Goals remain the same for successful Warriors squad
Elizabeth Forward coach Mike Collodi (black shirt) and his players celebrate after defeating North Catholic, 17-0, in a WPIAL Class 3A semifinal game at Mars last year.
Elizabeth Forward's DaVontay Brownfield turns the corner on a running play against North Catholic during a 2020 playoff game.
Elizabeth Forward's Nicholas Murphy dives on and recovers a North Catholic fumble during聽during last year's WPIAL Class 3A semifinal game at Mars.
Elizabeth Forward made the 2019 WPIAL Class AAA championship game before falling to eventual PIAA champion Central Valley.
The trajectory of the Warriors has been steadily going up under seventh-year head coach Mike Collodi, so could this be the year the Warriors win a WPIAL title?
Collodi knows there is talk outside the program, but he keeps his players focused while not shying away from lofty goals for a potential encore.
鈥淟ast year is a tough act to follow, but our goals are the same every year,鈥� he said. 鈥淥ur first goal is to win the conference, second is win the WPIAL title and third is the state title.
鈥淲e have to do things to accomplish the ultimate goal, but we want to take care of the conference first, which would put us in the playoffs. Nothing changes when it comes to goals.鈥�
Prior to Collodi and his staff taking over, EF had a total of two conference titles.
Under him, the Warriors have shared the conference crown in 2017 and 2018, while winning it outright last season.
However, Collodi gives the credit to the players.
鈥淭hese guys work hard and want to put in the effort to be great,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hey have a desire to be the best and they want to learn.
鈥淲e definitely have some weapons.鈥�
The Warriors return seven starters on both offense and defense.
Leading the way are seniors DaVontay Brownfield and Nick Murphy, both are getting looks from colleges to play at the next level.
Brownfield will be at running back on offense and linebacker on defense and might see time at safety, while Murphy will start at left guard and will be all over the field on defense.
鈥淒aVontay is energetic, physical, a great leader and kids follow him,鈥� Collodi said. 鈥淣ick will be at both defensive end positions, can play the nose and teams will see him all over. They can鈥檛 prepare for him.鈥�
Another player Collodi is high on is 6-2 junior Zach Boyd, who is entering his third season as a starter.
鈥淗e can jump and has been a shutdown corner for two years,鈥� Collodi said of Boyd, who will also start at receiver. 鈥淗e had five interceptions as a freshman, will return punts and kicks, and he is a playmaker.鈥�
Senior Kyle Flournoy returns at running back and outside linebacker after missing the early part of last season following surgery.
鈥淗e had a solid postseason last year and we look for him to have a big season this year,鈥� said Collodi.
Other returning starters include junior center Grant Robinson, sophomore Isaiah Turner and junior Keilly Rush at receiver and cornerback, sophomore Dom DeRenzo at linebacker, junior Jordan Wilmore at running back, and sophomore Charles Meehleib at defensive end.
Sophomore Dylan Winters will start at left tackle, junior Richard Prokup or senior Garrett Kristen are vying for the right guard position and sophomore Charles Meehleib will start at right tackle.
Juniors Zion White and Johnny DiNapoli, a transfer from East Allegheny, are vying for the quarterback position in Zion White and Johnny DiNapoli. Both will also be middle linebackers.
White led the Warriors to the WPIAL title game a year ago.
鈥淚t is good to have competition,鈥� said Collodi. 鈥淲hichever doesn鈥檛 start, we will have packages for him, and they will both be on the field.鈥�
Other players Collodi mentioned as being 鈥渋n the mix鈥� to start or gets solid reps include Wilmore at defensive end and Kristen and Prokup at inside linebacker.
A key to the success EF has had and hopes to continue to have, is the number of kids who keep coming out.
鈥淭his is our highest number of kids, and for AAA and that is awesome,鈥� Collodi said. 鈥淲e have had some depth in our time here, but this year it is better with two really good quarterbacks and at running back.
鈥淲e have guys who can fill in everywhere but, while we have experience on paper, we are one or two injuries from disaster as there would be a significant drop off with age and experience.鈥�
Collodi expects the Interstate Conference to be tough.
鈥淪outh Park returns a lot of players, South Allegheny is tough, and Mount Pleasant is big and physical,鈥� he said. 鈥淥ur conference is the best in AAA, in my opinion, and we have a lot of hard-nosed teams that can beat anyone on any day.
鈥淪outh Allegheny took us to overtime last year and beat South Park, but didn鈥檛 make the playoffs. That shows how good our conference is.鈥�
Elizabeth Forward opens the season in Week 0 at Ringgold before hosting a talented Ligonier Valley team that has only lost five times in five years in Week 1.
The Warriors head to West Mifflin to take on a talented Titans team before opening conference play Sept. 17 when they host Brownsville.
鈥淲e will see what we are made of in a hurry with those three non-conference games,鈥� Collodi said. 鈥淚 am looking forward to the challenge, and I know the team is, as well.鈥�