Home energy helps Abington get first win of season
ABINGTON >> It’s called home field advantage for a reason.
Abington senior Chris Kretschman certainly felt it Thursday night when the Galloping Ghosts made their 2019 home debut against Mastery Charter North. Coming off a season opening loss at Northeast, the Abington defense wanted to get back on the right track.
Kretschman helped set the tone for that as Abington topped the Pumas 35-6 at Schwarzman Stadium.
“It’s the first varsity game at home, I just wanted to make some plays,” Kretschman said. “I just wanted to show out for the fans, that’s pretty much it.”
The senior, who’s lining up mostly at defensive end so far this season, certainly put on a show in the first half. He recorded a sack on Mastery Charter North’s second possession, recovered a fumble on the Pumas’ third possession and forced another fumble on their fifth possession.
An outside linebacker prior to this season, Kretschman became a guy the coaches couldn’t take off the field, so they put the senior at an end spot. At 5-foot-10 and 185 pounds, Kretschman isn’t the biggest guy but he’s just going to get after it.
“He’s a heart-and-soul kind of kid, he’s got a high motor,” Abington coach Kevin Conlin said. “He’s never really played d-end before but he’s a kid we have to get on the field and has really taken to the position.”
A week ago, the Ghosts built a 13-0 lead against Northeast before falling 34-13, so the defense wanted to come out and rebuild its confidence. With the Pumas only getting a late touchdown against Abington’s backups in the running clock second half, the Ghosts took a good step that way.
For Kretschman, playing against Northeast’s athletes was a good learning experience. The senior felt the game got away a little bit at the end but overall, the Ghosts had a good effort and they were able to adjust on Thursday.
“They had a good rotation and a lot of depth, I think we ran out of steam but overall I think we played a great game, especially in the first half,” Kretschman said. “Northeast had a ton of speed and size, so I was able to adjust, come off the ball hard and not be afraid which I think paid off tonight.”
Still, there was an early threat from Mastery Charter North that required a standout play to thwart. Pumas tailback Suhail Gillard broke off a huge gain on the second carry of the game and looked bound for the end zone until senior Andrick Wesh ran him down and stopped the run.
Gillard had gained 54 yards down to the Abington 18, but the Ghosts held their and got a fourth-down stop to keep a zero on the scoreboard.
“When you play defense, you have to have a short memory,” Wesh said. “You have to remember you have a job to get done.
“It’s just pursuit, we work on it practice, getting your angles down and if I know he’s going, I have to go and catch him. I have a job to do.”
GHOSTS ON THE RUN
One of Conlin’s chief talking points in preseason was finding a featured back.
Two games in, he hasn’t found one yet but it’s not for a lack of options. While none of the starters played in the second half after Abington built a 35-0 lead, four rushers finished with at least 60 yards on the ground.
Quarterback Tamir Berthau only threw two passes, but he rushed for two scores and 66 yards. Wesh rushed for 73 yards, including a 68-yard TD score and Chance Byrd picked up 69 yards and two scores including a 58-yard rush before halftime. In the second half, Zahmir Lee used a 49-yard carry to help get 61 total yards on the ground.
“Everybody came in, knew we had a job to get done and have the capability to do it, so we just had to put it out on the field,” Wesh said. “In practice, it’s always competition, we’re saying ‘I did this better than you’ but if one of them makes a play, I’m happy for them and if I make a play, they’re happy for me. It’s all love.”
Wesh said the biggest thing for Abington between its opener and Thursday was keeping the right attitude and continuing to push for the next level.
The Ghosts had a good summer in 7-on-7 play and in team camps but Wesh noted that only means so much before the pads come on and the fall preseason starts. The senior running back/defensive back continued by saying the commitment was strong, but there’s still a long way to go.
“We know we have a tough task ahead of us but we’re prepared,” Wesh said. “The coaches get us prepared right so when it’s gametime, we can do it.”
Abington has its annual clash with Cheltenham next week, and the Ghosts are looking to continue their recent winning streak over the currently 2-0 Panthers.
“We’re going to get after it a little bit in practice and hopefully the enthusiasm keeps picking up from there,” Conlin said. “Next week is our big rivalry week.”
ABINGTON 14 21 0 0 – 35
MASTERY CHARTER NORTH 0 0 0 6 – 6
Scoring Plays
1st Quarter
A – Chance Byrd 58 run (Antonio Ditri kick) 1:27
A – Tamir Berthau 2 run (Ditri kick) :18
2nd Quarter
A – Nasir Jones 2 run (Ditri kick) 10:18
A – Berthau 30 run (Ditri kick) 7:27
A – Andrick Wesh 68 run (Ditri kick) 4:20
4th Quarter
M – Suhail Gillard 69 run (Two-point fail) 3:09
Team Stats
A MCN
First Downs 10 4
Rushes-Yards 29-261 33-127
Passing 0-2-0-0 6-9-0-0
Passing Yards 0 59
Total Yards 261 186
Fumbles-Lost 1-1 5-2
Penalties-Yards 8-42 16-146
Individual Stats
Rushing: A – Andrick Wesh 3-73, Jaylen Clouden 4-(-3), Khaliq Henry 1-(-12), Chance Byrd 3-69, Tamir Berthau 6-66, Nasir Jones 1-2, Zahmir Lee 6-61, Mike Equi 5-5; MCN – Suhail Gillard 12-167, David Stewart 1-0, Hudaifah Patton 6-(-33), Faydaah Gillard 1-(-8), Justin Porter 1-1
Passing: A – Berthau 0-2-0-0-0; MCN – Patton 6-9-0-0-59
Receiving: MCN – S Gillard 2-41, Porter 2-6, Zahir Clark 1-5, Gashawn Moody 1-7
