Neshaminy Trio Caps Career

in Altoona

by Steve Sherman, Sports Editor

Thirty-four football players make up the roster for the East in the Pennsylvania Scholastic Football Coaches Association (PSFCA) East-West Classic which took place last Saturday at Mansion Park in Altoona. Three of them were from right here in Lower Bucks. All were Neshaminy players including Redskins linebacker Greg Martell, offensive lineman Blair Gower and running back Jason Ulmer.

"For us to have three on the team exemplifies the fact that we were fortunate enough to win 11 football games last year," said Neshaminy head coach Mark Schmidt. "When you have good players, you win games."

Of the three, Ulmer is perhaps the most noted. He with nearly 2,000 yards rushing and 31 touchdowns on the season - a campaign in which the Redskins strung together a pair of playoff wins and an appearance in the District One Class AAAA semifinals. "

He was the guy who found the end zone," Schmidt stated. "He did a great job for us-just a real solid year running the football."

The other two did just as much to help Neshaminy win, said Schmidt.

Martell was an East-West delegate from jump-street. The others were chosen as alternates by Souderton coach Ed Gallagher, who guided the East.

Greg contributed to the 'Skins' cause from his position as captain of the defense and from his spots at fullback and middle line-backer. At MLB, he was good enough at the post to be named First Team All Suburban One League National Conference.

"Greg had a marvelous year playing linebacker," Schmidt stated. "The coaches are real happy with all three [players].

"All three of those guys are going to do a great job," Schmidt added before the first snap in the classic. "I was real happy to see those guys get picked."

A two-way lineman, Gower was Neshaminy's center so he ran the huddle on offense. Defensively, he played at tackle and was also named First Team All SOL National.

"All three of these guys did some real positive things to help us win," Schmidt stated.

THE GAME

It was unfortunate but the eighth annual PSFCA Classic ended prematurely. After a set of delays due to thunder and lightning moving through the Altoona area, officials called the game with 7:18 left in the third quarter.

At the time, the West was holding a 10-0 edge. They'd taken the lead from the start, driving the ball the length of the field on the opening possession and capping it off with a 27-yard field goal by Drew Hareza (South Fayette).

For the remainder of the first half, the battle took place between the 20s and it looked like the West would take a 3-0 edge into the intermission. With about a minute left in the half however, the West would conjure up some electricity of their own in the form of Marvase Byrd (McKeesport Area), who on 2nd-and-15 raced 84 yards untouched to the end zone.

The East had its chances to score too but failed to capitalize.

After getting the ball back with:49 left in the first half, the East drove to the West 46 yard line. On 3rd-and-5, with:05 left in the half, Matt McGloin's (West Scranton) pass to Nihja White (Conestoga) came up 10 yards short of the end zone.

The East then got the ball to start the second half, embarking on an 11-play, 69-yard drive. The threat ended, however, when Justin Myer's (Manheim Central) field goal attempt sailed wide right.

While the East still holds a 5-3 advantage for wins in the classic, the West is catching up, having emerged victorious both this year and last. The game was aired live on the Pennsylvania Cable Network (PCN), with rebroadcasts on PCN and Fox Sports. DVDs and VHS copies of the event will be available for purchase by calling (866) 726-8433 or by visiting www.pcntv.com and clicking on the "PCN Store" link.

The culmination of the East-West game marks the end of the high school career for this group. From here, Gower heads up the turnpike to East Stroudsburg University, where he will do his gridiron battling for the Division II Warriors.

Ulmer won't be too far away from there as he is headed to Albright College where he will play D-III football for the Lions. Martell, meanwhile, will stay a little closer to home. He'll be right here in Collegeville playing D-III football for the Ursinus College Bears.

"All my guys are home-bodies," said Schmidt. "They don't stray to far from the roost.

Republished with permission from InterCounty Newspaper Group. Check us out at www.Buckslocalnews.com.

South 10 - North 7

June 7th, Langhorne - The 2008 North-South All-Star Football Classic was held on Saturday afternoon at Harry E. Franks stadium.

In spite of record heat that pushed the thermometer close to 100 degrees, many fans came out to watch their favorite players suit up one last time in a High School uniform. The South team's only touchdown was scored in the second period by Neshaminy's own Jason Ulmer, who was also the MVP for the South squad.

Council Rock North's Patrick Campbell made a 38 yard field goal with under 3 minutes left in the half to give the South team a 10-0 lead. However, with 14 seconds left in the half, Jim Jefferson of Pennridge (6'-5") went up for a high pass in the end zone and brought it down to cut South's lead to 10-7. The heat began to take it's toll in the 2nd half as both teams traded possessions but neither could muster up any more points.

The South team was coached by Neshaminy's Head Coach Mark Schmidt and a number of the Redskins' assistant coaches. In addition to our coaching staff, the following Redskins' 2008 Seniors suited up for the South team: Eric Brown, Ian Capanna, Jason Ulmer, Blair Gower, Greg Martell, Dylan Waterbury, Chris Gettis, Gary Renson and Dave Daino.

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