Belle Vernon aiming to knock Elizabeth Forward off its Interstate Conference perch

By: Jeremy Sellew
Friday, October 28, 2022 | 6:01 AM

For schools 6 miles apart, it has been seven years since Elizabeth Forward and Belle Vernon Area have met on the football field.

That streak ends Friday night.

The Leopards (6-2, 4-0) travel to the home field of the Warriors (9-0, 4-0) looking to take something that has belonged to them four out of the last five years: the Interstate Conference title.

“We talked about it (Wednesday) at practice,” EF coach Mike Collodi said. “Belle Vernon is a heck of a football team. They took care of business in 4A. Now they’ve dropped down. We’ve won this conference four out of five years, so it’s not theirs yet. We’re going to have the opportunity to say something about it.”

Collodi and BVA coach Matt Humbert are close off the field, communicating regularly. The teams have scrimmaged each other the past few seasons, and now they meet with high stakes, with the winner likely also locking up the No. 1 seed in the 3A playoffs.

“It’s really fun because Matt and I are both ultra competitive people,” Collodi said. “What a better way to spend a Friday evening going up against your friend with two great teams? These players know each other, they’ve played against each other since they were kids and I know both teams are excited.”

Humbert and the Leopards ran the gauntlet in their four exhibition games this season, going 2-2 against the likes of Laurel Highlands, McKeesport, Penn-Trafford and Thomas Jefferson. He is hoping those games have prepared the players for the electricity that will follow into Elizabeth Township tonight.

“The experience is there. We’ve played in WPIAL championships, semifinals. The TJ games at the end of the last couple seasons had meaning just like this one. I think that’s something we’ve been fortunate to have on our side,” Humbert said. “Our first four games, I think that prepares kids for the ebbs and flows for those big games. We just have to be able to slow our heartbeats, not get too high, not too low. I’m confident now matter what comes up, our kids have been through it.”

The Leopards come in after outscoring their last four opponents in Interstate play by a margin of 204-14. Humbert is well aware that this game won’t be that easy.

“The thing that really stands out watching their film is how great they are in the vertical pass game,” Humbert said. “The quarterback (Zion White) throws an accurate deep ball. He can make all the throws a quarterback needs to make from anywhere on the field. They have a really good wide receiver out wide that we’re going to have to know where he is at all times.”

White has completed 63 of 106 pass attempts for more than 1,500 yards and 24 touchdowns. His top target is Zach Boyd, a Division I recruit who needs only 12 yards receiving to hit 1,000 on the season with only 30 receptions. He’s averaging 33 yards per catch. Keilly Rush is averaging 26.2 yards per catch, and Charlie Nigut is just under 300 yards receiving.

Jordan Wilmore (61-405) and Johnny DiNapoli (54-371) have combined for just under 800 yards rushing.

“We have to be balanced. We can’t rely on the passing game or the running game. It can’t be one or the other,” Collodi said.

Humbert said stopping EF’s splash plays will be the key defensively. Something that will help with that is five-star recruit Quinton Martin at defensive back. Collodi expects to see him shadowing Boyd all over the field.

“We have to avoid those splash plays,” Humbert said. “They like to take shots deep. Watching two or three of their films, they’re throwing deep, and they’re doing it early. A lot on that first drive of the game.”

The Leopards’ defense is tops in Class 3A, allowing only 8.6 points per game.

They held unbeaten McKeesport (14) and Thomas Jefferson (7) to their lowest-scoring outputs.

“Their defense is really fast, especially up front where they’re skilled and technically sound,” Collodi said. “Just offensively and defensively, you read all about Quinton Martin, who is a very good football player. But they are so much more than him. The outsider may think it’s the Quinton Martin show with them, but they are so much more than him. There are weapons all over the field. They’re athletic all around. There’s a reason they’ve been so successful.”

Martin (99) and Jake Gedekoh (91) combined for 190 yards on the ground and three touchdowns against Southmoreland last week. The duo is responsible for 989 rushing yards this season.

The Leopards used Braden Laux and Tanner Steeber at quarterback most of the season, with both showing their effectiveness. Laux has thrown for 660 yards.

“We have to be calculated on where and how to attack them,” Humbert said. “They’re really impressive with their safety play. They make him part of their run packages and put him in different locations. We have to be mindful of where he is at all times.”

Both coaches are excited to feel the buzz in the air in an around Warriors Stadium. With the fire trucks ready to go with lights and sirens, an overflow crowd is expected.

“I definitely would put it up there with the semifinals and WPIAL championship we’ve played in,” Collodi said. “We played our first home playoff game here a few years back, I think this is going to go way beyond that when it comes to the level of excitement. I can guarantee the kids on both teams one thing, this will be one of the most electric environments they play in.”

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m., and the game can be view at MVI Live on YouTube with the PennWest California Pregame Show starting at 6:45.

Tags: Belle Vernon, Elizabeth Forward