New kid on the block having big year with Knights
Reece Udinski stepped into a new offense and took over, guiding North Penn to another conference title
Image courtesy of The Intelligencer
NP’s Reece Udinski passes against Souderton in the Knights National Conference victory over the Indians this season.
TOWAMENCIN – The transition into a new school can be frightening, but coupled with assuming the role of starting quarterback makes it that much harder. This has been a reality for North Penn junior, Reece Udinski, who moved to North Penn from CB West this year. With the way he has been playing on the football field, it’s hard to tell this is his first run with North Penn.
After moving to North Penn, Udinski had to make friends with a team from which he had just acquired the starting job. At the same time, he specifically had to bond with his new offensive line.
“This was my first year with the players and I got to meet them in the offseason and work out with them, which helped me build a strong relationship. During the last month of school last year I used to drive forty minutes to North Penn just to practice the plays and get to know everybody better,” said Udinski.
He also needed to learn the new type of offense at North Penn, which differed from what he had been using at CB West.
“For the past two years I ran spread, but when I came to North Penn we mix it up and can run the ball more because we have a few great running backs … and we aren’t always losing in the games here like we were at my last school.” joked Udinski, who has 1887 passing yards, 18 TD’s & 5 INTs this season.
The Knights overall have had a great football regular season this year with an overall record of 8-2. They were also 7-0 in their conference and top twenty in the state. And now with the playoffs looming ahead, the team hopes to stay focused and keep winning.
“Every year we set a goal to win the conference and we won, so we’re satisfied and looking forward to the playoffs. There’s always room for some improvement and with the playoffs starting soon we need to be more disciplined and stay focused on winning and moving-on,” Udinski added.
Udinski had some advice for younger football hopefuls, who one day want to play high school football and continue having a successful football career in the future.
“Just have fun. Most kids now will complain about all the hard-work you have to constantly put in, or a mean coach, but in the end everybody who wants to be successful has to do that. It’s all about having fun and the more you enjoy being around your team, the more fun you will have,” said Udinski.