Warriors advance to semifinals with milestone win (copy)
Rob Burchianti | 缅北禁地
Elizabeth Forward鈥檚 Kyle Flournoy breaks a tackle against Freeport during Friday night鈥檚 WPIAL Class 3A playoff game at Warriors Stadium. Flournoy rushed for 162 yards and two touchdowns in the Warriors鈥� 34-20 victory.
Rob Burchianti | 缅北禁地
Freeport鈥檚 Ben Lane (2) gets off a pass from his own end zone while being pressure by Elizabeth Forward鈥檚 Chase Whatton (67) and Nicholas Murphy (54) during last Friday night鈥檚 WPIAL Class 3A playoff game at Warriors Stadium. The Warriors travel to North Catholic tonight with a spot in the WPIAL championship game on the line.
Rob Burchianti | 缅北禁地
Elizabeth Forward鈥檚 DaVontay Brownfield (9) slips a tackle near the sideline against Freeport as the clock winds down in Friday night鈥檚 WPIAL Class 3A playoff game at Warriors Stadium. The Warriors controlled the ball for the final 7:35 of play to wrap up their first ever home playoff win, 34-20.
A very happy Elizabeth Forward head coach Mike Collodi addresses his team after its 34-20 victory over Freeport in a WPIAL Class 3A playoff game at Warriors Stadium Friday night. It was the Warriors' first postseason win since 2000 and its first ever at home.
Elizabeth Forward's Chase Whatton (67) and Vernon Settles (22) correctly signal touchdown as teammate Kyle Flournoy crosses the goal line on a 13-yard run in the fourth quarter against Freeport during聽Friday night's WPIAL Class 3A playoff game at Warriors Stadium.
Elizabeth Forward's Nico Mrvos turns the corner to pick up yardage against Freeport during聽Friday night's WPIAL Class 3A playoff game at Warriors Stadium. Mrvos scored two touchdowns in the Warriors' 34-20 victory.
ELIZABETH 鈥� Elizabeth Forward鈥檚 biggest football crowd of the season got to witness a program first and the ending of a long drought on Friday night.
The Warriors rolled to a 27-0 first-half lead and survived a mistake-prone second half to defeat visiting Freeport, 34-20, in a WPIAL Class 3A quarterfinal playoff game at Warrior Stadium.
It was EF鈥檚 first ever home playoff victory and also its first postseason win anywhere since 2000.
More importantly, the win advanced the third-seeded and unbeaten Warriors (7-0) into next Friday鈥檚 semifinals where it will travel to No. 2 North Catholic, which beat Mount Pleasant, 35-14, on Friday.
鈥淚t鈥檚 unbelievable, from where we鈥檝e come to where we are know,鈥� EF coach Mike Collodi said. 鈥淭he program is just getting better and better.鈥�
That鈥檚 thanks in large part to Collodi, the sixth-year coach who now has a sparkling 37-18 record at Elizabeth Forward. Collodi had taken the Warriors to the playoffs the previous three years but they came up short each time. Friday night鈥檚 win was only the sixth in the postseason for Elizabeth Forward.
Collodi, though, deflected credit for his team鈥檚 success to his players.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e the ones that do it,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 100 percent guys like these two (motioning to Bowling Greene recruit Chase Whatton and Nicholas Murphy standing nearby) and the rest. The bought in, trusted me and I love everyone of them. I鈥檓 so happy for these guys they deserved it.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 just huge for our team,鈥� Whatton said of the victory. 鈥淔irst time in history on this field. I鈥檓 very happy.鈥�
The Warriors rode a strong ground attack led by Kyle Flournoy, who rushed for 162 yards and two touchdowns. DaVontay Brownfield ran for 80 yards and a score and Nico Mrvos added 69 yards on the ground and two TDs.
Elizabeth Forward dominated play in the first half from the very first snap when Whatton tackled Freeport鈥檚 Vincent Clark for a 5-yard loss.
The Warriors forced a three-and-out, then Brownfield broke free for a 45-yard touchdown run three plays later and Andrew Smith鈥檚 extra point made it 7-0.
The ensuing squib kick went off a Yellowjackets鈥� lineman with EF recovering at their own 49. The Warriors marched 51 yards in seven plays with Mrvos covering the final 23 with a 22-yard scamper down the sideline followed by a 1-yard plunge for the score and a 14-0 advantage.
Elizabeth Forward made it 20-0 with 6:35 left in the second quarter when Fournoy capped a 41-yard drive following a Freeport quick kick with an 8-yard touchdown run.
Mrvos put EF up 27-0 with a 2-yard TD run with 38 seconds left in the half.
It was Elizabeth Forward鈥檚 best half of the season, according to Collodi.
鈥淲e put it all together,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e came out to play. The team was ready to roll tonight.
鈥淲e wanted to use a bunch of our athletes at running back and sort of just wear them down. We knew we were a little bit bigger than them and we just wanted to keep pounding and pounding and pounding. The line did an awesome job tonight. The backs did a great job.鈥�
The Warriors weren鈥檛 nearly as sharp in the second half with several penalties and turnovers, which allowed the Yellowjackets (3-3), behind quarterback Ben Lane, to stay in the game.
Elizabeth Forward fumbled on the first play of the third quarter and Lane tossed a 31-yard touchdown pass to Brady Stivenson on the next snap to make it 27-6.
The Warriors seemed to put the game away on Flournoy鈥檚 13-yard touchdown run with 10:37 left in the fourth quarter, but Lane threw a 19-yard TD pass to Mario DeVivo just 1:17 later.
After EF fumbled the kickoff, Lane again led Freeport downfield and threw 29-yard touchdown pass to Colton Otterman with 7:35 remaining and then passed to Cole Charlton for the 2-point conversion and suddenly the Yellowjackets were within 34-20.
Elizabeth Forward squashed any hopes Freeport had of completing a dramatic comeback when it once again turned to its powerful ground game and methodically marched downfield to run out the clock.
Lane completed 12 of 19 passes for 160 yards and three touchdown and also was intercepted for only the second time this season by Mrvos late in the first half.
Elizabeth Forward quarterback Zion White was efficient, completing 4 of 5 passes for 70 yards. EF, which lost starting quarterback Evan Lewis to a season-ending injury on Oct. 9 against South Allegheny, used both White and Mrvos behind center against the Yellowjackets.
While Whatton was thrilled with the win, he sounded like a coach when he assessed his team鈥檚 second-half problems.
鈥淪tupid stuff like that, that doesn鈥檛 have to happen,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e need to definitely fix those things at practice if we want to beat North Catholic.鈥�
The undefeated Trojans (8-0) have beaten EF in each of the past two regular seasons, 27-7 at Warriors Stadium in 2018 and 12-7 at NC last year.
The Warriors are far from intimidated, though, according to Murphy.
鈥淚 couldn鈥檛 be happier, North Catholic, we鈥檝e gone head-to-head with them the past couple years,鈥� Murphy said.
鈥淚鈥檓 excited. We want them again.鈥�