Ligonier Valley football tops Bishop McCort for District 6 title — again

By: HSSN Staff
Saturday, November 18, 2017 | 10:21 PM

Previous Next

Previous Next

ALTOONA — When Ligonier Valley wins a football game, the team likes to hear the song “Rocky Top.”

It was blaring loud and clear Saturday night at Mansion Park after the Rams captured their second consecutive PIAA District 6 Class 2A title with a gritty 19-12 victory against Bishop McCort of Johnstown.

Ligonier Valley (13-0), ranked fifth in the state, defeated Bishop McCort to win the 2016 title, but this game was a lot closer.

Now the Rams advance to the PIAA tournament, where they will face District 2 champion Dunmore on Saturday. It will be a rematch of the 2016 season, when the Rams pulled off a win at Bald Eagle Area.

“In the offseason, these players got tired of hearing that Collin Smith and Elijah Parrish were the reason for their success,” Ligonier Valley coach Roger Beitel said. “They worked hard in the weight room to prove everyone wrong. They won the offseason, and now we get to take this big trophy home to Ligonier. I can't wait to get into the locker room and hear Rocky Top.”

Senior Jackson Daugherty scored all three touchdowns for the Rams, including a 38-yard jaunt with 1 minute, 36 seconds left to clinch the win.

Daugherty rushed for 102 yards on 17 carries and scored on a 1-yard keep and a 15-yard pass from John Caldwell.

“I credit the offensive line for giving me the push,” Daugherty said. “I'm so proud of my teammates.

“We knew they were a tough team, and we'd have to perform at our best. We didn't perform at our best in the first half, and we knew we had to come out swinging again. We're back-to-back champions.”

Because of rainy conditions and a tough Bishop McCort defense, the Rams kept the ball on the ground.

So did Bishop McCort (10-3), which controlled the time of the possession in the first half with its ground attack.

Unfortunately for the Crushers, they didn't reach the end zone until there were seven seconds left in the game.

Ligonier Valley grabbed a 6-0 lead on its second possession of the game, driving 63 yards in 11 plays with Daugherty scoring on a 1-yard sneak.

The Rams only had three possessions in the first half, but the first possession ended after three plays when Bishop McCort intercepted a pass intended for Sullivan Schueltz. Their third possession ended after two plays when Aaron Sheeder fumbled after a 24-yard run.

Bishop McCort, which controlled the time of possession (17:52 to 6:08) in the first half, scored on the final play of the first half when Byron Gephart booted a 41-yard field goal that hit the crossbar and bounced through.

“I was proud how the defense performed,” Sheeder said. “We made them work for everything they got. “

Bishop McCort rushed for 224 yards and finished with 240 total yards, and Ligonier Valley rushed for 217 yards. Caldwell was 3 for 6 for 60 yards, and two passes went to Daugherty for 38 yards.

Aaron Tutino didn't catch a pass, but he rushed for 31 yards and drew double coverage.

“Aaron didn't have the statistics he normally does, but he was taking two players away from their defense,” Beitel said. “That allowed us to run the ball more.”

Paul Schofield is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at pschofield@tribweb.com or Twitter @Schofield_Trib.

Tags: Ligonier Valley