Football: Pennsbury 37, Abington 0
NO. 7 PENNSBURY 37, NO. 13 ABINGTON 0
With the way Pennsbury spreads the ball around in a wing-T scheme, there is no place for ego-filled, self-centered ballcarriers.
And through six games, a trio of dangerous running backs - Charles Snorweah, Ronquay Smith, and Raheem Thompson - have all thrived while taking a team-first approach.
"We don't play for stats," said Snorweah, a speedy junior. "We play for the 'W." As long as we get the 'W,' we're happy."
Friday night, with the three combining for 262 of the team's 350 rushing yards, the visiting Falcons buried previously undefeated Abington, 37-0, in a key Suburban One League National Conference contest at Schwarzman Stadium.
"We know any one of us can be explosive," said Smith, a 5-foot-7, 175-pound senior. "And we want each other to do well. There's no selfishness."
Smith carried 21 times for 129 yards; Snorweah rushed 13 times for 81 yards and two touchdowns; and Thompson (nine for 52), a junior, chipped in a 24-yard scoring burst.
On Pennsbury's first series of the night, which resulted in a 25-yard field goal, Smith carried seven times for 36 yards.
"The team leans on me for senior leadership," Smith said. "I come out, run hard. I try to set the example for our whole offense."
The Falcons, who have rebounded nicely from a season-opening loss to District 11's Easton, improved to 5-1 overall and 3-0 in the National Conference.
Pennsbury's junior-laden squad, which most thought was a year away from making major noise, is tied atop the conference standings with Neshaminy (6-0, 3-0). The crown will likely be determined when the Bucks County rivals meet Nov. 1.
"With Neshaminy there, people forget about us a little bit," said Snorweah, who scored on bursts of 39 and 10 yards. "We're OK with that. We know what we're capable of doing."
Against the Ghosts, the Falcons totaled 415 yards on offense. In classic ground-and-pound style, they opened the second half with an 11-play, 61-yard scoring drive.
"I think this is one of the most complete teams [Pennsbury coach] Galen Snyder has had since he's been there," Abington boss Tim Sorber said. "There's no shame in losing to a team like that."
Pennsbury's 4-4 defense limited the hosts to 118 rushing yards on 35 tries. In the third quarter, after the Ghosts (5-1, 2-1) moved the ball to the Pennsbury 23, it twice stopped quarterback Brett Guaglionona (3-for-16 passing, 18 yards) for no gain.
The unit's headliners were linemen Maada Jajua, Bert Robinson and Jack Kenney, linebackers Jordan O'Neill and Quinn Pfender, and backs Brendan Campbell and Anthony Pitt.
Senior tailback Craig Reynolds, who sat out most of last week's win over Bensalem with a knee injury, played for Abington after being cleared by doctors Friday. He carried 16 times for 103 yards.
The Ghosts lost junior running back Tyler Schreiner to an undisclosed injury midway through the first quarter.
Pennsbury 3 7 13 14-37
Abington 0 0 0 0-0
P: FG Josh Leon 25
P: Charles Snorweah 39 run (Leon kick)
P: Raheem Thompson 24 run (Leon kick)
P: Snorweah 10 run (kick failed)
P: D'Andre Cruz 41 pass from Breon Clark (Leon kick)
P: Cody Tabeek 68 interception return (Leon kick)