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EF’s Benedek thrives under bright lights

By Les Harvath for The 5 min read
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Elizabeth Forward junior Zachary Benedek (middle) rehearses for the school's spring musical, "Legally Blonde: The Musical," which runs this week.

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Submitted photo

Elizabeth Forward junior Zachary Benedek rehearses for the school’s spring musical, “Legally Blonde: The Musical,” which runs this week.

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Rob Burchianti | Herald-Standard

Elizabeth Forward quarterback Zach Benedek (16) scans the field during a game at against Mount Pleasant at Warrior Stadium this past season.

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Elizabeth Forward junior Zachary Benedek (right) rehearses for the school's spring musical, "Legally Blonde: The Musical," which runs this week.

Attracted by porch lights, headlights or campfires, moths are drawn to bright lights. Scientists pose theories as to why the attraction, but they are exactly that, theories.

Elizabeth Forward junior Zachary Benedek may not be drawn to the bright lights, but he certainly thrives under them. In Benedek’s case, the bright lights are the oft-referred to Friday Night Lights of scholastic football games, and stage lights, often called Klieg lights, used to brighten, yes, high school (musical) stages.

As a sophomore, Benedek had a break-out first game as Elizabeth Forward’s backup quarterback. Inserted into the lineup in the second half in the Warriors’ season opening loss to Derry, Benedek nearly led his team to a come-from-behind win…and never relinquished his newfound starting role.

As a freshman two years ago on Elizabeth Forward’s musical stage, his entire one line proved to be the talk of reunions to come.

That one line: “He’s dead.”

Still laughing at the memory, he explained he “had one line and initially I had a tough time learning that line,” he recalled. “I started slowly and took my time memorizing that one line. By the time the performances began, I knew it perfectly.”

Elizabeth Forward musical director Alana Wieclaw remembers “cast members teasing him because he played a doctor with that now-famous famous one line.”

In his sophomore football season, Benedek posted some gaudy stats…especially for a sophomore. He completed 58 passes in 107 attempts for 828 yards and set a school record with 13 touchdown passes.

This past season he was 63-for-119 for 1,367 yards and improved his school-record mark for touchdown passes to 21, with only three interceptions. His numbers as a junior included a six-touchdown performance — five passing, one rushing — against McGuffey.

As Benedek’s football numbers are up, so too have been his roles in the musical.

As a sophomore, he had a supporting role as the Captain in Anything Goes. “It was Zachary’s first major role, but he was the right choice to play the Captain because his stature and deep voice allow him to portray someone older. Zachary has good stage presence and he brings a certain energy to the stage,” Wieclaw offered.

This year, in Legally Blonde: The Musical, Benedek will be playing two very different roles in Chad and Kyle, Wieclaw noted. “Chad is a spring breaker who must rap and dance, and Kyle is the handsome, new UPS delivery man that Paulette falls for. This role is quite comedic and Zachary knows how to ham it up and make the audience connect to the characters. It’s been interesting to watch Zachary develop as a performer. His stage presence and abilities have grown significantly since he was a freshman.”

Elizabeth Forward football coach Mike Collodi has seen that same progress in Benedek, on and off the field.

“Leadership is one of his strengths,” Collodi said. “I could see those leadership qualities when Zachary was a freshman on the junior varsity team. Plus, last year, and again this past year as a junior, his teammates voted him to our Team Leadership Council. It is virtually unheard of that a sophomore would be recognized in that fashion, but our players look up to him because of his work ethic. He is there early and stays late. He is a great leader.”

As a freshman, Collodi remembers Benedek as naturally undersized, but notes he has grown physically the last two seasons, to stand at 6-feet, 185 pounds.

But there is more to Benedek’s makeup, noted Collodi, who has been the Warriors coach for three seasons.

“When he watches college football games on Saturday nights he will text me…’Did you see that play, coach? Can we run that or this play, coach?'” Collodi chuckled.

In his sophomore season, Benedek received second team Interstate Class AAA conference honors. This past season he was named to the conference first team and received Western Pennsylvania Honorable mention recognition.

“Zachary has a good arm and he is accurate with his passes, but he can also run,” Collodi said. “Several schools have already expressed an interest.” That interest grows as colleges note Benedek’s 4.35 grade average in the classroom.

Benedek can thank his family for launching his football and acting careers. At age five, he was urged toward football by his father, Jim Benedek. When his older brother, James Benedek, was a senior and in Elizabeth Forward’s performance of Beauty and the Beast, “they needed someone to play Chip and I was chosen,” Zachary Benedek laughed. But the family ties run deeper: older brother Matthew, who graduated last year, enjoyed starring roles; plus, dad Jim Benedek designs and builds the sets, while Zachary’s mother, Renae Benedek, designs the costumes.

With Zachary Benedek literally on center stage, pun intended, in both football and the musicals, the question was obvious: Which is more exciting?

“Football,” he said, not hesitating. “I never knew if I was going to continue in musicals, but nothing matches the feeling of being under the lights on Friday nights.”

But he just as quickly added, “it is also exciting being in the musicals. A lot of effort goes into the performances and it is great to see the community support our productions. It’s great to look into the audience and see the school and community behind us.”

Zachary Benedek also referred to that community support this past season when his Warriors hosted South Park. Although the visitors prevailed, that game, Zachary Benedek noted, was laden with mixed feelings: Collodi teaches high school physical education at South Park, while coaching Elizabeth Forward’s Warriors.

“That was one of the biggest crowds we have had in years,” Zachary Benedek said, noting the stands were packed. “It was great to see the community behind us.”

Legally Blonde: The Musical began Thursday and runs through Saturday at 7 p.m. each night with an encore presentation on Sunday at 2 p.m. All tickets are $10.

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