Elizabeth Forward maintains undefeated record in victory over Greensburg Salem

By: Jose Negron
Friday, October 20, 2023 | 11:23 PM

Elizabeth Forward’s Ryan Messina found success through the air and on the ground Friday night against Greensburg Salem.

The junior quarterback threw for three second-quarter touchdowns and had another score on the ground in the Warriors’ 48-13 victory over the visiting Golden Lions in Interstate Conference play.

Messina was effective all night, completing 13 of his 17 pass attempts for 214 yards. He added five carries for 65 yards to help EF (9-0, 4-0) extend its unbeaten streak heading into next week’s conference showdown with Belle Vernon Area.

“Ryan continues to progress, and my hat goes off to our offensive coordinator, Tony St. Angelo,” EF coach John DeMarco said. “That’s been his protege all year, and you can see the work that he’s put in with him is paying off.”

After Greensburg Salem scored early in the first quarter to cut EF’s lead to one, Messina helped the Warriors strike back with a pair of quarterback keepers. He gained 46 yards on the second play before capping a 5-yard drive with a 3-yard touchdown run that made it 14-6 in favor of EF.

“We’ve had that play in the playbook, but with him being young, we just didn’t realize what could happen if he pulled it,” DeMarco said. “Now teams have to plan for something else, too, instead of collapsing on our backs.”

Messina showed off his arm with his three touchdown strikes in the second, as he hit Connor Fleming down the right sideline for a 60-yard TD with under seven minutes left in the first half.

He then found his No. 1 target, Isaiah Turner, for scores of 15 and 33 yards in the final six minutes. Turner had eight catches for 121 yards.

“That connection has come with time,” DeMarco said. “I told Ryan at the beginning of the season that, even though he’s young, he’s the quarterback and he’s a leader of this football team. He’s handled things the right way and has led by example. He has everyone behind him, and he’s playing well.”

Charlie Nigut played his usual big role in the victory, as he scored on special teams and on the ground while adding an interception on defense.

He returned the game’s opening kickoff 86 yards for the first score of the game before adding a 4-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. His interception and 35-yard return midway through the second led to the touchdown that made it 35-6 in favor of the home team.

“Every week, he does something that sort of surprises me a little bit,” DeMarco said. “He’s a hard worker, and he deserves everything he gets. It doesn’t matter who we’re playing; he goes out and gets the job done, and that’s my kinda guy.”

Greensburg Salem (1-8, 0-4) scored once in the first quarter and again in the fourth.

The Golden Lions answered Nigut’s early kickoff return with a 12-play drive that was capped by an 18-yard touchdown pass from Brody Chismar to Keegan Young. Chismar added a score on a 2-yard run in the fourth, and EF capped its scoring performance with a 5-yard touchdown run by AJ Grese in the third.

While they hadn’t discussed next week’s contest with Belle Vernon Area before Friday night, the Warriors are ready to turn their attention toward the highly anticipated matchup between two of the top teams in Class 3A.

“We haven’t talked about it all year, but we know what we’re facing,” DeMarco said. “They’re a great football team with a lot of great players, but so are we. We don’t fear anybody. We’re going to respect them, but we’re not going to back down to anybody.”