who rushed for a school-record 251 yards and went over the 1,000-yard mark for the season, fumbled on his first carry, the Rams offense went to work by scoring on seven consecutive possession to build a 45-0 lead.

Faced with fourth-and-5 at the Shade 44, Beitel gambled his team would make it. He got more than he expected as quarterback John Caldwell launched a 44-yard strike to Aaron Tutino for a 7-0 lead.

Caldwell was 10 of 15 for 143 yards and three touchdowns. He hit Dowden with scoring strikes of 8 and 3 yards in the second quarter. Caldwell surpassed the 2,000-yard mark for the season, and Tutino, who had four catches for 82 yards, went over the 1,000-yard mark.

“When teams try to take away Aaron, it opens things up for Kyrie,” Beitel said. “He and the line did a great job.”

Ligonier Valley went up 14-0 late in the first quarter on a two-play, 59-yard drive. Miller dashed 40 yards on the first play and 19 on the second play.

The Rams had a time-consuming drive in the second quarter that took six minutes off the clock, and it was mainly the running of Miller and Sam Sheeder, who finished with 45 yards.

Ligonier Valley outgained Shade, 486-168, and 343 came on the ground.

“We do what we do and played our best,” Miller said. “The offensive line was opening up huge holes for me. I feel great. It was an amazing accomplishment. We studied their offense and saw what they like to do.”

Sheeder said: “We were ready against a good passing team, and we used our speed. We had a few new looks, and this will help us.”

Ligonier Valley opens defense of its PIAA District 6 Class 2A title Friday against a familiar opponent, Marion Center.

For Shade, its season continues with the state of the PIAA District 5 Class A playoffs.

“I truly believe that we’re a better football team we were five hours ago,” Coach Fyfe said. “That’s a great team, and I saw our players not back down from them.”

Ligonier Valley scored on its opening possession of the third quarter on a Miller run for a 35-0 lead, then two turnovers turned the game into a rout.

Paul Schofield is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Paul at pschofield@tribweb.com or via Twitter @Schofield_Trib.

Tags: Ligonier Valley