Neshaminy 42 - CR South 17

`Skins offense gears it up in win

Traveling to Newtown to take on the streaking Golden Hawks of Council Rock South, this game certainly qualified as “key” for the Tribe. For just as surely as a win would put them squarely back in the fray at 6-1, a loss would not look good at all the next time the sports page was opened. And for South, the same surely was true as they looked to build on their recent - and impressive - win over the Ghosts of Abington. So with that said, let’s get to the game.

Redskins fans were quickly introduced to the Golden Hawks running back Greg Welch in the first-quarter. With back to back touchdowns of 63- and 66-yards, Welch left his mark on the field quickly. Meanwhile, Corey Majors powered home for a 13-yard touchdown in between Welch's scores so that with 3 minutes left in the opening quarter, the Hawks had a 14-7 lead.  Ricky Williams then fielded the next kickoff on his own one-yard line and darted 99-yards for the tying score just 14 seconds later. The first-quarter ended with the teams knotted at 14 apiece.

As the second quarter began, the 'Skins defense held their ground as the Golden Hawks tried to run the ball on a critical 4th and three. Neshaminy didn't budge, though, and the offense took the ball over with just 6 minutes left in the half. With a strong offensive line and great blocking, Bryan Dean gained 44-yards and then followed it up with a 20-yard sprint to the end zone to make it 21-14.  It would turn out to be the first of four straight TDs that Dean would have on the night. The Hawks got the ball back but were unable to do anything offensively and were forced to punt.  Junior quarterback Charlie Marterella was in for the next series and quickly found Dean streaking across the middle.  He caught the aerial and capped off a 45-yard play with his second TD of the evening giving Neshaminy had a 28 to 14 lead with 1:31 left in the half.  After the kickoff, Neshaminy's defense again took over and quickly forced a fumble to turn the ball back to the Redskins.  The next play was one of the niftier calls we've seen from the 'Skins coaching staff as Brian Titus threw a lateral pass to Rick Brebner who appeared ready to streak down the left side of the field.  Instead, Brebner pulled up and fired a 33-yard missile to a wide open Dean who got to the 6-yard line before he was chased down.  No matter as Dean would soon cross the end zone for his third TD of the night and make the score 35-14 in favor of the Schmidtmen with under a minute left in the half.  The Hawks then drove quickly down the field and put up a field goal as the half expired.  Still, the Tribe went into the locker room with a comfortable 35-17 lead.

The third-quarter came and went quickly with neither team scoring. As the fourth-quarter began, the defense continued to pressure the Hawks and with 11 minutes left in the contest, Stephen Stemme picked off a South pass to  put the 'Skins offense back on the field. The next Moleskinner drive was a methodical display of running and passing that ended with Dean going over the top for a one-yard TD which was Dean's fourth TD of the game and the 42-17 score held up to the final buzzer.

So here it comes: Game to ‘Skins!

Now solidly back in the SOL hunt at 2-1, the Tribe can push on in its race for the flag as well as a solid post-season seeding. And if a game, or moment, or event, can be seen as a turning point, perhaps this contest will be looked upon as the 2009 catalyst. So for the moment let’s enjoy the win and “big night” our boys provided before getting our feet back on the ground and turning our attention to next week’s opponent. Plus with that being old friend, the Council Rock North Indians, it only makes next Saturday’s Homecoming event that much more enjoyable.

See you at the game.

Game Captains: Corey Majors (#23 Jr), Bryan Dean (#28 Sr), Stephen Stemme (#32 Sr), Eugene LaBorde (#79 Sr)