Galloping Ghosts shock Pennsbury, 27-13

This season, the Abington football team has been Dr. Jekyll and Mr.

Hyde, but Friday night, it was Sam Kind, Anthony Hensley, Julien Ireland and a swarming defense that led a 27-13 comeback upset victory of previously undefeated Pennsbury.

Abington (6-2, 4-2) entered this Suburban One National clash having lost its last two games at home despite an early season victory at Schwarzman Stadium over second-place Neshaminy.

But the Ghosts' good side came to play against the Falcons, scoring 27 points against a Pennsbury defense that had surrendered only 40 points all season.

Meanwhile, Abington's defense gang-tackled Pennsbury senior tailback Dante Devine all night and held a Falcons' offense that scores 35 points per game to just 13.

Abington senior quarterback Sam Kind threw three touchdown passes to senior wideout Hensley, of 13, 37 and 9 yards. Combined with junior tailback Julien Ireland's 1-yard touchdown run with 58 seconds to play in the first half, those TD passes completed a string of 27 unanswered points by the Ghosts to end the victory.

Pennsbury, which entered the contest 8-0, 5-0 in the division, No. 2 in Southeastern Pennsylvania and No. 4 in the state by The Inquirer, took an early 13-0 lead with scores on both sides of the ball.

Falcons senior defensive back Eric Williams returned an interception of Kind 78 yards for a touchdown at 7:09 of the first quarter, and Devine blew 42 yards down the field for a score on his first carry with 5:16 to go in the first and give his team a 13-0 lead after a blocked extra point.

Kind, however, was unfazed.

A high snap on a Pennsbury punt gave Abington the ball on the Falcons' 3-yard line, which the Ghosts converted on a 13-yard strike from Kind to Hensley at the front right pylon of the end zone with 10:19 remaining in the half.

Then Hensley made people miss on a 37-yard catch and run touchdown at the 7:01 mark of the second half.

Pennsbury tried to mount a response, but Abington's defense held firm.

Then Kind executed a flawless 2-minute drill with 2:21 remaining in the half, capped by a one-yard rush by Ireland and assisted from catches by junior wide receiver Rich Johnson and senior tight end Giuliano Presta.

Kind and the Abington offense bled the clock by handing to Ireland in the third quarter to protect their 20-13 lead out of halftime, and then Kind found Hensley on a 9-yard fade in the back right corner of the end zone with 3:16 remaining in the fourth quarter to seal a rousing but convincing, comeback victory.

Pennsbury    13 0 0 0 - 13

Abington    0 20 0 7 - 27

P: Eric Williams 78 interception return (Corte Rumph kick)

P: Dante Devine 42 run (kick fail)

A: Anthony Hensley 13 pass from Sam Kind (Ian MacMillan kick)

A: Hensley 37 pass from Kind (MacMillan kick)

A: Julien Ireland 1 run (kick fail)

A: Hensley 9 pass from Kind (MacMillan kick)