PLYMOUTH MTG.- With a fumble recovery on the onside kick to start the second half and a quick score from Council Rock South , many fans started worrying that the Knights would become the Philadelphia Eagles of high school football and blow a lead they had to start the half.
But North Penn did not. They remained disciplined and maintained a strong defense the entire game, and now they are once again, District 1 champs. Up next – a rematch with the rival LaSalle Exploreres with a trip to Hershey on the line.
“It’s big,” said senior quarterback Corey Ernst. “We started out 1-2 and now to be district one champs is huge.”
The 11th seeded North Penn Knights (11-2) pulled off the 34-14 win against top seeded Council Rock South (12-2) in a chilly Friday night at Plymouth Whitemarsh High School.
Senior Ralph Reeves carried the offense with 4 touchdowns, all coming within 5 yards of the end zone. Senior Dan Gevirtz also had a TD run to seal the deal for the Knights.
What really carried this team to victory, however, was the astounding play from the Knight’s defense. The defense allowed no first half points and recovered several key fumbles that opened the doors for North Penn to score.
“Like they say, defense wins championships, as was the case here,” said Reeves. “Its assignment football. Its about everyone being in the right place at the right time. Not biting on the little fakes. Its hard to run that offense on [our] type of defense.”
Head coach Dick Beck attributes the play from his defense to the maturity level the team has displayed since the end of the regular season.
“We have matured defensively,” said Beck. “The kid’s have gotten themselves in position. I think we are playing good team football up front. And that’s what I’m most proud about with their maturity level.”
After a 1-2 start, many people were starting to count North Penn out of the conference title picture, let alone any shot at a state title.
But now the Knights are district one champs and one win from playing a final game in Hershey for the state title.
“We have definitely [come together],” said Gevirtz. “We started out 1-2. We could have quit there. Then we played CB South, who is a great team, and we beat them pretty good and just rolled from there.”
“It’s about how we bounced back,” said Reeves. “How we did not listen [to any talk] and kept our heads up and kept working. We knew we could be the team that could be this point right now. We just had to keep our heads up and keep working.”
Following the game, the team huddled together as a team for some pictures and was awarded the conference title trophy. The trophy spurred many cheers and sporadic “knight time” chants. That moment is when it finally soaked in for the Knight’s that they were champions.
“It’s a great feeling. There’s nothing better, except trying to get to the next level,” said Reeves. “Our team really earned it. We worked hard. Our preparation was intense and we did our thing.
While Beck admits that it’s a good feeling to be kings of the conference, he does not want himself or the team to forget the real goal in sight.
“It feels great, but that’s not our ultimate goal. We’re trying to get to the state championship.”
North Penn is just one win shy of fulfilling their ultimate goal as they will take on La Salle Saturday at Noon at Northeast High School.
And Ernst could not be more excited.
“It will be a great game with a trip to Hershey on the line. I am really looking forward to it.”