Week 0 notes and takeaways

By JOSE NEGRON
jnegron@yourmvi.com

While a handful of local teams are preparing to open their seasons with Week 1 games Friday, there were a few other squads who were looking to make their mark in Week Zero matchups last weekend.
Some of those teams posted lopsided or shutout victories, while others were on the losing end of non-conference bouts.
Here are some notes and takeaways from each team’s Week 0 performance.
Elizabeth Forward
The Class 3A Warriors kicked off the new season with a 12-0 victory over Class 4A Ringgold on the road at Joe Montana Stadium.
EF was sloppy at times, but found a way to get the job done behind a pair of rushing touchdowns from DaVontay Brownfield. Both he and Kyle Flournoy flourished in the running game behind a strong effort by the EF offensive line.
The Warriors had 169 yards on the ground, but couldn’t get their aerial attack going, finishing with just 17 passing yards from quarterback Zion White.
EF should take pride in shutting out a 4A opponent in its season opener, but from both an offensive and defensive standpoint, I’m sure there is more to be desired from head coach Mike Collodi and his staff.
Don’t be surprised if major adjustments are made when EF takes on Ligonier Valley in its home opener Friday.
Ringgold
Despite taking the loss and being held out of the end zone, the Rams have plenty of positives to take away from their Week 0 matchup.
They couldn’t find ways to score, but they had little trouble moving the ball, finishing with 91 rushing yards while using five ball carriers, including Landon Oslowski, John Polefko and Brayden Fine. They also tallied 71 yards through the air as Fine completed a pair of passes for 13 yards and Deondre Dotson completed 4 of 5 passes for 58 yards.
The Rams were solid on defense as well. The Warriors have a ton of talented playmakers on offense, so you have to give credit to Ringgold’s defensive unit for only limiting them to two scores.
Ringgold head coach Darwin Manges said that a lot of the mistakes made Friday night were correctable ones, and I wholeheartedly agree.
This isn’t the same Ringgold team that won just one game last season, and with matchups against Yough and South Allegheny over the next two weeks, I’m sure the Rams will be eager to prove it.

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