By Giana Falbo, Brooklynn Wayt, Helen Bossart, and Riley Maroney
On Friday, November 4th, the Linsly Cadets Football Team ended their outstanding season at Morgantown High School’s Pony Lewis Field. The team came out with a victory, winning 31-20 over the Mohigans, coming back after being down by 3 points at the start of the fourth quarter. The defense, led by Raymond Kovalesky with 12 tackles, shut out the Mohigans in the second half. Landon Taylor added 2 ½ sacks, Jamie Riedel had 1 ½ sacks, and Alex Taylor had 2 interceptions. Alex also gained 134 yards on the ground and was the key to our offensive attack. Luca DiLorenzo scored 3 rushing touchdowns and Kevin Stanisi added another. Santiago Graneros was perfect on the night once again, making 4 out of 4 extra points along with a 40 yard field goal, his ninth of the season. Overall, the team persevered through every obstacle in the game, striving for one final win. Not only did the team come away victorious, they won the 3A OVAC Championship Title; the tenth in school history since 2017. Their final season record was 9-1, losing one game to Fairmont Senior. The team was led by senior captains Landin Blakely, Aiden Christ, Wyatt Haynes, and Collin Paull, and junior captains Alex Taylor and Raymond Kovalesky.
Throughout the season, Alex Taylor had 544 total yards rushing and 4 interceptions. Luca DiLorenzo had 16 touchdowns, 5 rushing and 11 receiving. Luca also had 916 total plays of offense and defense and 964 yards receiving. Atley Cowan had 2,418 passing yards. Jaime Riedel had 7 sacks. Raymond Kovalesky had 126 total tackles.
Although it is sad that the season is over, it was marked by many triumphs. For two weeks in a row, the team received WTOV9’s “Team of the Week.” Along with this, senior Luca DiLorenzo was awarded with athlete of the week twice, and was featured in the local newspaper for his impressive performance on the field. One of the most memorable triumphs this season was against the talented Steubenville Big Reds; a team that has always posed a challenge to Linsly in past seasons. This year, however, the Cadets finally overcame them and won 28-27. Another one of the most memorable wins this season was against Fort Frye. Fort Frye had been undefeated at their home field for 5 years, and the Cadets broke that streak, winning 41-38.
As their final football season came to an end, the seniors shared some of their favorite memories during their football career at Linsly. Landin Blakely and Aiden Christ both enjoyed watching Coach Valentine dive into a kiddie pool after beating Fairmont Senior last year. Mateo Dimitrioski, Nathan Coleman, and Collin Paul loved beating Steubenville and being with the team afterwards. Luca Dilorenzo also liked the Steubenville game because he got to watch Raymond Kovalesky get the game winning interception. Debu Yi’s favorite memory was eating dinner with the team before every game, and Wyatt Hanes explained that his favorite memories were made during LOC freshman year. Jy’Leik Johnson’s favorite memory was running a 96-yard touchdown against Dover this year. Santiago Graneros’ favorite memory was scoring the game winning field goal against Fort Frye, and finally, Adi Shlush’s favorite memory was recovering the onside kick at Fort Frye. Many of these seniors have played since their freshman year, so the ending of their final season was bittersweet. Congratulations to all the seniors! They will all be missed next year!
When asked what made him most proud of his team this season, Head Coach B.J. Depew emphasized the team’s strength and toughness. He stated:
They never gave up and they never panicked despite facing some great adversity. I was also very proud of how every player developed. It was evident that everyone made progress this year. Our varsity got all of the attention, but our JV also had an undefeated season.
Coach Depew also gave insight on how he kept his team motived this year. He said that the many challenges kept them motivated, and expressed:
Players in our program have become driven to do what others don’t think we can do. They love the challenge of the big school and the big game. Our schedule was tough and it provided all the motivation they needed. As a coach, you just show trust and belief in your team and try to guide them as best you can.
Finally, Coach Depew was asked about some of the goals he intended for the team to achieve. With a record of 5-5 last year, he sought to change that and achieve wins that he knew the team was capable of achieving. He also added that his goal was to connect his current players to former Linsly football players, as it would allow them to learn more about the history of the football program at Linsly.
Not only has the football season ended for the boys, but the Linsly Football Cheerleading 2022 season has also ended. This year, the team was led by senior captains Giana Falbo, Marly Doughty, and Kelsey Glessner. Fortunately, the cheerleading team was able to travel to many of the away games this season to cheer on the boys, bringing enthusiasm and excitement to each and every game.
Finally, the football team and cheerleaders would like to thank all of the support from friends and family that they received this season! Below are some pictures from throughout the season.
