Elizabeth Forward defense comes up big in win over West Mifflin

By: Jose Negron
Saturday, November 11, 2023 | 12:04 AM

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Charlie Meehleib takes pride in his performance on the defensive side of the ball.

The Elizabeth Forward senior defensive end cherishes every opportunity he gets to change the complexion of a game, whether it be by making a tackle or putting pressure on an opposing quarterback.

The senior Bucknell recruit likes scoring touchdowns, too.

He just doesn’t often get the chance.

That changed Friday night, as Meehleib scored on a fumble recovery in the end zone and on a pick-six to help lift No. 3 Elizabeth Forward to a 42-21 win over No. 6 West Mifflin in the WPIAL Class 3A quarterfinals at Warrior Stadium.

The Warriors (10-1), who will meet No. 2 Avonworth in a semifinal matchup next week, forced five turnovers and scored three defensive touchdowns in the victory.

“The credit goes to all 11 guys on the defensive side of the ball and our coaches,” said Meehleib, a Bucknell commit. “Our coaches do an absolutely great job day in and day out, and our athletes have their noses to the grindstone every day with the work we put in. It really shows on the field what we’re capable of.”

Meehleib was disruptive all night long, especially on his pair of defensive scores.

His first came with just over three minutes left in the second quarter.

The Warriors had just turned the ball over inside the West Mifflin 5-yard line before Meehleib recovered a Titans fumble in the end zone to help EF take a 21-7 lead before halftime.

Meehleib capped the scoring midway through the fourth quarter when he leaped to intercept a third-down pass from Joseph Fleming. The defensive standout turned on the jets and took the return 45 yards for the score, finishing off his first career two-touchdown showing.

“All I remember is jumping and then laying on my back in the end zone, if that helps explain it,” Meehleib said with a smile.

The Warriors’ other defensive touchdown occurred less than 2 minutes into the contest.

After West Mifflin running back Armand Hill ran for 53 yards on his first three carries, Dominic DeRenzo stripped the ball away on Hill’s fourth carry. The senior linebacker then raced down the right sideline for a 79-yard touchdown to help get the Warriors on the board.

“Our guys never give up, and when we need a play on defense, they always make it,” EF head coach John DeMarco said. “This was a big football game, and we knew it wasn’t going to be an easy one.”

Charlie Nigut also contributed with a second-half fumble recovery, and Krystian Kennedy added an interception down the stretch.

“You just can’t win a playoff football game with five turnovers — I don’t care what level of play you’re in,” West Mifflin head coach Rod Steele said. “You’re talking about losing five possessions there. That was the difference in the game.”

Both teams featured a pair of top-tier running backs in the first-round bout, as Nigut and Hill combined for 370 yards and four touchdowns.

Nigut finished with 22 carries for 170 yards and touchdown runs of 1 and 14 yards.

He scored from 1 yard out to give EF a 14-0 edge in the first quarter. He then capped off a fourth-quarter drive, one that featured a big 26-yard gain on third-and-8, with his 14-yarder that pushed EF’s lead to 35-21.

“I know we’ve got some good players in the area, but he’s No. 1 on my list for all the things he does for our team,” DeMarco said. “He plays offense, defense, he kicks the ball, and he’s phenomenal at all of those things. The thing I love most about him, though, is his heart. He gives everything he has.”

Hill, who nearly set a WPIAL record with a 495-yard performance in a win over Hopewell on Oct. 20, was dominant once again.

He totaled 200 yards on 20 carries to finish his freshman campaign with over 1,300 rushing yards.

Hill scored on a 12-yard run in the second quarter and added a 16-yard touchdown to cap a third-quarter drive that consisted of him carrying the ball seven times for 66 yards.

“He hasn’t run for less than 200 in a game, so it’s impressive for him to run like that against a defense like this,” Steele said. “I can’t say enough about him. Kids like him come around every once in a while.”

West Mifflin (7-5) made things interesting after going down by three scores early in the second half.

AJ Grese returned the opening second-half kickoff for an 85-yard touchdown before Hill’s second touchdown run cut the advantage in half.

After Fleming picked off a pass by Ryan Messina, the Titans cashed in again on a 7-yard touchdown run by Del Ron White.

“Our guys showed a lot of resiliency to cut it down to 28-21,” Steele said. “They fought back by making big plays and getting stops. I couldn’t be more proud of them.”

Tags: Elizabeth Forward, West Mifflin