Grasty, focused on football, helps Abington to 7-0 start

Myles Grasty, with his strength and quick reflexes, could have developed into a hard-hitting outfielder and, maybe, middle-relief pitcher for Abington High's baseball team.

"I played baseball until I was about 15 years old," Grasty said. "It used to be my primary sport. But as the years went by, it became a little boring for me. I wanted to play a more physical sport."

Grasty opted to focus solely on football. And the Galloping Ghosts, now 7-0 after Friday night's 20-7 triumph over Suburban One League National Conference rival Pennsbury, couldn't be happier about it.

The 5-foot-11, 200-pound senior, a third-year-starter, serves Tim Sorber's squad as a rugged-as-anything linebacker and part-time wingback.

With Grasty roaming the middle and shutting down the rushing lanes, Abington's defense has yielded just 12 points per game. Pennsbury's only score was Bruce Campbell's 45-yard, third-quarter dart.

"As a linebacker, I rely a lot on technique," the 17-year-old said. "After that, it's my instincts and my speed in getting to the ballcarrier. I think I'm pretty aggressive."

On Friday, with Grasty again a headliner, the Ghosts limited the visiting Falcons to 106 yards rushing and 32 passing. Abington's third score of the first quarter was set up by cornerback Josh Lee's interception and 46-yard return.

As a wingback on offense, Grasty usually lines up behind tight end Chris Ruhl and blocks for quarterback Ken Cropper and halfbacks Ray Schreiner and Jim Shelinsky.

"It's my first year doing it," he said. "I enjoy it. I think I'm pretty good at blocking and sealing the edge for whoever gets the ball."

After Schreiner turned Lee's interception into a 1-yard touchdown run, Grasty hauled in a two-point conversion pass from Cropper to make it 17-0. Early in the fourth quarter, his 16-yard catch and run moved the ball to the Pennsbury 9-yard line.

Last season, Grasty, who played youth football for the Abington Raiders, earned first-team all-National Conference honors while helping lead the Ghosts to a 10-3 record and a three-way share of the league crown.

His uncle, Charles Grasty, starred in basketball at Abington from 1986 to '90 and later, after stops at Camden County Community College and Southwest Baptist University in Missouri, helped Rowan College advance to the NCAA Division III Final Four in 1995.