It was last September that Vann Kavals lay on the grass at Clairton’s Neil C. Brown Stadium, his leg throbbing in pain as he feared his season had ended prematurely for the second year in a row.
“It was really tough,” Kavals recalled. “But the good thing was that I knew I’d get through it because I already did once.”
Kavals, a standout at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, had suffered a torn ACL in his right knee in a Week 0 game against Shenango when he was a sophomore in 2022. After making a full recovery, Kavals then suffered a broken right femur last season as a junior in a Week 2 game against Clairton. Both injuries ended his season.
Now a senior, Kavals is healthy again and thriving, so much so that the Akron recruit might be the favorite for “Comeback Player of the Year” in the WPIAL this season.
“Kids nowadays aren’t always good when things go bad,” OLSH coach Donnie Militzer said. “But this kid is the best I’ve seen at keeping a positive outlook and keeping fighting.”
At 6 feet 5 and 235 pounds, Kavals sticks out on the football field, especially with him playing for a Class 2A school. Kavals is a big kid who plays a big role for OLSH, serving as the team’s quarterback and defensive end. Through four games this season (OLSH is 2-2), Kavals has been a disruptive force on defense (he’ll play on that side of the ball in college), racking up 6 sacks, 12 tackles for loss, 3 fumble recoveries and 9 pass deflections. Offensively, he has thrown for 716 yards and seven touchdowns to go along with 184 yards rushing and two touchdowns.
“Every time I watch him play, I’m just in awe,” Militzer said. “I’ve done this for over 20 years, and what this kid is doing is amazing. When people ask if he’s a Division I kid, yes, this is a Division I kid. There’s a reason why he has offers. When you look at him you see it. He’s just a difference maker on both sides of the ball.”
Considering he started and finished only two games total the previous two seasons, Kavals didn’t have a lot of high school film to send to college coaches. But typically if you’re good enough, colleges will find you. Akron, Miami (Ohio), Air Force, Penn, Cornell, Lehigh and Robert Morris all offered Kavals, an outstanding student who carries a 3.8 GPA.
“Akron is getting an absolute steal,” Militzer said. “I know that recruiting has changed a lot, but I’m extremely shocked that we haven’t gotten more calls after these first few weeks, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we eventually do.”
Last Friday was senior night for OLSH, and Kavals produced one of the finest performances of his career, passing for 136 yards and three touchdowns, rushing for 120 yards, and registering three sacks in a 28-7 win against Ligonier Valley at Moon High School.
Among the things that made senior night extra special, Kavals said, was that his grandparents who live in New Jersey attended one of his games for the first time, and that the team’s other three seniors who play skill positions all scored touchdowns — Ethan “Speedy” Davis, Iseia Fields-Schulz and Colby Zwigart.
“It was something special,” said Kavals, who lives in South Fayette and has seven siblings. “I’ve played four years with those guys. To see how much we’ve progressed and come together as a group has been amazing. And to get every senior a touchdown, that was the goal that we talked about.”
And how about this? A former NFL All-Pro has played a part in Kavals’ development this season, as former Steelers linebacker Jason Gildon is in his first season as OLSH’s defensive coordinator and defensive line coach.
“It’s been amazing,” said Kavals, also a standout basketball player at OLSH. “I would give anything to be able to have all four of my high school years with him. I’m really trying to make the most of it this year. He really pushes us.”
“Making the most of it” is sort of Kavals’ M.O. this season. After his sophomore and junior seasons were stripped away — he credits his parents for playing a huge role in helping him get through it physically and mentally — he knows this is his final ride as a high school player.
“It feels great,” he said. “Me and the guys have been playing really hard. We know what it takes, so we’re giving it our all on every play.”
McKeesport player on ESPN
McKeesport’s Javien Robinson made a catch so impressive last Friday that it landed him on ESPN two days later.
Robinson, a sophomore, made the great grab in a 31-14 loss to Upper St. Clair. On the play, McKeesport quarterback Brady Eastman threw a deep ball to the middle of the field to Robinson, who leaped into the air and made the contested catch amid two defenders.
“I just went up for it, and I guess I just got higher than them and came down with it,” said Robinson, a 6-foot-1, 179-pound wide receiver-defensive back. “I had to make up for the two passes I dropped on the same route [earlier in the season].”
The game was broadcast by 22 The Point, and the highlight of the catch was then featured on ESPN’s NFL pregame coverage during the popular “You Got Mossed!” segment narrated by NFL Hall of Famer Randy Moss.
“I was shocked [that it was on ESPN],” said Robinson, who was offered by Duquesne in June. “I’m still taken back by it to this day. It was wild.”
As far as his favorite NFL receivers go, Robinson said he would actually put Moss at No. 2 on his list. At No. 1 is a player who ended his career long before Robinson was born — Jerry Rice.
Another Fort Cherry running star
Matt Sieg is well on his way to a third consecutive 1,000-yard rushing season, but the standout junior quarterback isn’t the only Fort Cherry player who could hit that mark this fall.
Ryan Huey is a sophomore running back-middle linebacker who is having a breakout season for the Rangers (5-0), the defending WPIAL Class 1A champions. Huey (5-9, 175) is second on the team in rushing with 428 yards on 79 carries and second in touchdowns with seven. Defensively, he ranks fourth in tackles with 26 and has added a fumble recovery.
“He’s been great,” Sieg said. “His speed to complement everything else that is a part of his game, that’s the biggest thing. He can cut at the same speed as he sprints. He’s a special player, and we’re definitely really glad to have him.”
Huey’s biggest performance came in a Week 1 win against Our Lady of the Sacred Heart when he rushed for 184 yards and scored two touchdowns. He has already bettered his numbers from his freshman season when he ran for 219 yards and scored three touchdowns. Huey is also an excellent baseball player who hit .478 with 4 home runs and 15 RBIs while also going 6-1 on the mound as a freshman.
Brad is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at beverett@unionprogress.com.