Resurgent Central Valley rolls past Elizabeth Forward to reach 3A championship game

By: Adam Brewer
Friday, November 15, 2024 | 10:50 PM

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This deep in the playoffs, when the matchups are tightly contested and the momentum swings are momentous, just a couple of plays can dictate an outcome of a game.

On Friday in a Class 3A semifinal showdown between No. 3 Elizabeth Forward and No. 2 Central Valley, a couple of plays went in favor of Central Valley.

The Warriors of CV controlled field position and rode their three-headed rushing attack to a 31-15 triumph over the Warriors of EF at Montour High School’s Thomas J. Birko Memorial Field.

With the win, Central Valley (7-5) advances to its ninth title game since the opening of the school in 2010 and has won eight straight semifinal games.

CV will play Western Hills Conference rival and No. 5 Avonworth, a 14-6 winner over top seed Imani Christian, at Acrisure Stadium next Saturday for the Class 3A championship.

Central Valley fell to Avonworth, 21-14, on Sept. 27.

“These kids just fight and they don’t quit,” CV coach Mark Lyons said. “When we were 0-3 or 1-4 on the season, these guys never lost faith. They were back in the weight room and were practicing their butts off. Everybody wrote us off, but our locker room never gave up.”

Elizabeth Forward (8-4) fell to 0-5 all-time against CV, and that includes a semifinal loss in 2021 and championship game defeat in 2020. EF drops to 1-3 in the semifinals since 2003.

“They got the big plays and took advantage of some short fields,” EF coach John DeMarco said. “When it comes to the playoffs, it can be determined by a couple of plays. They made the plays, and we didn’t tonight. That’s a great football team over there, and they were the better team tonight.”

The key sequence in the semifinal showdown happened in the third quarter, as EF was down 21-7 near the midway point of the frame and faced a fourth-and-2 from the 5-yard line. CV, which shut down EF’s rushing game through three quarters, stuffed a run by Charlie Nigut for a turnovers on downs.

On the next play, CV’s Mason Dixon busted through with a 71-yard run that turned the momentum of the contest. Five plays later, Jance Henry plunged into the end zone from a yard out to give CV a commanding 28-7 advantage near the end of the third period.

Dixon finished with a game-high 143 yards on 14 carries and a score, while Henry collected 45 yards on the ground plus two touchdowns. Quarterback Steven Rutherford added to the rushing attack with 108 yards and a touchdown.

“With Mason, both of his prior two seasons were cut short because of shoulder issues,” Lyons said. “His teammates knew the work that he has put in to get back on the field and he is an inspiration to our team. He just keep on grinding it out and he is a tough kid. He plays with a lot of heart.”

CV added a 25-yard field goal by Domenic Pratt in the fourth quarter, while EF tallied the final score of the night when Nigut capped off a 10-play, 80-yard drive with a 1-yard rushing score.

Nigut was held in check on the ground, as he ran for a team-high 26 yards and was limited to five catches for 57 yards. With an ineffective ground game, quarterback Ryan Messina shoulder the offensive load through the air with 279 yards on 24-of-40 passing.

Connor Stokes hauled in six receptions for 133 yards for EF, while Andrew Grese compiled 10 catches for 75 yards in the loss.

“They shut down our running game,” DeMarco said. “They won the battle in the trenches. It’s tough to win football games when you can’t run the football. They brought more than we could block. They have a lot of size up front and set the tone.”

After both teams were held scoreless on their opening two drives, CV came up with the big play on defense with an interception by Aaron Lawson. On the next play, Dixon rumbled in for a 20-yard score and CV held a 7-0 lead with 2:50 left in the opening quarter.

EF struggled with long snaps on punts on three occasions in the first half. After a bad punt because of a long snap, CV doubled its lead to 14-0 after another short drive that was capped off by a 4-yard touchdown plunge into the end zone by Henry.

Trailing 14-0 in the late stages of the first quarter, the EF offense exploded for a much-needed big play when Messina hooked up with Stokes for an 80-yard bomb.

On their second possession of the second stanza, CV made an explosive play with a 91-yard dash to the end zone on a designed quarterback run by Rutherford.

EF mounted a pair of solid drives in the second quarter, but both possessions were bogged down by incompletions and sacks. EF outgained CV 158-144 in the first half but trailed 21-7 at halftime.

“Nothing but respect to our kids. We just fell a little short tonight,” DeMarco said. “This group is very special and nobody expected us to make it this far. I thought our defense did a good job of controlling their backs, but they got some big plays. We have a great group of seniors. Some great players that will be missed for sure.”

CV held a slim 310-306 edge in total yards for the game. Next weekend, CV will be looking for its sixth district title and its first since 2021.

“I couldn’t be more proud of a group of guys,” Lyons said. “I have never learn so much from a group of guys in my 35 years of coaching. They just never quit and never panic during the season. The seniors took over this team and I just love their leadership.”

Tags: Central Valley, Elizabeth Forward