Opportunity Knocks: Ghosts Grab Victory From the Clutches of Defeat
Barry F. Hess
October 09, 2006
WARRINGTON, Pa- Every so often a team is given an opportunity to walk onto a football field and prove to everyone watching what they themselves have believed from day one of training camp…they are, indeed, as good as they say they are.
In this situation one of two scenarios unfold, either the team buckles under pressure and walks away having blown a golden opportunity or they shine under pressure and leave feeling on top of the world.
Ironically, last Friday night at Central Bucks South High School the Abington Ghosts experienced both emotions before a fourth quarter comeback allowed them to earn a 35-32 win over the Titans after watching an 11-point lead quickly turn into an 11-point deficit.
After an emotional victory over Pennridge one week ago the Ghosts were given a brief look into their future in the days leading up to their showdown with the Titans.
Win and they improved to 4-2 and very much controlled their destiny as far as a Suburban One League, National Conference title was concerned, lose and they would once again be forced to go back to the drawing board and count on other teams knocking off contenders in the process.
While the Ghosts failed to score points on their opening drive for the first time all season it didn’t take long for the talented group of skilled players to get the ball in the endzone.
A 45-yard drive, capped by a two-yard Kahlil Pittman run, gave Abington a 7-3 lead late in the first quarter before the defense allowed a 40-yard Titan touchdown drive that put the Ghosts down 10-7 after the first stanza.
After regaining possession at nearly with nearly the same field position the Ghosts offense, as they’ve done so often this season, kicked it into high gear.
Fullback Dan McMillan and Pittman capped drives of seven and nine plays respectively with touchdowns that gave Abington a 21-10 lead…and that’s when things got interesting.
With less than one minute remaining in the first half the Titans, led by quarterback Storm Miller, orchestrated a nine-play 45-yard drive of their own, culminating with a 10-yard touchdown pass that Miller was able to float over the hands of cornerback Jarrett Eaton and into his receiver’s grasp in the corner of the endzone.
A two-point conversion decreased the Ghosts lead to three at the half but more importantly took the wind from their sails and gave the all important momentum to the home team.
I was a little upset at the end of the first half at how we were playing on defense,” said Ghosts’ head coach Tim Sorber. “We had a few lapses and the score was really closer than it should have been. We really wanted to put pressure on their offense coming out of the second half and get the momentum back and let the offense do what they could do.”
Sorber’s stradegy didn’t exactly come to fruition.
On just their second play of the half the Titans retook the lead after a 63-yard touchdown run put them up 25-21.
Less than three minutes later a reverse caught the Ghosts off guard and went 40 yards for yet another touchdown.
In a matter of four minutes Abington watched their 11-point lead disappear and transform into an 11-point deficit.
Things like that happen, it doesn’t mean you just stop playing, you keep going and you play even harder,” said senior captain Rashad Miller.
And that was exactly what the Ghosts did.
Despite losing the lead and the momentum the Ghosts offense, led by quarterback Kevin Morton, was eager to get back on the field and rekindle the sparks they ignited in the first half.
A steady dose of Pittman, who finished with 212 yards on the ground and two touchdowns, set up McMillan’s second touchdown of the game, this time of the four-yard variety.
What is so great about our offense is the fact that there aren’t to many scores we cant come back from,” said Sorber. “Morton stepped up as a leader when we got the ball back down 11 and really lifted the team.”
After forcing a turnover on downs on the Titans ensuing possession the Ghosts received the ball at their own 30-yard line with just over six minutes to put together a game winning drive.
Morton, however, needed nothing more than twenty two seconds.
On second down and 10 Morton dropped back to pass only to see the pocket quickly collapse in front of him, rolling to his left to create time the pass rush was at his toes when he heaved up a ball across his body before being drug to the ground.
It wasn’t until he got up that he saw his best friend from grade school, James Lancaster, running down the sidelines for a 70-yard touchdown that gave the Ghost the lead for the first time since the second quarter.
Drew [Seidenburg] was playing a little banged up on the offensive line for us and the pass rush just got to us on that play,” Morton recounted. “I just sort of scrambled to try and get some time and when I saw James I just threw it up there for him to get it. I’ve been best friends with that kid my whole life so I trusted him to make the play but I didn’t even know if he caught it or not until I got up from a hit and looked up at him running.”
With one throw Morton, who finished 10-22 for 162 yards and one TD, changed the complexion of the game and put the Ghosts defense in position to cap an improvable comeback on the road.
With the game ridding on them the defensive unit, led by Miller, did not disappoint.
The Titans would receive eight plays in the course of six minutes needing at least a field goal to tie.
In those eight plays the Ghosts defense held CB South to -8 yards, most of which was lost on Miller’s first sack of the season with less than two minutes to play.
All we kept saying to each other in the huddle was that we believed in each other,” Miller said. “We looked each other in the eye and just said, hey, I trust you man. And we made the plays we needed to make to win the game.”
As Morton gathered himself in the locker room after the game he credited experience as the main factor in the Ghosts fourth win of the season and second in a row.
We have been in situations like that before so we knew what was expected of us and we knew what we had to do to execute,” Morton said. “We knew after we gave up the lead all we had to do was keep it together and get our heads straight and we were going to be ok.”
The Ghosts will look to keep the ball in their court as they travel to North Penn next Friday night for the second straight game on the road.
A win over a Knights team which is the last SOL team this group of Ghosts have failed to defeat would give Abington possession of first place in the National Conference, something Miller and company can almost taste.
All we can do is get better from here. The better we get, the further we can go.”
In this situation one of two scenarios unfold, either the team buckles under pressure and walks away having blown a golden opportunity or they shine under pressure and leave feeling on top of the world.
Ironically, last Friday night at Central Bucks South High School the Abington Ghosts experienced both emotions before a fourth quarter comeback allowed them to earn a 35-32 win over the Titans after watching an 11-point lead quickly turn into an 11-point deficit.
After an emotional victory over Pennridge one week ago the Ghosts were given a brief look into their future in the days leading up to their showdown with the Titans.
Win and they improved to 4-2 and very much controlled their destiny as far as a Suburban One League, National Conference title was concerned, lose and they would once again be forced to go back to the drawing board and count on other teams knocking off contenders in the process.
While the Ghosts failed to score points on their opening drive for the first time all season it didn’t take long for the talented group of skilled players to get the ball in the endzone.
A 45-yard drive, capped by a two-yard Kahlil Pittman run, gave Abington a 7-3 lead late in the first quarter before the defense allowed a 40-yard Titan touchdown drive that put the Ghosts down 10-7 after the first stanza.
After regaining possession at nearly with nearly the same field position the Ghosts offense, as they’ve done so often this season, kicked it into high gear.
Fullback Dan McMillan and Pittman capped drives of seven and nine plays respectively with touchdowns that gave Abington a 21-10 lead…and that’s when things got interesting.
With less than one minute remaining in the first half the Titans, led by quarterback Storm Miller, orchestrated a nine-play 45-yard drive of their own, culminating with a 10-yard touchdown pass that Miller was able to float over the hands of cornerback Jarrett Eaton and into his receiver’s grasp in the corner of the endzone.
A two-point conversion decreased the Ghosts lead to three at the half but more importantly took the wind from their sails and gave the all important momentum to the home team.
I was a little upset at the end of the first half at how we were playing on defense,” said Ghosts’ head coach Tim Sorber. “We had a few lapses and the score was really closer than it should have been. We really wanted to put pressure on their offense coming out of the second half and get the momentum back and let the offense do what they could do.”
Sorber’s stradegy didn’t exactly come to fruition.
On just their second play of the half the Titans retook the lead after a 63-yard touchdown run put them up 25-21.
Less than three minutes later a reverse caught the Ghosts off guard and went 40 yards for yet another touchdown.
In a matter of four minutes Abington watched their 11-point lead disappear and transform into an 11-point deficit.
Things like that happen, it doesn’t mean you just stop playing, you keep going and you play even harder,” said senior captain Rashad Miller.
And that was exactly what the Ghosts did.
Despite losing the lead and the momentum the Ghosts offense, led by quarterback Kevin Morton, was eager to get back on the field and rekindle the sparks they ignited in the first half.
A steady dose of Pittman, who finished with 212 yards on the ground and two touchdowns, set up McMillan’s second touchdown of the game, this time of the four-yard variety.
What is so great about our offense is the fact that there aren’t to many scores we cant come back from,” said Sorber. “Morton stepped up as a leader when we got the ball back down 11 and really lifted the team.”
After forcing a turnover on downs on the Titans ensuing possession the Ghosts received the ball at their own 30-yard line with just over six minutes to put together a game winning drive.
Morton, however, needed nothing more than twenty two seconds.
On second down and 10 Morton dropped back to pass only to see the pocket quickly collapse in front of him, rolling to his left to create time the pass rush was at his toes when he heaved up a ball across his body before being drug to the ground.
It wasn’t until he got up that he saw his best friend from grade school, James Lancaster, running down the sidelines for a 70-yard touchdown that gave the Ghost the lead for the first time since the second quarter.
Drew [Seidenburg] was playing a little banged up on the offensive line for us and the pass rush just got to us on that play,” Morton recounted. “I just sort of scrambled to try and get some time and when I saw James I just threw it up there for him to get it. I’ve been best friends with that kid my whole life so I trusted him to make the play but I didn’t even know if he caught it or not until I got up from a hit and looked up at him running.”
With one throw Morton, who finished 10-22 for 162 yards and one TD, changed the complexion of the game and put the Ghosts defense in position to cap an improvable comeback on the road.
With the game ridding on them the defensive unit, led by Miller, did not disappoint.
The Titans would receive eight plays in the course of six minutes needing at least a field goal to tie.
In those eight plays the Ghosts defense held CB South to -8 yards, most of which was lost on Miller’s first sack of the season with less than two minutes to play.
All we kept saying to each other in the huddle was that we believed in each other,” Miller said. “We looked each other in the eye and just said, hey, I trust you man. And we made the plays we needed to make to win the game.”
As Morton gathered himself in the locker room after the game he credited experience as the main factor in the Ghosts fourth win of the season and second in a row.
We have been in situations like that before so we knew what was expected of us and we knew what we had to do to execute,” Morton said. “We knew after we gave up the lead all we had to do was keep it together and get our heads straight and we were going to be ok.”
The Ghosts will look to keep the ball in their court as they travel to North Penn next Friday night for the second straight game on the road.
A win over a Knights team which is the last SOL team this group of Ghosts have failed to defeat would give Abington possession of first place in the National Conference, something Miller and company can almost taste.
All we can do is get better from here. The better we get, the further we can go.”
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