Warriors set for Interstate opener

GAME OF THE WEEK – G’BURG SALEM AT ELIZABETH FORWARD

Elizabeth Forward has had its ups and downs this season thanks to a challenging non-conference schedule, but things won’t get any easier in this week’s MVI Game of the Week against Interstate Conference foe Greensburg Salem.

The Warriors (2-3) dropped their first two games of the year to Class 4A West Mifflin and Highlands by a combined two points while also losing to undefeated Class 5A South Fayette.

While those types of losses can derail a team, EF coach John DeMarco has been satisfied with his team’s spirit. The Warriors head into tonight’s home matchup against the Golden Lions (4-1) after a 40-0 victory at Class 5A Baldwin.

“We played some really tough non-conference games this year so that when we got into our conference, we would be prepared for that,” De-Marco said. “I think the kids have bonded together well. Anytime you lose a close game, it can go either way. We played West Mifflin, who is going to make some noise in Class 4A because they have a really good team. We moved up a few classifications to play South Fayette and I thought we controlled that one early.

“We can point fingers and blame people for why we lost, or we can band together and play as a team and rally around those couple of plays that we didn’t make. And I think that’s where we’re at right now.”

DeMarco cited University of Buffalo commit Chris Climes as a leader who has kept the standard high for the Warriors as “one of the best players in the state.” Charlie Nigut was another name he mentioned for his ability to change games on a dime, both running the ball and catching passes. Quarterback Ryan Messina is among the best in Class 3A and has helped the EF offense eclipse 40 points in three of its five games.

The offense might be forced to rely on the ground game tonight because of the weather forecast. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m., and there could be rain and heavy winds that affect the game.

“We look at a defense and try to look at what advantages we have and what kind of leverages we might get,” DeMarco said.

“But we’re a pretty balanced team. We try to run the ball to throw it and then we throw it to run it. I think we’re pretty well prepared for the game … but the weather might come into play. We’re supposed to have 30 mile per hour winds and some rain. So we might have to attack it a little bit differently than we had hoped to attack, but we’ll adjust if necessary.”

The Golden Lions are led by running backs Kai Brunot and Brady Smith on the ground, while Dom Rosensteel is the team’s primary target at receiver. Brothers Peyton and Brody Chismar share the quarterbacking duties.

DeMarco knows Greensburg Salem will be a stout test for his team, so expect a tough battle at Warrior Stadium.

“I’ve played them before with other teams and they’re always a tough team,” he said. “They’ve got a great wrestling program out there, and a lot of those wrestlers have skills that transfer over into football. They’re hard-nosed kids and they’ve got a few players who are really good, so we’re not going into this thinking it will be an easy game at all.

“We respect every opponent that we play no matter what their record is or who we’re playing. I think it’s going to be a good football game.”