It’s ‘Pennsbury Week’ at Abington, and according to senior Dom Massey, there’s no week quite like it.
“Pennsbury is the game that everybody looks forward to,” the Ghosts’ wide receiver said of Friday night’s showdown against the Falcons. “Neshaminy week – we all came out fired up for four quarters and had an unfortunate loss, but Pennsbury just takes the game to a whole another level.
“When you hear the name Pennsbury, something inside of you just turns on. It just fires you up.”
That’s just fine with Steve Marck and his Falcon teammates.
“We are their biggest game this year, and it’s definitely a big one this year because we’re both 7-1,” the Falcons’ standout said. “We take that as an honor when teams say we’re they’re biggest game, but the truth of the matter is – we get up every week, knowing we have to come out with the same intensity no matter who we’re playing.
“Obviously, there’s a little more riding on this game than in past weeks, but I’m confident in how we practiced and our attitude going into this game. I’m definitely looking forward to the game tomorrow.”
Both teams boast identical 7-1 overall records, but while the Falcons are 5-0 in conference play, the Ghosts are 4-1. If the Ghosts entertain any thoughts of capturing a share of the conference crown, this is a must-win.
“It’s a situation we haven’t been in during my coaching career where we’re still in the hunt at this late juncture for a conference championship,” Abington coach Tim Sorber said. “We’re going to need some help from other teams, but it’s exciting.
“Every week we have been pretty good at focusing on the game at hand, but I sensed a little bit last week when we were preparing for Bensalem the fact that they knew Pennsbury was looming. We were actually watching film of the Bensalem/Pennsbury game, and the kids were looking at Pennsbury in anticipation.”
It’s hard to blame them.
The two schools have had some classic battles recently. Two of the last three meetings between the two squads have gone to overtime. Two years ago, the Falcons won the regular season meeting 35-28 in quadruple overtime. In the post-season, Pennsbury sent Abington home with a 27-12 win.
Last year, the Ghosts notched a 43-42 win in overtime.
This year’s contest could be another high-scoring affair as both teams both plenty of talent at the skill positions. Pennsbury is led by sophomore quarterback Brandon Devine and running backs Dante Devine and Richie Applegate.
“I think offensively they’re probably as good as they have ever been because of their running backs –Applegate and Devine – and the Pepper kid playing quarterback,” Sorber said. “He’s a kid that makes a lot of big plays for them. He’s also pretty proficient throwing the ball.
“They don’t throw the ball a whole lot, but when they do, it’s usually for a big play. It keeps you honest because you have to defend and prepare for the pass.”
The key for the Falcons, according to Marck, is pretty simple.
“If we don’t turn the ball over, we’ll be good,” he said. “Honestly, with our offense this year, we have been able to move the ball fairly well against everybody we’ve played.
“The only thing that has killed us is turnovers and kept some of those games close. If we can hold the ball, I think we’ll be good.
“They have an explosive offensive, but we have been game planning real hard this week, and I’m confident in our scheme. I think we should be able to hold their offense in check.”
There certainly won’t be many secrets when the two teams collide.
“They have a good quarterback, they have some good receivers, and they have a nice running game,” Pennsbury coach Galen Snyder said. “We just game plan for them. We’re ready to go.”
Offensively, the Ghosts are led by the strong arm of quarterback Sam Kind, whose favorite targets are wide receivers Anthony Hensley and Massey.
“Everybody said when Kevin (Morton) left our team would go downhill,” Massey said of the former star quarterback. “Nobody really expected Sam to step up as he has done, but Sam is a great quarterback. He throws the ball very well, and he’s a very good runner.
“I think our pass will set up our run. It’s usually our run sets up our pass, but against Pennsbury, they’re big kids, and you have to throw the pass in order to run the ball.”
Sophomore running back Julien Ireland has also had a standout season for the Ghosts.
“He has every attribute you could ask for in a running back,” Massey said. “He’s fast, and he’ll just run at you. He’s not the biggest of kids, but he’s not afraid of contact. He initiates contact.”
There figures to be plenty of contact when the two National Conference powers collide on Friday.
“Whether it’s 2003 or 2008, the one thing you know about Pennsbury’s defense is they’re going to be extremely physical,” Sorber said. “They’re going to try to outhit you. That’s something these kids are aware of. You really can’t prepare for the physicality you’re going to see on Friday night at practice.”
The Falcons know they can determine their own fate.
“Basically, the playoffs start this week for us,” Marck said. “We’re trying to win that league title. We haven’t won any since ’93.”
The first step in breaking the 15-year drought begins on Friday night when the Falcons take on the Ghosts at 7 p.m. Seven days later, they will face defending league champion Neshaminy, which shares the league’s top spot with the Falcons.
It should be an interesting finish.
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