Highlands bounces back to defeat Elizabeth Forward in triple-OT thriller

By: Michael Love
Friday, August 30, 2024 | 10:42 PM

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The Highlands and Elizabeth Forward football teams both experienced heartbreak in Week Zero.

The Golden Rams lost to Armstrong by one in overtime, and the Warriors came up short by one against West Mifflin as a conversion attempt was unsuccessful with no time left in regulation.

But Friday night at Highlands’ Golden Rams Stadium, the host Golden Rams were able to turn last week’s frowns upside down.

It took three overtimes, but Highlands came away with a wild 53-52 victory.

“We’ve all talked about doing what we can to improve each week,” said Highlands coach Matt Bonislawski, who saw his team lead by 21 in the first half and by two scores at halftime.

“We came out and played better this week than last week. I told our guys at halftime that (Elizabeth Forward) is ranked for a reason. They’ve made runs through the 3A playoffs the last three or four years. They are a veteran group. They are a well-coached team. We knew they weren’t going to quit.

“I was just really proud of the effort. I know we probably have a lot to work on defensively because we gave up so many points, but we know we can score the ball and make plays. There was no quit in our guys. It was just a really good football game to be a part of.”

Golden Rams quarterback Menage Lucas, who finished the game with 21 carries for 170 yards, scored on a 9-yard run to pull Highlands to within 52-51.

Bonislawski and the rest of the coaching staff decided to go for two and the win.

It was successful.

Lucas ran the conversion in, and he was soon mobbed by his teammates in the back of the end zone.

“It was the same thing as last week with overtime,” Lucas said.

“I am feeling great coming off this win. I wanted to fight harder and run faster. Everyone did what they could, and it worked out for us. There was a lot going on, but we knew we just needed to stay focused and make plays. We were able to finish to the last whistle.”

Elizabeth Forward’s Ryan Messina and Charlie Nigut scored 10-yard TD runs in OT, while Lucas ran it in from 4 yards on the Golden Rams’ first OT possession.

Highlands’ Jackson Babinsack (26 yards) and EF’s Luke Holdren (25 yards) kept the game going for their respective teams with field goals in the second overtime.

It was the first time in the history of Highlands football that it went to overtime two weeks in a row.

Darius Cherry added 19 carries for 126 yards and three touchdowns for the Golden Rams.

Cherry had just three rushing yards on 10 carries in Week Zero.

Messina finished 10 of 17 passing for 159 yards and a touchdown for the Warriors, and Nigut rushed 18 times for 165 yards.

All but 8 of Nigut’s yards on the ground came in the second half and overtime.

Messina scored on runs of 7 and 4 yards in the second half, and Nigut added TD scampers of 46 and 49 yards.

Montrell Johnson caught a 23-yard touchdown from Lucas in the third quarter, and Cherry scored on a 10-yard run with 3:46 left in the fourth quarter to give Highlands a lead.

Nigut’s 49-yarder tied it at 35-35 with 2:22 remaining in regulation.

Things started well for the Golden Rams in the first quarter.

Highlands had good field position at the Elizabeth Forward 43 to begin its second possession of the opening 12 minutes.

The Golden Rams drove inside the 10 on the strength of two carries from Lucas for 28 yards and a Warriors’ pass interference penalty.

Cherry finished off the drive with a 5-yard scoring run. Babinsack’s extra point made it 7-0.

Elizabeth Forward tried to get on the board early in the second, but a 32-yard field-goal attempt from Holdren was no good.

Taking over on its 20 after the missed field goal, Highlands drove 80 yards in 11 plays. Nine of the 11 were runs from Lucas and Cherry, with Cherry scoring from 1 yard with 6:52 left in the half.

The Golden Rams extended it to a three-touchdown lead a little over three minutes later as a recovered fumble at the EF 38 by the Highlands defense turned into more points.

A 26-yard pass from Lucas to Johnson to the 1 preceded a 1-yard keeper from Lucas for the TD. Babinsack tacked on the extra point for a 21-0 Golden Rams lead with 3:32 on the second-quarter clock.

The Warriors, though, stormed back.

A pair of completions for 51 yards from Messina fueled EF as it drove inside the Highlands’ 20.

Messina then finished off the drive with an 18-yard scoring strike to Nigut with 33 seconds left on the clock. Holdren’s PAT kick made it 21-7, and that was the score as the teams went into halftime.

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

Tags: Elizabeth Forward, Highlands