Elizabeth Forward shuts down Knoch in battle of unbeatens

By: Jose Negron
Friday, September 22, 2023 | 10:12 PM

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In a nonconference battle between a pair of unbeaten Class 3A squads, Elizabeth Forward left with its perfect record intact.

Ryan Messina threw for a pair of first-half touchdowns to Isaiah Turner, and the Warriors’ defense was dominant in posting its second shutout of the season with a 22-0 win over visiting Knoch.

“I think the kids had a chip on their shoulder,” Elizabeth Forward coach John DeMarco said. “Everybody was talking about Knoch, so our guys came ready to play. I think they played a great game on both sides of the ball. We had a good week of practice, and we followed the game plan.”

Messina and Turner were at the forefront of an attack that totaled about 350 yards of offense. Messina completed 15 of 21 passes for 210 yards, and Turner had eight receptions for 140 yards.

Messina found Turner on a 41-yard touchdown in the first quarter before the pair connected again on a 38-yard score in the second, giving the Warriors (5-0) a 13-0 lead heading into halftime.

“I think Isaiah is one of the top players in the WPIAL. He’s a quiet guy who doesn’t say much. He just goes out and gets it done,” DeMarco said. “Ryan continues to get better every week. There’s a huge difference between where he was a few weeks ago and where he is now. He has a lot of football ahead of him.”

Offensively, Knoch (4-1) struggled mightily.

The Knights, who had just two first downs, finished with negative yardage on the ground and were limited to 18 yards of total offense. The Warriors also forced a pair of turnovers on interceptions by Tyler Scott and Turner.

“We got our butts whooped and lost by 20 to a top-three team in 3A,” Knoch coach Tim Burchett said. “Maybe we were reading too many press clippings or too many top-five lists, but it is what it is. We left four touchdowns on the field. We dropped three. We couldn’t get any protection, and we lost up front.”

EF scored the final nine points of the game in the third quarter.

Will Sinay pushed the lead to 16-0 as he capped a 13-play drive with a 24-yard field goal.

On the third play of Knoch’s next drive, Scott deflected a pass from Knights quarterback Codi Mullen and picked it off to give EF the ball at the Knoch 14.

Three plays later, the Warriors cashed in again on a 5-yard touchdown run by Jace Brown.

With solid blocking up front, Brown used his 6-foot-1, 225-pound frame to rumble his way to a 111-yard performance on 27 carries.

As a team, EF ran for more than 130 yards.

“Jace was motivated to run the ball tonight,” DeMarco said. “He’s a load, and he’s a great player.”

Elizabeth Forward opens Interstate Conference play at home against Southmoreland next week, while Knoch hosts Deer Lakes to begin Allegheny 6 Conference action.

“We start conference play next week, and that’s incredibly important,” Burchett said. “We’ll want to do a couple of things differently.”

Tags: Elizabeth Forward, Knoch