Souderton outlasts Abington in classic

FRANCONIA >> Fire in his eyes, his muscles rippling, Blake Gular hopped toward the Souderton sideline, his message loud and clear.

“Nobody can tackle me,” the Souderton running back belted.

In the second half Friday night, nobody could.

On the back of a colossal effort by Gular and his backfield mates Jamar White and Koby Khan, the Indians fought back time and time again to earn a grueling 42-41 Suburban One League National Conference win over Abington.

The Ghosts led 27-14 at halftime and had an answer seemingly every time Souderton scored in the second half. But finally, the depleted Ghosts ran out of steam, magic and whatever else it was they were running on and Gular took over.

“At halftime, we came in, I don’t want to say we were cocky but we came in not as focused as we should have been,” Gular said. “After the first half, we kind of woke up and came out with a different fire in the second half. I think that showed that.”

All season, Abington could point to a lack of size and a lack of depth for many of its issues. The Ghosts don’t have the mass to stop power running games or to bulldoze holes for their own backs.

But the one thing they could do was pass the ball. David Kretschman is a third-year starter at quarterback and he is flanked by some pretty potent receivers if he can get the ball out.

Friday, enough of a running game showed up and the sage veteran under center showed his stuff. Kretschman didn’t try to overdo it, he just put the ball where his guys could get it and do something with it.

“He’s been like that, he’s a three-year starter,” Ghosts coach Tim Sorber said. “As a kid sophomore year he went to the final four in the District I playoffs. He’s been through it. Ever week he brings it.”

The senior went 20-for-30 with 220 passing yards, a touchdown and interception. On the ground, Kretschman scored twice and ran for 47 yards on 17 carries.

Granted it helped that neither defense showed much propensity for stopping either offense. Six of 11 first half drives ended in touchdowns, two in punts and three in interceptions.

Abington’s defense did provide the first spark when Kyle Pitts picked off Joey Curotto at the Ghosts’ 14 to set up an 11-play scoring drive capped by a three-yard Kretschman run.

That started a string of five straight touchdown drives by both teams that ended with Abington ahead 21-14 with 6:54 left before the half. Slot receiver Jermaine Webb was the catalyst for Abington, finishing the half with seven grabs for 80 yards and the game with 88 yards on nine receptions.

After Darryl Davis-McNeal ran in from two yards out to make it 21-14, the Ghosts defense forced a three-and-out then went back down and scored again. The key play on the drive was a 15-yard catch by Webb at the sideline where he appeared to get one foot down in bounds for a flash before his momentum carried him out.

That led to another two-yard dive by Davis-McNeal to make it 27-14 after Soudy blocked the PAT with 1:51 left in the half.

Then things went really bonkers.

Abington (0-8, 0-5 conference) squibbed the kick out of bounds, prompting Souderton (4-4, 2-3) to take a re-kick. The retry went off a Big Red player and was recovered by an alert Ghost.

Abington went back down the field but cost themselves points when Gular picked off Kretschman and had a nice return. All that did was see Souderton go down and George Reid pick off Joey Currotto in the endzone to erase needed points as the game went into the half.

At the break, the Indians reaffirmed themselves. They decided they weren’t going to lose, even as they kept getting tested.

“The first three minutes of the second half, we were nervous,” Gular said. “We were thinking are we even going to get the W, we were supposed to win, what do we have to do. I think we just really woke up and that second half, it was crazy. It was one of the most fun games I’ve ever played in.”

Two plays into the third quarter, White gave them a spark when he ripped off a 51-yard touchdown to slice the lead to six. Of course with the way this game went, Abington came right back and scored on a fake punt when Kretschman, lined up as the protector, got the snap and hit Reid for a 44-yard TD.

Souderton’s troubles compounded on its next two possessions when botched handoffs between Gular and backup QB Justin Russell resulted in lost fumbles. All that saved Soudy was its defense, which prevented Abington from scoring anything on the gifts. Sorber noted that himself then took the blame for playcalling on those drives.

Abington’s lack of depth finally caught up to it in the second half. With the big three of White, Khan and Gular pounding them in the run game and trying to keep putting points up, it was a lot to ask of the Ghosts.

“It was a M.A.S.H. unit in the middle of the third quarter to the fourth quarter,” Sorber said. “You lose the best player on offense, a lot of guys on defense, you’re putting kids in against a good offense and it’s tough.”

After forcing a turnover on downs, Souderton went down and scored on a Khan run, then forced Abington to punt. A long drive followed, with Gular capping it with an eight yard run, though the extra point clanged off the upright.

Jermaine Webb took the kickoff back 75 yards for a score, a seeming crusher to Souderton’s hops but a blocked PAT was all the room Souderton needed.

“That was a lucky break,” Gular said. “If they just get the ball back, it might be a different story.”

“We tried to pooch kick it and keep it away from (Webb) and he somehow found a way, went and got the ball and he made a play when he needed to,” Souderton coach Ed Gallagher said. “Thankfully our kids made plays.”

Big Red marched right back down and again Gular finshed it, this time from 11 yards out while bellowing his declaration.

“He has a moment every game where he goes down and you never really know if he’s really, really hurt or just a little bit hurt,” Gallagher said. “He comes back and he had a Herculean effort, he said put the team on my back, keep giving me the ball, we’re going to run belly until they stop it.”

Gular finished the night with 155 yards rushing, White had 150 and Khan rolled up 119. Souderton put all its bets down on its backs and they cashed in.

Feeling it was time for the players to decide it, Souderton went for two and got it on Khan’s legs.

“There was doubt because we lost to them down there, 16-15 (four years ago) when we faked an extra point to go for the win and didn’t get it,” Gallagher said. “When we had a chance to tie it, I said we’re kicking, I’m not going through this again. We missed the extra point and that changed my mind the second time, I said our kids that have fought for four quarters are going to win or lose this game.”

Abington didn’t have one more trick and turned the ball over inside Souderton territory, leaving the adversity-tested Indians to celebrate one they won’t soon forget.