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Big plays spark Comets against Warriors

Gerard Hetman Abington Journal Reporter

MILFORD - In the world of football, it sometimes takes several series of play during a game for a team’s strategy to take hold. But when it dose, it can dominate the contest.

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Mike Beamish connected on a pass to Tyler Cuneo, shown above for a touchdown.

Abington Journal/ Stephanie Walkowski

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Abington Heights junior James Fruehan found a seam in the Delaware Valley defense and raced 54 yards for the game’s first touchdown and a 7-0 lead. Fruehan racked up more than 200 yards rushing on just seven carries.

Abington Journal/Stephanie Walkowski

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Just ask James Fruehan.

After his touchdown return on the opening kickoff was called back due to a penalty, the Abington Heights High School junior running back erupted for a career night. The Comets defeated the host Warriors of Delaware Valley, 40-7, on a chilly night at Delaware Valley High School. The victory improves the Comets to 6-1 on the season, while the Warriors drop to 3-4 overall.

While the penalty on Fruehan’s return was a disappointment, the Comets set out to work with their rushing attack. With Paul Gallagher and Fruehan leading the way, Abington Heights ran the ball on 12 straight plays before turning the ball over on downs at the Delaware Valley 23 yard line. After forcing a punt on the first Warrior possession, Comets coach Joe Repshis dialed up the ground game again. After four straight carries by Gallagher, Fruehan found a seam in the defense and raced 54 yards for the game’s first touchdown and a 7-0 lead.

“We’re very proud of the effort our players gave in all three phases of the game,” Repshis said after the contest. “Delaware Valley is a very good football team. To come in here on a Friday night… It’s a tough place to play, but great to get out of here with a victory.”

While the Comets jumped to the early lead, the biggest series of the game may have come on the ensuing Delaware Valley possession. With freshman quarterback Bryan Schor leading the charge, the Warriors moved from their own 17-yard line to the Comet 1-yard line in 15 plays. But on fourth-and-goal from the one-yard line, tailback Chris Cohen was stopped for no gain, and Abington Heights took over on downs.

While the Warriors seemed set to force a punt after three plays, an offside call on fourth down gave Abington a fresh set of downs. Two plays later, Fruehan took off on a 76-yard touchdown run and a 13-0 lead.

Overall, the Comets produced more than 300 yards rushing on the night, with Fruehan racking up more than 200 of those on just seven carries. Gallagher also carried the ball 23 times for more than 150 yards, and with the Comets’ offensive line dominating up front, the Warriors had little chance of slowing the onslaught.

“There was a fear that Abington could come out and control the line of scrimmage like that- those guys are a good football team,” Delaware Valley head coach Keith Olsommer said, of the contest. “They came out and did what they had to do to beat us, and they did it well.”

After Fruehan’s second score, the Comets defense forced another three-and-out, with penalties on consecutive plays by the Warriors setting up a 17-yard touchdown run by Paul Gallagher and a 19-0 advantage for the visitors. The Comets tacked on another score just before the half, when quarterback Mike Beamish found Tyler Cuneo behind the defense on fourth-down for his first touchdown pass of the evening.

The first half ended when, after two Warrior incompletions, Schor was sacked by Joe Dolan to end the threat. Delaware Valley got on the board in the second half when Schor found Dustin Sebring for a touchdown catch, but the deficit was too great to overcome for the home team.

“You just need to make the best of your opportunities when you get in,” Fruehan said of his statistics for the evening. “The coaches always keep telling us to make the most of our opportunities, and with the line blocking, like that tonight, it was a great result.”

The victory for the Comets also means that the team keeps possession of the Interstate 84 Black and Blue Jug, a trophy instituted by Coaches Repshis and Olsommer before the 2005 season. Painted in the colors of both schools and inscribed with the scores and dates of each subsequent game, the winning team keeps possession of the jug until the next scheduled game between the schools. Friday evening’s result means that the Comets have a 4-1 record in games against the Warriors since the trophy was created.