Times Chronicle & Public Spirit
Abington outlasts Council Rock North
Improvement each week is high on the list of ‘musts’ for most coaches, particularly football coaches.
After four weeks of the 2012 season, it appears the Abington players are listening closely to coach Tim Sorber’s weekly sermons. After a shaky win in week one and absorbing a whipping the following week, the Ghosts have put together back-to-back victories.
Dylan Collins ran for a touchdown and threw for two more as Abington opened defense of its Suburban One National Conference title with a 19-17 victo- ry over Council Rock North at Schwarzman Stadium Friday night.
Collins, who is starting at quarterback for the first time as a senior, is a prime example of a player who has taken many steps forward since iabor Day weekend.
“I feel like we’ve gotten better,” Collins said, “but I still feel like there is a lot that I can do to make us even better than we were tonight.”
Collins completed just six of 1U passes, but two were for touchdowns and two others came on third-and-long plays that picked up first downs. He also rushed for 35 yards on 19 carries, but made a couple of key runs
that earned first downs on scoring drives.
“I feel like as I get more games under my belt, I’m getting more experience,” Collins said. “I feel like in the beginning I was just throwing it and now I’m seeing where I’m throwing it.”
“What quarterback hasn’t gone through some growing pains,” Sorber said. “The touchdown to Kendall Stewart was a good decision. He made a nice decision and Kendall made a great play to score.”
The Ghosts built a ninepoint lead after three quarters and appeared to be in total control, but then had to hold off the Indians who scored with 2:46 left in the fourth quarter to cut the lead to two points.
CR North then stopped Abington after a failed onside kick and actually had more than two minutes to move into position to win the game.
Abington’s Chanan Scott sealed the victory, though, when he picked off a pass from CR North quarterback Brandon McIlwain and returned it to the Indians’ 7-yard line. The Ghosts then just ran out the clock for the victory.
“I’m really happy for Chanan Scott,” Sorber said. “He waited his turn (to start) and he had a big interception to seal the game. That’s the type of kid that for a program to be successful, as a senior to step up and seal the game.”
CR North struck first in the opening quarter when it marched 99 yards on seven plays, the final one a 50-yard scoring run by AJ Neilson.
Abington bounced back to tie it early in the second quarter turning a CR North fumble into points. The Ghosts only had to go 46 yards, but took 14 plays before Collins connected with senior Gage Gormley with a 6-yard touchdown pass.
Council Rock North regained the lead with 1:17 before intermission when Max Pedinoff drilled a 31-yard field goal to make it 10-7 at halftime.
The Ghosts took advantage of another CR North miscue to take the lead early in the third quarter. Pedinoff couldn’t handle the snap on a punt attempt. He recovered the fumble, but it was at the Abington 28.
Five plays later Collins scored from 10 yards out. The point-after kick was blocked, but Abington still had a 13-10 lead.
The Ghosts added to their lead just before the end of the third quarter when Collins threw a short pass to Stewart, who made at least three Indians’ defenders miss while taking it 18 yards for a touchdown.
CR North made it close, marching 67 yards on 10 plays with McIlwain connecting with Matt Cabo for a 13-yard scoring catch to cut the lead to 19-17, but that was as close as the Indians could get.
“I feel like that fourth quarter shouldn’t even have happened,” Collins said. “There were balls that I messed up and running plays where I probably should have got the first down and didn’t. It wasn’t my best game, but it shouldn’t have come down to that.”
“We should have taken control in the fourth quarter and scored a couple of times when we were inside the 10 and put the game away and not be in a position where they had an opportunity to win at the end of the game.”
Reynolds led the Ghosts with 79 yards on 18 carries, while Collins added 35 on 19 carries. Collins hit on just 6 of 18 passes for 52 yards, but two were for touchdowns.
“I thought the defense played very well against a very good Council Rock North offense,” Sorber said. “That’s a difficult spread offense to defend. We didn’t give up the big play and kept ourselves in it.”
The Ghosts, now 3-1 overall and 1-0 in league, will entertain Bensalem Friday at 7 p.m.