Southmoreland is 0-7 against Elizabeth Forward since October of 2016 but things could change on Friday. The Scotties will be playing in front of their home fans against the Warriors at 7:00 p.m. Both teams are coming into the contest red-hot, with Southmoreland sitting on eight straight victories and Elizabeth Forward on four.
Southmoreland's defense heads into the matchup hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Friday. They strolled past Mt. Pleasant with points to spare, taking the game 14-0. The 14-point effort marked the Scotties' lowest-scoring game of the season, but in the end it didn't matter.
Most of the squad's points came courtesy of special teams, who contributed eight in total. The biggest highlight from special teams (and perhaps the team as a whole) came courtesy of Cam Lee, who ran a kickoff back for a touchdown.
Southmoreland's defense made their presence known, laying out the QB three times. Jackson Mickens refused to say out of the backfield, picking up 1.5 sacks all by himself.
Meanwhile, Elizabeth Forward took their contest on Friday with ease, bagging a 55-7 win over Yough. The Warriors might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won six matchups by 21 points or more this season.
A big part of Elizabeth Forward's victory came down to the chemistry between Ryan Messina and his top target Kaden SPOCHACZ-Allen. Messina threw for 145 yards and four touchdowns while completing 75% of his passes while SPOCHACZ-Allen rushed for 65 yards and a pair of TDs on only eight carries. That's the most passing touchdowns Messina has posted since back in October of 2024. Aaron Ulmer also deserves a mention for his punt return touchdown.
Elizabeth Forward was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 285 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 155 rushing yards in six consecutive games.
Elizabeth Forward didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Aiden Hicks and Landon Honick.
Southmoreland's win bumped their record up to 8-0. As for Elizabeth Forward, their victory bumped their record up to 7-1.
Friday's contest might be decided on the ground. Southmoreland has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 159.6 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Elizabeth Forward struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 191.8 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's matchup turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Southmoreland was taken down by Elizabeth Forward 31-3 when the teams last played back in October of 2024. Thankfully for the Scotties, Charlie Nigut (who rushed for 145 yards and three scores, and also picked up 52 receiving yards) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
