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By Scott Huff
Abington - The calendar read September 26, 2011, but this critical Suburban One League National Conference game between the host Abington Ghosts and the visiting Neshaminy Redskins deserved to have been played later in the season.
And it was the host Ghosts (4-0, 1-0) that held off a furious second half rally to defeat the Skins (3-1, 0-1) – 35-21 – in the conference opener for both teams.
“Neshaminy really had us reeling,” said a relieved Tim Sorber – head coach at Abington. “We had to find a way to stop all that momentum. And we were able to do that with a big drive in the fourth period, and that was all about our offensive line.”
Neshaminy – which trailed 28-7 in the second half – abruptly took control of the game and rallied to within 28-21 with 11:31 left in the game. Sean Ulmer – who was no less than sensational in a losing effort with 177 rushing yards and three touchdowns – scored on a four-yard burst for the Skins from a ‘wildcat’ formation.
“He’s an Ulmer, and Neshaminy has always seem to have a great Ulmer,” said Sorber. “He is a very tough runner and he was able to break a lot of tackles.”
All the emotion that had been on the Abington sideline was suddenly now on the Neshaminy sideline, but the Ghost offense responded on the next series with a lengthy touchdown drive to seal the victory. Abington moved the ball 85 yards on 11 plays for the crucial touchdown – and took six minutes off the scoreboard clock.
“To be honest, I had some doubts about how we were going to handle that drive,” said Sorber. “We were in the same situation against Plymouth Whitemarsh a couple of weeks ago, and even though we won the game, we weren’t able to control the ball like I would have wanted us to.”
The Ghost offensive line had given the Abington backfield of senior running back Ray Schreiner and senior quarterback Ken Cropper some gaping holes for most of the night. Schreiner weaved his way through the Skin defense and rushed for a staggering 247 yards and three touchdowns. Cropper engineered the Ghost offense - added 70 yards rushing – and scored a touchdown.
Schreiner – who scored the decisive touchdown on a six-yard burst – played his part with five carries in the scoring march. But it was Cropper – who had completed just a single pass up until that drive – that came up with huge plays in the passing game. Cropper completed a 41-yard pass to Josh Lee, and followed with a 26-yard strike to Chris Ruhl.
“Give them credit, they were the better team tonight,” said Neshaminy head coach Mark Schmidt. “We had our chances both offensively and defensively, and we have to be able to take advantage of those opportunities.”
Neshaminy actually took a 7-0 first period lead. The Skins recovered a fumbled punt return and took possession on the Ghost 25-yard line. Four plays later, Ulmer crashed in for his first touchdown on a nifty eight-yard run. Nicholas Tucci kicked the first of his three successful extra points.
Abington knotted the score late in the first period on a brief four-play drive that culminated in a 20-yard touchdown dash by Schreiner. Adrian Leatherman split the uprights on the first of his five perfect points after touchdowns.
“I have to give a lot of credit to my offensive line for opening up some big holes - Neshaminy has a big team” said Schreiner who stands just 5-7 and weighs 165 pounds. “And I also have to give a lot of credit to the coaching staff for getting us ready mentally to play this game
Abington took the lead when Ghost linebacker Tom Kennedy forced a fumble that was scooped up by defensive end Chris Ruhl. Ruhl raced 10 yards into the Skin end zone to give Abington a lead it would never relinquish.
The Ghosts stretched the lead to 21-7 by intermission as Cropper darted 12 yards for the touchdown. The tally concluded a punishing 10-play, 76-yard drive for the Maroon and White.
Schreiner took the opening handoff in the third period and jetted 66 yards for a touchdown. The gorgeous run appeared to put the game out of reach as the Abington lead swelled to 28-7.
Wrong.
Neshaminy refused to go away and rallied for the two consecutive scores in the second half to make a game of it at 28-21.
Ulmer showcased his finest run of the night on a scoring play as he skirted down the Skin sideline for a 55-yard touchdown run. Neshaminy took advantage of a Ghost fumble on the next drive, and two plays later Ulmer scored again – this time from four yards out.
Abington senior defensive lineman Bryan Osei showcased his talents as a blue-chipper with some key sacks late in the game. Osei – who is also an accomplished wrestler on the Abington wrestling team – may have been the best pure athlete on the field.
“I’m so glad that he is on my team,” said Sorber of his 6-3 inch, 235-pound player who is on his way to Temple (not Villanova) next season. “He plays over 100 plays a game on both lines, and he never wants to come out of the game. He is a great competitor.”
“We really wanted to win this game,” said Osei. “We watched a lot of film on this team, and we felt that we were ready. We had some adversity when the game got close, but we were able to keep together and overcome it.”
Abington – which lost two times to Neshaminy last season – was to be the winner in this critical meeting.
Too bad that the SOL National Conference schedule makers scheduled this game in September.
Too darn bad.
Neshaminy Redskins 7 0 7 7 - 21
Abington Ghosts 7 14 7 7 - 35
N: Sean Ulmer 8 run (Nicholas Tucci kick)
A: Ray Schreiner 20 run (Adrian Leatherman kick)
A: Chris Ruhl 10 run with fumble (Leatherman kick)
A: Ken Cropper 8 run (Leatherman kick)
A: Schreiner 66 run (Leatherman kick)
N: Ulmer 55 run (Tucci kick)
N: Ulmer 4 run (Tucci kick)
A: Schreiner 6 run (Leatherman kick)
Neshaminy Abington
13 First Downs 16
186 Rushing Yards 313
66 Passing Yards 76
252 Total Offense 389
1-46 Punts / Avg. 2-33
7-50 Penalties / Yards 9-75
Neshaminy:
Rushing: Sean Ulmer 26-177 & 3 TD; Jahmier Wilson 1-8; Nate Lasalvia 1-6; Justin Andrews 1-5; Joe Bianchino 3 (minus 10). Totals 32-186- 3 TD.
Passing: Bianchion 7-16-1; 66 yards.
Receiving: Ulmer 2-26; Andrews 2-15; Bobby Marterella 2-13; and Tadas Karisevicius 1-12. Totals 7-66.
Abington:
Rushing: Ray Schreiner 21-247-3 TD; Ken Cropper 12-70-TD; Jim Shelinsky 3-(minus 4). Totals 36-313-3 TD.
Passing: Cropper 3-12-0; 76 yards.
Receiving: Josh Lee 2-50; Chris Ruhl 1-26. Totals 3-76
Interception: Lee
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