Bobcats QB leads way with five TDs
It only took about one play for Beaver to figure out it was going to have a hard time moving the ball in a traditional running offense against Elizabeth Forward.
“We were going to spread our offense and see what works,” Beaver quarterback Brodie List said. “They were stuffing the run pretty well early, they did pretty well with that, so we started to air it out and it worked for us.” Did it ever. List took control of the game early as he picked up 182 yards through the air before the intermission as the junior finished 16 of 26 for 225 yards and five total touchdowns as No. 5 Beaver (9-2) rolled over host Elizabeth Forward (7-3), 40-20, in the Warriors first home playoff game since 1985.
“It’s part of our offense but we haven’t necessarily had to use that element that much,” Beaver coach Jeff Beltz said. “We thought our matchup was pretty good on the perimeter and so we have the quarterback who can make good decisions.”
List attacked in a more traditional way on the Bobcats first drive when he hit Zach Hansen for the first of his two touchdown receptions, but started to find gaps in the Elizabeth Forward defense on the second as he used the run-pass option to perfection to get the Warriors defense on its heels.
“They’re just a very, very good team and they have a ton of speed and we probably haven’t seen speed like that all season,” Elizabeth Forward coach Mike Collodi said. “Maybe plays that usually work for us won’t work when you’re facing guys with that kind of speed.”
Despite the fact Beaver was the faster team, Elizabeth Forward stayed in the game early with a couple of big plays of its own. Seth Andres popped a 25-yard run on the Warriors first play and also converted a fourth-and-1 at the Beaver 39 to extend the drive before quarterback Zach Benedek threw the first of his two touchdowns to Gavin Martik to tie the game, 7-7, with 5:50 left in the first quarter,
Beaver countered with the next two scores and even turned a golden opportunity for Elizabeth Forward aside. After List hit Tyler Wallace for a 16-yard score to put the Bobcats ahead 21-7, Chase Bodzer returned the ensuing kickoff 78 yards to give the Warriors a first down at the Beaver 17 but the drive stalled and they had to turn it over on downs.
Elizabeth Forward got back into the game moments later when a holding penalty turned a 60-yard Beaver punt into a re-kick from its own 4. On the second try, the ball was blocked and Nicholas Wardropper recovered in the end zone to get the Warriors back into the game, trailing 21-13, with 2:37 left in the half.
Though that play appeared to have completely changed the momentum, it quickly shifted back. After a Beaver punt, Bryan Barker intercepted Benedek at the Elizabeth Forward 46 with 1:02 left in the half. After a 45-yard pass to Matt Lipinski, List notched his fourth total touchdown of the half on a 1-yard run to give the Bobcats a 28-13 lead at the intermission.
“Any time you give up a touchdown going into the half, that hurts, but we got the big play with the blocked punt,” Collodi said. “They’re the highest scoring team in Class 3A and there’s a reason for that and they’re a good team.”
Beaver completely stymied Elizabeth Forward in the third quarter, limiting the Warriors to minus-5 yards of offense while adding a pair of Will Connelly chipshot field goals before List hit Hansen for a 14-yaard score with 2:43 left to ice it.
“Every week you’re going to make an adjustment for a team, so you get used to it,” List said. “When it’s an outof-conference team, you don’t know the players and you don’t know what to expect.”