Abington shut out Harry S Truman & CB East rolled to a non-league win over CR North. Check the recaps.
SOL National Conference
ABINGTON 14, HARRY S TRUMAN 0
The Ghosts continued their remarkable turnaround, picking up their second win in as many weeks after three straight losses, this one a shutout of the dangerous Tigers.
“We just kept working, especially on the O-line and just started clicking with our run game,” said coach Kevin Conlin of his team’s turnaround. “Defensively, we just went back to the basics of gang tackling and running the ball.”
After a disheartening 41-18 loss to Bensalem that saw the Owls score 41 second-half points, the Ghosts fell to Council Rock South 28-14. They showed signs of turning things around in a 33-28 loss to conference power Neshaminy and followed that with back-to-back wins.
“Overall, we are young, so we had to learn how to finish the games,” Conlin said. “We didn’t do that in the Bensalem or Council Rock South games, and they were hard lessons to learn.”
Darryl Davis-McNeil had his third 200-yard performance in as many games, finishing with 219 hard-earned yards and two touchdowns on 42 carries. Both Abington touchdowns came in the second quarter, and both came after Truman turnovers.
An interception by Jackson Taylor set up a 61-yard touchdown run by Davis McNeil, and when Keith Hudoka recovered a fumble late in the second quarter, the Ghosts once again capitalized when Davis-McNeil capped the 45-yard drive with a two-yard touchdown plunge in the final minute of the half.
That 14-0 lead stood the rest of the way.
“Jackson Taylor and Keith Hudoka did a great job, but the (defensive) unit as a whole just came to play the whole night,” Conlin said. “We couldn’t give them any daylight because of their exceptional speed.
“It was a total team effort, led by seniors Taji Redd, Nyk Copes and Jamil Robinson.”
Robinson, according to Conlin, gutted it out, playing the whole second half with a stomach bug.
The Tigers, who were led by David Akinwande’s 49 yards on the ground, managed less than 150 yards of total offense.
Abington (4-4, 2-3 SOL) will host Pennsbury next Friday at 7 p.m., and Harry S Truman (5-3, 2-3) will host Souderton in a non-league game at the same time.
Abington 0-14-0-0 14
Harry S Truman 0-0-0-0 0
SOL Continental Conference
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 47, COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 21
The Patriots opened up a 21-7 halftime lead and blew the game wide open with a 19-point third quarter.
“It was a good win,” coach John Donnelly said. “There were a few drives in the first half that we weren’t as efficient as we would have liked, but other than that, I thought we moved the ball through the air and on the ground effectively.
“We only had one giveaway, which is still one too many, but we took care of the ball better, which is something that we need to continue to do.”
The Patriots piled up over 500 yards of total offense, an offensive onslaught that began when Evan O’Donnell found Jake Ventresca with an 82-yard touchdown pass. Then Logan Pettigrew caught his first of two O’Donnell touchdown passes, giving the Patriots a 13-0 lead after one quarter.
The Indians made it a 13-7 game when Robert Ranelli took it in from three yards out, but the Patriots answered with O’Donnell’s third TD pass of the half – this one to Pettigrew from 33 yards out.
Ventresca’s three-yard touchdown run to open the second half gave the Patriots a 27-7 lead. Michael Welde answered for the Indians, but three straight scores the by Patriots sealed their visitor’s fate. Jake Novroski hauled in a 25-yard O’Donnell TD pass, Ventresca raced home from 58 yards, and Patrick Volko had a 30-yard touchdown run to put the Patriots on top 47-14 before Adam Charen scored for the Indians.
O’Donnell completed 13-of-18 passes for 282 yards and four touchdowns in another strong outing. Ventresca led the Patriots with 93 receiving yards to go along with 99 yards on the ground.
“I was pretty happy with how we ran the ball, which hasn’t been our strong suit consistently, ” said Donnelly, whose team ran for 200 yards. “We want to become more consistent in the run game.
“We got Jake Ventresca going and got a couple of our fullbacks going. Pat Volko is a sophomore running back, and he got going a little bit.
“Evan O’Donnell ran the ball well too, so it was good to get all of those guys involved in the run game.
Donnelly went on the acknowledge the play of Pettigrew at tight end.
“He can stretch the field, and he did a nice job,” Donnelly said. “The O-line in general – without looking at the film, I would say that the those guys are the unsung heroes and won’t show up in the box score.”
Nick Diehl, PJ Szymanski, Dylan Badger, Danny Bodish and Thomas Volko comprise the Patriots’ offensive line.
Donnelly also tipped his hat to his linebackers – Tyler Tracy, Drew Bethke, Otto Maeglin and David Moyer.
“Defensively, I think our linebackers – those are the guys that should be making the majority of the tackles, and I thought they did a nice job,” the Patriots’ coach said.
Donnell also credited defensive end Tyler Ellixson for handling the punt duties.
“He came in to punt for us this week and changed field position for us, so that was a positive, although I don’t like to punt very much,” Donnelly said.
For the Indians, Welde had a game-high 157 rushing yards. Charen, one of two North quarterbacks to see action, threw for 117 yards. Fred Germana was the leading receiver with six catches for 112 yards.
“Council Rock North moved the ball for a couple of drives effectively on us,” Donnelly said. “Number 28, their running back (Welde), I was really impressed with him. He’s a tough player. He runs really well, and he’s fast.”
Central Bucks East (4-4, 2-2 SOL) will host Central Bucks West next Saturday at 1 p.m., and Council Rock North (1-7, 0-4) will host Bensalem Saturday at 2 p.m.
Council Rock North 0-7-7-7 21
Central Bucks East 13-8-19-7 47
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