Elizabeth Forward runs away from Southmoreland, takes over 1st place in Interstate Conference

By: Jeremy Sellew
Friday, October 18, 2024 | 10:17 PM

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Fans expecting a shootout between Southmoreland and Elizabeth Forward on Friday were instead treated to a battle between two stout defenses for one half of football.

In the second half, it was all Warriors as they came away with a 31-3 win over the Scotties to take hold of first place in Class 3A’s Interstate Conference.

“I told the kids that every Friday night when we step on the field, we need to go out and make a statement,” EF coach John DeMarco said. “I think a lot of people kind of shrugged us off after starting 1-3.”

Holding on to a 10-3 lead at the half, the Warriors shut out the Scotties in the second half and put up 21 more points.

It all started quickly as EF (6-3, 4-0) drove right down the field and scored on the opening drive of the second half after the Scotties (7-2, 3-1) tried unsuccessfully to recover an onside kick.

“We watched it on film, even at halftime, that we thought we could get them with the onside,” Southmoreland coach Tim Bukowski said. “We didn’t get it, and they went right down and scored. I think our heads went down there a little bit.”

Scotties standout freshman Anthony Smith, who entered the game a couple hundred yards shy of 2,000 for the season, never got into a rhythm. He finished 7 of 18 for only 68 yards with an interception.

“You know, we have four former head coaches on our staff, so that’s a lot of experience,” DeMarco said. “Coach (Mike) LeDonne and our staff had a great game plan defensively, and we were able to rattle him a little bit.”

Bukowski agreed.

“They got to him a little bit, and I don’t know if it was the (magnitude) of the game. He threw some bad balls and was letting them go high.

“We just didn’t make enough plays. We had the ball twice in the red zone and only came away with three points.”

Smith was outdueled by EF junior quarterback Ryan Messina, who went 11 of 15 for 186 yards.

“I told Ryan this week, this isn’t a you-versus-him game,” DeMarco said. “But he’s a competitor, and that’s how he took this game. He was fantastic and made some really nice throws.”

Charlie Nigut was the main catalyst for the Warriors. The senior running back had 28 carries for 131 yards and three touchdowns.

“After the first half, the running game was great, and that’s because of all my guys on the offensive line,” Nigut said. “Coach (Jason) House is a great coach for those guys, and they put in a lot of work through the week.”

Nigut knew how big his 3-yard touchdown run on the second half’s opening drive was.

“We knew the way our defense was playing that two scores was going to be tough for them,” he said. “That was the message at halftime, we just wanted to come out and not take the foot off the pedal. We wanted to step on their throats and put them down.”

The Scotties were able to hit big plays in each of their first two drives of the game to get deep into Elizabeth Forward territory, but the only points the Scotties mustered came on a 26-yard field goal from Jake Kaylor.

That was all the scoring in the opening quarter as the Scotties led 3-0 after one.

The Warriors answered on their ensuing drive.

Nigut broke free for a 26-yard run on a first down, but the drive faltered after he was tackled by the shoestrings on a third-down screen pass.

Luke Holdren entered and booted a 38-yard field goal to tie the score at 3-3.

The Warriors finally broke through for the first touchdown as Nigut scored from 19 yards with 57 seconds remaining in the first half.

After Nigut’s touchdown on the opening drive of the second half, the Warriors added another score right as the fourth quarter began. It was Nigut again from 2 yards to help push the lead to 24-3.

The Warriors defense forced another late Scotties punt, thanks in part to Joel Surdyn’s second sack of the game.

EF methodically ran down the clock, converting a big third down and a fourth down to keep possession.

The Warriors’ final touchdown came on AJ Grese’s 8-yard run with just under a minute to go.

Now, the Scotties will turn their attention to Greensburg Salem in their regular-season finale.

“It’s been a long time since Southmoreland’s won eight games,” Bukowski said. “We have to move on. Let’s finish second, and let’s get a home playoff game. We have to go over there next week and take care of business.”

Cameron Phillips led the Scotties offense with six carries for 80 yards.

The Warriors will look to clinch the Interstate crown outright next week at Mt. Pleasant.

“We started talking about this last season at Gateway when we came up a little bit short in the semifinal,” DeMarco said. “We said we’re going to take it one game at a time. We’re going to line up, and we’re going to come out and punch whoever we’re facing. Mt. Pleasant has a good offensive scheme. But we’re going to line them up next and look to knock them down. They’re the next one we’re up against.”

Tags: Elizabeth Forward, Southmoreland