By Scott Huff
Abington - Council Rock South (8-1, 5-1) quarterback Brian Donnelly did not beat host Abington (8-1, 5-1) with his legs or his arm as the Golden Hawks soared to a critical 30-22 Suburban One League National Conference victory.
Donnelly beat the previously unbeaten Ghosts with his snake eyes.
“Our offense is a 90 percent read offense, and Brian has to be able to get the ball into the hands of the right back,” said Council Rock South head coach Vince Bedesem. “The success of this offense hinges on his ability to make the right reads and make the right decisions. And he has done that all season.”
Donnelly engineered the potent triple-option offense against a swarming Abington defense with great success. CR South ran the ball 51 snaps for 388 yards and four touchdowns versus an athletic Ghost defensive unit that has been extremely imposing all season.
“The coaching staff did a great job of getting me prepared for this game,” said Donnelly. “It is my job to read the defense and take what is given to us. Abington did a great job of switching defenses, and our offensive line did a good job of making adjustments.”
The Rock South victory creates a first place tie in the National Conference with Abington and Pennsbury. The Hawks will meet cross-town rival Council Rock North (5-4, 4-2) next week, while the Ghosts will conclude their conference schedule with William Tennent (3-6, 2-4). Pennsbury (7-2, 5-1) - which defeated Truman 47-6 on Friday and also edged CR South 13-10 earlier this year - closes its season with rival Neshaminy (6-3, 33) in the season finale.
Abington had its chances to win this football game. In fact, the Ghosts had a final potential game-tying scoring drive come to an end inside the Hawk 30-yard line with 14 seconds left in the game.
“Both Abington and us are not here by accident, we are both excellent football teams,” said Bedesem. “The fans that were here got a great show. This is why (Abington head) Coach (Tim) Sorber and I coach high school football – the competition is great.”
“Give (Council Rock) South credit, they were physical and were able to control the clock,” said Sorber. “They were able to drive the football, and we had a tough time with their offense early in the game.”
The Hawks scored on their second offensive series of the game to take a lead they would never relinquish. Rock South pieced together a seven-play scoring drive that covered 61 yards and four minutes of game time. Donnelly – who rushed for 80 yards on 16 carries – concluded the march with a 10-yard touchdown burst. Benjamin Solis booted the PAT to give the Hawks a 7-0 lead.
Council Rock South scored on its third offensive series of the game to take a 14-0 lead. Senior running back Anthony Alimenti – who led all rushers with 153 yards - took a Donnelly handoff and sprinted 90 yards for a touchdown.
Abington would slice the lead to 14-7 with a second period touchdown. Senior quarterback Ken Cropper – who completed eight passes for 123 yards - fired a gorgeous 39-yard scoring strike to senior Josh Lee. Adrian Leatherman added the point after touchdown for the Ghosts.
The Hawks counter punched on their next offensive possession to score a third first half touchdown. Rock South scored on a seven-play, 70-yard scoring march that was capped by still another long distance score by Alimenti. This second six-pointer came on a nifty 53-yard dash through the Ghost defense.
Abington refused to go away, though, and scored its second touchdown to close to within 20-14 by intermission. Cropper tossed a seven-yard scoring aerial to Myles Grasty with just 30 seconds left in the half. The featured play in the drive was a beautifully executed tight end screen pass to Chris Ruhl that covered 19 yards.
Rock South extended its lead to 23-14 when Solis was perfect on a 34-yard field goal. Ryan Whiteley – who bulled his way through the heart of the Ghost defense for 84 yards – highlighted the drive with a 10-yard run.
Council Rock South scored at the outset of the fourth period when Christian Crane bolted 39 yards to the end zone. The Solis PAT would conclude the scoring for the Golden Hawks as Rock South enjoyed a 30-14 lead.
Abington again forced its way back into the game to close to within a single score at 30-22. Senior running back Ray Schreiner – who led the Ghosts in rushing with 101 yards – threw a 57-yard scoring pass to Lee. Lee would finish the game with five receptions for 130 yards. The final Abington points came when Ruhl caught a two-point conversion pass from Cropper.
Amid all the offensive firepower, Rock South did feature a pair of fine defensive efforts. Junior Aaron Presley intercepted a pair of passes for the Hawks, and defensive tackle Andrew Cohen played a remarkable game with a pair of sacks and helped shut down the explosive Ghost running game.
“There were two great football teams on the field tonight,” said Presley. “We came on to the field as brothers, and we played our hearts out. It was a great game to see.”
And quarterback Brian Donnelly had the very best vision of all.
Council Rock South Golden Hawks 14 6 3 7 - 30
Abington Ghosts 0 14 0 8 - 22
CRS: Brian Donnelly 10 run (Ben Solis kick)
CRS: Anthony Alimenti 90 run (Solis kick)
A: Josh Lee 39 pass from Ken Cropper (Adrian Leatherman kick)
CRS: Alimenti 53 run (kick failed)
A: Myles Grasty 7 pass from Cropper (Leatherman kick)
CRS: Solis FG 34
CRS: Christian Crane 39 run (Solis kick)
A: Lee 57 pass from Ray Schreiner (Chris Ruhl pass from Cropper)
Council Rock South Abington
13 First Downs 11
388 Rushing Yards 117
0 Passing Yards 180
388 Total Yards 297
3-43 Punts Yardage 5-36
3-15 Penalties Yards 10-60
Council Rock South
Rushing: Anthony Alimenti 11-153-2 TD; Ryan Whiteley 17-84; Brian Donnelly 16-80 & TD; Christian Crane 6-68 & TD; PJ Steinmetz 1-3. Totals 51-338- 4 TD.
Passing: Donnelly 0-2-1; 0 yards
Interceptions: Aaron Presley – 2.
Abington
Rushing: Ray Schreiner 11-101; Ken Cropper 15-15; Jim Shelinsky 1-1. Totals 26-117.
Passing: Cropper 8-16-2; 123 yards & 2 TD; Schreiner 1-2-0; 57 yards & TD; Dylan Collins 0-1-0; 0 yards. Totals 9-19-2; 180 yards & 3 TD.
Receiving: Josh Lee 5-130-2TD; Chris Ruhl 1-19; Chris Duffy 1-8; Myles Grasty 1-7 & TD. Totals 9-180 & 3 TD.
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