Abington won the showdown for supremacy in the National Conference standings. To view action photos of the game, visit the Photo Gallery by clicking on the following link: http://photos.suburbanonesports.com/
By Scott Huff
Abington – Host Abington (7-0, 4-0) stunned Pennsbury (5-2, 3-1) with a 17-0 scoring surge in the final two minutes, 43-seconds of the first quarter and took an iron grip on the Suburban One League National Conference standings. The unbeaten Ghosts – who still have a huge conference game on its schedule in two weeks against visiting Council Rock South (6-1, 3-1) - defeated the Falcons 20-7.
It was a superlative defensive effort by Abington within the confines of the Graveyard at Schwarzman Stadium that kept the Ghosts as the only unbeaten team in all of District One. Pennsbury had steamrolled into the first place conference showdown with Abington on a three-game SOL National win streak – a streak that saw the Falcons soar with a scoring average of 26 points per game – and a rushing offense that punished opponents with a 250 per game rushing yard average.
Pennsbury finished the game with a meager 87 yards rushing and only 118 yards of total offense. The lone Falcon score came on a nifty 45-yard touchdown scamper by quarterback Bruce Campbell in the third period – and minus that big play – the Pennsbury offense managed just 42 rushing yards.
The man in the middle for the Ghost defense was senior linebacker Myles Grasty. Grasty flexed his muscle and utilized both his speed and quickness to create havoc for the Pennsbury offense all evening.
“Myles played lights out – he must have had 15 or 16 tackles against a very good football team,” said Abington head coach Tim Sorber. “We have a lot of confidence in our defense, and Myles is a big reason why we have that confidence.
“We have a lot of athletic kids up front on defense,” added Sorber. “We may not have the biggest kids on the field, but we still play a very physical style of football.”
“I felt like our whole defensive team did a great job of flying to the football,” said Grasty. “I think that we showed some people that if teams come in here and punch us, we are going to punch them back. Our coaches did a great job of getting us ready for the game, and I thought we played well together as a team.”
The game had an extremely odd turn of events late in the first period that played an enormous role in the Abington victory.
The Ghosts – who turned the ball over on a fumble inside the five-yard line on their initial series of the game – received a gift safety with 2:43 left in the quarter as a high snap from punt formation sailed into the end zone and resulted in the opening two Abington points.
Senior Ray Schreiner – who rushed for 70 yards on 22 carries – cradled the ensuing free kick and sprinted 69 yards to the Pennsbury one-yard line. Senior quarterback Ken Cropper – who rushed for a game-high 119 yards – bulled in from the one-yard line with 1:52 left in the period. Mike Leatherman added the extra point to stretch the lead to 9-0.
The next Pennsbury possession resulted in another game-breaking play as Abington senior defensive back Josh Lee picked off a pass and jetted 44 yards to the Falcon one-yard line. Schreiner scored from the one-yard line with exactly 0:00 left on the first period clock, and a two-point conversion was successful as Cropper hit Grasty in the corner of the end zone.
To have one one-yard scoring drive is rare; but to have two one-yard scoring drives is even rarer.
Both defenses played exceptional defensive football in the second period. The Falcons held the Ghosts to just a single first down in the first half after the initial offensive series. But the Abington defense countered with an equally effective second quarter.
Pennsbury would close the gap to 17-7 in the third period. Campbell – who led the Falcons with 55 rushing yards – darted for a 45-yard touchdown burst with 9:13 left in the period. Mikhail Kniaziewicz was perfect on the extra point.
“We really weren’t moving the ball all that much, and the momentum was shifting to their side,” said Sorber. “It was great to see us come right back – like we did against Neshaminy a couple of weeks ago – and answer their score.”
The Ghosts controlled the football for over six minutes and went on a 12-play scoring drive that moved the score to 20-7 when Leatherman blasted a 25-yard field goal with 2:42 left in the third period.
It was to become the final score of the game.
In addition to Grasty, the Ghosts had a magnificent game turned in at defensive end by senior Chris Ruhl.
“Chris is the one of the smartest players that I have ever coached,” said Sorber. “He is a great three sport athlete (football, basketball, and baseball), and he is a great competitor. He never wants to lose, and that can become infectious on a team.”
“We had to win this football game, and it was a big challenge for us,” said Ruhl. “We controlled about 99 percent of the game, and we were able to respond to the 1 percent that took place with their touchdown run.”
The Abington defense responded extremely well to the potent Pennsbury offense – and good things happen when you play good defense.
Good things like sole possession of first place in the SOL National Conference.
Pennsbury Falcons 0 0 7 0 - 7
Abington Ghosts 17 0 3 0 - 20
A: Safety
A: Ken Cropper 1 run (Leatherman kick)
A: Ray Schreiner 1 run (Myles Grasty pass from Cropper)
P: Bruce Campbell 45 run (Mikhail Kniaziewicz kick)
A: Leatherman 25 FG
Pennsbury Abington
6 First Downs 13
87 Yards Rushing 266
31 Yards Passing 16
118 Total Offense 283
4-35 Punts/ Avg 2-33
4-30 Pen. / Yds. 3-20
Pennsbury:
Rushing: Bruce Campbell 9-55 & TD; DaQuan Mack 11-39; Chuck Snorweah 1 (minus 3); Shawn Pepper 1 (minus 3); and Deione King 1 (minus 3).
Passing: Campbell 4-11-2; 31 yards.
Receiving: Dalton Zimmerman 2-17; Lee Hamacher 2-14.
Interceptions: None
Abington:
Rushing: Ken Cropper 18-119 & TD; Ray Schreiner 22-70 & TD; Jim Shelinsky 3-7. Totals 43-266 2 TD.
Passing: Cropper 1-6-0; 16 yards; Schreiner 0-1-0; 0 yards. Totals 1-7-0; 16 yards.
Receiving: Myles Grasty 1-16
Interceptions: Josh Lee and Chris Duffy
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