Nigut helps Elizabeth Forward rally past Southmoreland

By: Jeremy Sellew
Friday, September 29, 2023 | 10:28 PM

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Southmoreland coach Tim Bukowski was steadfast when discussing the outcome of the Scotties’ game with Elizabeth Forward on Friday at Warriors Stadium.

“I don’t think the better team won tonight, but the team with the best player did,” Bukowski said.

The Warriors scored 21 points in the fourth quarter to pull out a 31-24 win over the Scotties in a Class 3A Interstate Conference opener.

“It was the Charlie Nigut show. That kid is just a special ballplayer,” Elizabeth Forward coach John DeMarco said. “He’s our lead-by-example leader. You don’t have to be the vocal leader, but you lead by your play on the field and at practice every day. He’s a special kid.”

Nigut scored all four of the Warriors’ touchdowns. He scored on runs on 1 and 2 yards, a 38-yard catch and run and a 90-yard kickoff return. Oh, and he added the tying 2-point conversion and broke up a pass on fourth-and-1 with two minutes to go to clinch the win for his team.

“Nigut is a great player. They have a bunch of great players on that team,” Bukowski said. “But I’m proud as hell of our players. They played well and gave everything they had.”

The Scotties led 3-0 after the first quarter thanks to Jake Kaylor’s 37-yard field goal.

The Warriors couldn’t get much going in the running game as they were held to just 23 yards on the ground in the first 24 minutes. For the game, they finished with 36 total yards on the ground. It was Nigut leading the ground attack with 14 carries for 50 yards. He caught four passes for 101 yards.

“Their defense did a fantastic job,” DeMarco said. “Coaching there last season, I know a bunch of those kids. Ethan Shawley at linebacker just came back tonight, and he had a fantastic game. They were blitzing on every down.”

With the ground game not working, EF took to the air with Ryan Messina.

The sophomore quarterback had arguably his best game of the season, completing 14 of 23 passes for 295 yards and a touchdown.

“Ryan is still a young guy and has truly gotten better every game,” DeMarco said. “He can make all the throws, and our guys on the outside made some fantastic catches out there tonight.”

The Warriors (6-0, 1-0) got on the board with a Will Sinay 30-yard field goal with 9 minutes, 38 seconds remaining in the first half. They later took the lead on Nigut’s catch and run, 10-3 at the half.

“I thought we did a good job neutralizing that defensive line. (Charlie) Meehleib and (Chris) Climes are two D-1 football players,” Bukowski said. “I’m really proud of the way our guys on the o-line played.”

Shawley picked off Messina on the first play of the second half, and the Scotties (3-3, 0-1) turned the turnover into points with Keefer running in on a quarterback sneak from the 1.

Southmoreland forced a three-and-out and took a 17-10 lead when Keefer and Ty Keefer hooked up on a 67-yard strike.

“That was a big play there and both those guys are really talented. When you have a good quarterback, running back and receiver, that’s hard to scheme for,” DeMarco said. “Isaiah Turner played a great game. He has the unenviable task of matching up with the other team’s No. 1 receiver. Sometimes the other guy just makes the perfect play. That was the case on that pass.”

The Warriors answered with a 10-play, 68-yard drive. Nigut scored from a yard, but the highlight of the drive was a 58-yard catch and run by AJ Grese. The Scotties still led, though, after Luke Holdren missed the PAT try.

“The kids a freshman. He’ll learn to wash that off. It was a big moment and he came up short. His team responded in the end,” DeMarco said.

Back and forth the teams went again, though, as the Scotties answered with a 77-yard screen pass from Keefer to Da’sjon Craggette to make 24-16.

“We thought we could hit that all night. Da’json had a great game. He had the long run and we thought running the ball, we could get them outside. We go inside with that screen and hit the big play,” Bukowski said.

Then the tides turned.

It was Nigut again scoring on a 90-yard kickoff return to snatch the momentum again for the Warriors.

“Jake is a great kicker. He just wasn’t supposed to kick it to him,” Bukowski said. “Of all people, not to him. He just got under it a bit too much, and once again, Charlie Nigut makes the big play. What a game he had.”

The Scotties failed on their next drive as Climes and Tony Scott combined for a sack on Keefer to force a punt. A great return by Grese set up the Warriors at the Southmoreland 23.

Five plays and a huge pass interference call later, Nigut was in the end zone again for what would be the winning touchdown.

The Scotties were able to drive down to the Warriors 31, but Nigut knocked away a short pass on fourth down.

Keefer finished 12 of 20 for 262 yards. Craggette led the rushing attack with 108 yards on 15 carries.

For the Warriors, Isaiah Turner caught three passes for 76 yards.

“This was definitely the most thrilling, heart-stopping game we’ve been in,” DeMarco said. “But I’m really proud of our guys. They battled back and with a player like Charlie Nigut, he thrives with the game on his back.”

The Scotties will host South Allegheny next week at Russ Grimm Field, while the Warriors travel to Mt. Pleasant.

Tags: Elizabeth Forward, Southmoreland