Berthau shows heart in leading Abington past Cheltenham
CHELTENHAM >> Tamir Berthau got all the motivation he needed before taking a snap Friday night.
Abington’s senior quarterback already knew the stakes for his team in the Galloping Ghosts’ annual clash with neighborhood rival Cheltenham, but this was personal. Given some bad news by his father just before the game, Berthau went out and turned a signature performance in less than ideal conditions.
Berthau threw a pair of touchdowns and added another on the ground as Abington won 19-7 at Cheltenham on a rain-soaked night.
“Before the game, my dad gave me some bad news about something that happened in my family and told me he wanted me to have a good game and to do it for him,” Berthau said. “That motivated me plenty for this game.”
The quarterback said his dad didn’t give him many details, only that the situation involved his aunt.
“I play with a lot of pride so to hear him that upset, it made me pour even more heart into this game,” Berthau said.
Berthau threw for 74 yards on the night and twice connected with Caleb Baker for scores in the first half, staking the Ghosts to a 12-0 lead. The 6-foot-1, 165-pound dual-threat quarterback also toted the rock 20 times on the night, amassing an impressive 169 yards and a 45-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter that all but iced the contest.
Given the intense nature of the rivalry – the series is approaching its 100th game – every play meant a little more and Berthau didn’t gain any yards the easy way. Carrying as much as he did, the senior took plenty of hits including a couple that drew late-hit flags on defenders, but didn’t miss a play.
“He’s got guts, I’ll give him that,” Abington coach Kevin Conlin said. “It’s tough to throw the ball, tough-sledding out there on a night like this and he’s out there doing everything he could to make a play for us. He did at the end and that was a big play, so he was huge for us.”
The conditions, which included a sometimes driving rain, wind gusts and at least a mist most of the night, certainly didn’t make for a high-scoring night. But it’s also one of those games that just happens to fall on bad weather nights every year and Berthau it was no worse than last season’s conditions.
Berthau credited his line for giving him time to throw and some lanes to run and he extended the same to his receivers, especially Baker, for going out and executing the same things they work on every day in practice.
Abington got the ball back with 7:41 to go in the game up just 12-7 and the outcome still in the balance. Two plays later, Berthau somehow emerged from a pile of blue and white jerseys and won a footrace with a defender to the endzone for a 45-yard touchdown.
“It’s the last time I got to play Cheltenham, so I wanted to go out with a bang,” Berthau said. “I can’t even tell you how I got loose to be honest. I think I just wanted it more than they did.”
BAKER’S DOUBLE
His quarterback called him a “playmaker” but Caleb Baker was just glad he held on to the ball.
It wasn’t an easy night for any receiver, especially one being targeted in the endzone but the junior was ready on Friday. Targeted preseason by Conlin as a potential weapon, the 6-foot-3, 205-pound Baker caught four passes for 48 yards against Cheltenham, including 15 and 21-yard scores.
“It was just amazing, thinking about how much this game is hyped up all year,” Baker said. “It’s not one we want to win, but need to win and I think we did a great job going out and executing every play.”
Baker attributed his success to keeping his focus on the ball until it was in his hand. The wideout, who was denied a fifth grab by a spectacular defensive play from Cheltenham’s Jamir Barnes, said he didn’t want to even think about making a move until he’d made the catch and had the ball secured.
Cheltenham has a grass field, but so does Abington so it’s not like playing on a soaked surface was a new concept either.
“I think I planted really well under the conditions,” Baker said. “I was trying to use some head fakes and focusing on my steps to make sure I wasn’t slipping and falling.”
Baker credited the coaching staff for their playcalling all game and said he felt like the team’s playmakers were put in the best spots to go an make something happen.
Conlin felt like Friday was the perfect night to use Baker to his fullest.
“He may not have the explosive speed, but he’s got ball skills unlike anyone else,” Conlin said. “When that ball goes up, Tamir knows Caleb is going to come down with it most of the time.”
DEFENSE GETS IT DUE
Watching film from last week’s win over Mastery Charter, Abington linebacker Mark Macione knew he had to be better.
Macione said he and his inside linebacker partner Blaise Zaccaro struggled to get downhill and make plays right at the line. With the Panthers’ playmakers capable of breaking any play into a long one, Macione said fixing that was of the utmost importance.
“We game-planned very well, our coach was on the sideline screaming like a maniac but he called out pretty much everything they were throwing at us,” Macione said. “All week, studying film we had specific keys that would take us to the plays so we trusted them.”
Zaccaro came up with a couple key tackles in the fourth quarter as the Ghosts did a good job all-around of keeping Cheltenham’s offense from getting into any rhythm.
“With these guys, every play you’re holding your breath because they’re so explosive,” Conlin said. “Every single one of those kids, everybody can run the ball down the field. You have to stop that stuff because this is a dangerous team to play. Look, they’re going to win a ton of games just because of that explosiveness.”
Macione felt the weather actually benefitted the Abington defenders. While the senior linebacker said he had to go in a little earlier on tackles, the conditions didn’t allow offensive players to get a good cut or plant and the always slippery ball became a tantalizing target.
While Abington gave up a touchdown on a one-yard keeper by Panthers quarterback Adonis Hunter, Macione wasn’t too worried about it and felt it was an effort the defense should overall be proud of. With SOL National play up next, it’s the confidence boost the entire unit needed heading into the heart of the season.
“An offense like this, they have so many weapons, so to hold them to seven points is huge for us,” Macione said.
Abington’s senior class departs having never lost to Cheltenham, a mark they’ll take plenty of pride in.
“It’s 4-0 for me and some of the other seniors, we said in the locker room before the game that this game was going to make or break our season,” Macione said. “I think it’s going to make it now that we’ve won.”
EMOTIONAL GAMBIT
Cheltenham coach Ryan Nase loves the energy and emotion his players come to the field with every day.
The issue so far has been letting that emotion boil up to the point where it’s hurting the team instead of helping. Tension and emotion runs high in any game, but especially one like Friday with two teams less than five minutes apart going at it.
Winning the first two weeks helped hide some of those blemishes, but Nase knows the Panthers have to get their emotions in check moving forward.
“We needed to do the little things right, keep our composure and be a disciplined team,” Nase said. “Despite the success we’ve had in the win-loss column, we have not been good enough at doing that yet and I need to take some time and really think about what I’m prioritizing what I’m doing personally and as a program to do things right because we’re not there yet.”
It was a flag-filled game for both sides, but there’s no disputing the penalties certainly added up for Cheltenham. Frustration or overzealous play led to personal foul flags, adding 15 yards to Abington’s field position too many times on a night where that was more important than usual.
“It hurts us in games like this, it hurt us in the Upper Dublin playoff game last year and it’s one thing when you’re better than a team but when you have to grind and do things the right way, our flaws are exposed,” Nase said. “I’m willing to do it if they are. We have to figure out as a team and with certain individuals if they’re willing to accept responsibility. Sometimes you grind and give everything you have on a certain night and don’t get the result and what great teams and great individuals do is find a way to keep grinding and keep doing things right and the success eventually comes.”
ABINGTON 6 6 0 7 – 19
CHELTENHAM 0 7 0 0 – 7
Scoring Plays
1st Quarter
A – Tamir Berthau 15 pass to Caleb Baker (conversion fail) 3:58
2nd quarter
A – Berthau 21 pass to Baker (conversion fail) 6:22
C – Adonis Hunter 1 run (Andrew Moreland kick) 1:40
4th Quarter
A – Berthau 45 run (Antonio Ditri kick) 6:42
Team Stats
A C
Rushes-Yards 34-180 32-98
Passing 6-13-2-1 2-9-0-1
Passing Yards 74 6
Total Yards 254 104
Penalties-Yards 13-108 8-90
Individual Stats
Rushing: A – Tamir Berthau 20-169, Andrick Wesh 10-35, Chance Byrd 3-5, Nasir Jones 1-1; C – Jamir Barnes 16-70, Adonis Hunter 9-9, Siddiq Williams 4-26, Nate Edwards 1-8, No. 34 2-(-20)
Passing: A – Berthau 6-13-2-1-74; C – Hunter 2-9-0-1-6
Receiving: A – Caleb Baker 4-48, Ahmad Stone 1-6, Wesh 1-18; C – Barnes 1-(-1), No. 34 1-7
Interceptions: A – Chris Kretchman; C – TJ Harris
