Landsdale, PA - Neshaminy was in desperate need of a win this weekafter three straight losses and an injury to ATH Brock Williams. Well, they don’t say pressure makes diamonds for no reason. Abington, another team riding a three-game losing streak, started with the ball and showed some promise early with QB Caleb Smith converting a fourth-and-one, but that momentum would be quickly halted by a Liam Brittingham pick. The Skins offense quickly capitalized on the error via a Colson Hill touchdown to put Neshaminy up 7-0.
The Neshaminy defense didn’t give Abington a chance to respond, but Abington’s special teams would come up big to put Neshaminy on their own 20, and now it was the Ghosts' turn to shut down on defense. The defensive duel continued, with Neshaminy forcing a fumble, and Abington responding with a Blair Williams sack to return the ball to the offense.
Unfortunately for the Ghosts, a second forced fumble by the Skins would force Abington’s defense to blink. Luke Howell marched Neshaminy down the field for his first TD of the game to put Neshaminy up 14-0. Things weren’t looking good for the Ghosts, but then Coach Fleming made an unexpected QB change.
RB Kai Taylor came in under center and led the Ghosts down the field, both completing passes and scrambling for a series of first downs before hitting Blair Williams in the back of the endzone, putting Abington on the board for the first time since the fourth quarter of week 3. When asked about coming in at quarterback for the first time, Taylor said, “Honestly, it was about staying locked in, learning the offense from a different perspective at practice and just doing whatever my coaches and team needed me to do. Playing running back helped me understand the offense, so I just had to trust my teammates, make the right reads, and keep working to get more comfortable at quarterback.”
The Ghosts burst of life put some pressure back on Neshaminy, and Carson Hill answered the call with a few receptions to lead the Skins into the red zone for another Luke Howell touchdown. Taylor continued at quarterback, leading a promising drive that was unfortunately shut down by some brutal penalties.
At half, Neshaminy was in control, but with Abington still showing signs of life, the Skins had to keep their foot on the gas. Starting the second half with the ball, Neshaminy went back to the formula that had brought them so much success in the first half. Angel Miranda and Carson Hill’s connection hadn’t failed yet, and it wouldn’t go wrong on this drive, with a long ball putting the Skins within the 10, setting up a hat trick TD for Luke Howell.
Abington looked fit to answer back after a solid kick return from Taylor, but yet another penalty would call it back. He would make up for it with some great scrambling to put Abington on the Skins 30, but after exiting the game briefly, Neshaminy would force a fumble to halt the Ghosts in their tracks.
When asked about the turnover issues from the Ghosts, Abington coach Bruce Fleming said after the game that “Turnovers are part of the game, but we have to do a better job protecting the football. It starts in practice. We will put a heavy emphasis on ball security drills every day this week, from high and tight carries to finishing runs and making smart decisions with the ball.