TOWAMENCIN- The Knights and the North Alleghany Tigers went head to head on Friday evening as they fought to progress in this weekend’s bracket for the Boys Water polo state title. Despite the stiff competition, the Knights made a comeback in the 4th quarter to defeat the North Allegheny Tigers with a final score of 8-6.

The two teams were neck and neck during the first half of the game, with goals from juniors Andrew Dunigan and Matt Franco to help the boys advance. The score stayed 4-4 until the second half.

“I’m proud of the guys for making a comeback and working together to win the game,” said Franco. “I’m excited to see how the next game goes.”

The team kept up by scoring goals from players like sophomore AJ Patterson whose score tied the game 6-6 in the 3rd quarter. The boys managed to score two more goals on North Allegheny’s goalie with a few minutes to spare while Zach Owen defended any possible shots that could’ve changed the score.

“The boys really came back in the second half, which was great,” shared coach Jason Grubb.

Despite the win, the boys still have areas that they could improve on.

“They need to work on pressing on defense, and following through with that,” Grubb stated.

The Knights continued to play hard and bring in a 15-10 win as they went against the Cathedral Prep Ramblers today. The score was 5-3 in the 2nd quarter with goals from Matt Franco (5:53), Andrew Dunigan (3:41) and AJ Patterson (1:24). Goalie Zach Owens was able to block a free shot at 5:23.

After a pep talk at halftime, the score quickly tied at 8-8, but another goal from Dunigan (1:45) helped the boys to advance and take control of the game again.

The final quarter of the game started with another tie at 9-9, but the Knights fired rapid shots at Cathedral prep’s goalie. Goals from Dunigan (6:24), Patterson (5:25), and Derek Friday (2:44) helped to bring the score to 12-10.

Sean Faikish and Dunigan helped to bring in three more goals as the quarter ended, allowing the North Penn Knights to advance to the next round of the tournament. The team will play against the Cumberland Valley Eagles this evening for the state title.