WEST LAWN- The North Penn boys’ water polo team defeated their number one rival, the top-seeded Wilson Bulldogs, 10-6 in the Pennsylvania State Water Polo League championship game at Roy G. Snyder Natatorium on Saturday.

Along with the state title, Coach Jason Grubb was named Coach of The Year, and seniors Zach Owens, Derek Friday, and Andrew Dunigan achieved First Team All State.

With all of the adrenaline in the packed natatorium, the team managed to stay level headed before their biggest game of the year.

“Honestly our team was really relaxed before the game,” senior Aidan Daly recalls. “We usually laugh and joke around until the game starts; then it’s go time.”

In the fourth quarter with the score tied 6-6, North Penn gained an advantage only 11 seconds in on a goal by senior Derek Friday. The second-seeded Knights dominated on the defensive end the rest of the way to win their first state championship since 2007. The team has finished second in each of the last three seasons.

As exciting as the win was for the team, it came with hard work and determination. With their second place finish from last season, the Knights started this season with an unstoppable drive for one title only: state champions.

“All season we have been training hard and working to come together and play as a team. We would watch film of our previous games pretty often and just try to focus on fundamentals,” said senior captain Andrew Dunigan, who helped to lead his team to victory.

Although individual performances  are important in every game played, a strong bond and communication are essential for any team seeking a win.

“Nobody on our team is worried about his individual performance,” said Dunigan. “Everyone is concerned with the team and how we do as a whole. And ultimately, this weekend we performed exceptionally well.”

“As a team, we played our best games this weekend,” agreed junior AJ Patterson. “We really worked together and showed our chemistry that we have had since we were kids.”

In a semi-final game against North Allegheny, the game became rough quickly.

“A lot of the guys got punched and kicked in some very undesirable places,” Daly said. “Andrew [Dunigan] broke his finger that game and played the rest of the tournament with it broken. That’s true grit!”

Daly was also able to achieve a personal goal in one of the roughest games this weekend.

“I scored a goal in the semi-final game against North Allegheny to tie the score, which made me personally really happy. To be able to score in a big game like that has been my dream since freshman year and to be able to do that against a team like NA made me very happy.”

So what helped the team to stay motivated throughout their final game? Support from their coach and teammates, of course.

“At halftime of the state final we were down,” Dunigan said, “but our spirits were truly lifted when our coach gave us an incredible half time speech.”

“Matt Franco and Jeff Faikish’s half time speech really put us in a good mind set,” added Patterson.

The team certainly agrees that there is nothing like bringing home  a victory in the state championship game.

“It is absolutely amazing to finish off my senior year as a state champion. It is a feeling that words cannot describe,” gushed Dunigan.

“Greatest feeling in the world,” said Patterson. “There’s nothing like representing your school and bringing home the trophy.”

“To be the runner up for the last three years, it means everything to me and the team. I think I speak for the entire senior class when I say that it was time to come out on top.” Daly said.