TOWAMENCIN – In the 2020 football season, there is just one goal: win.

Coming off an 8-4 season and losing in the second round of the PIAA District 1 6A playoffs, the North Penn Knights are hungry for more. Although it is a shortened season due to COVID-19, the Knights are not letting that affect their preparation. The goal is to win, and first-year starting quarterback sophomore Ryan Zeltt is prepared to do whatever it takes to win the championship.

“Even though it is a 5 game season, we want to go undefeated. It would be great for our seniors to have their last season as an undefeated one, so hopefully, we can accomplish that and win the championship,” Zeltt said.

Due to the pandemic, teams were not allowed to have practice until mid-August. Usually, the football team starts workouts in July, with camps starting in August. The Knights lost almost a month of workouts, which would usually have a negative effect on the morale of the team, as well as the fitness and preparation of the team. However, this is not the case. Senior captain Cam McQueen wants the team to stay positive.

“We did have a shortened offseason, but I’ve just been telling everyone to stay positive. Stay positive, stay grateful that we have a season, and give 110%. We want to go 5-0 and win the championship, but we can’t do that unless everyone gives 110%,” McQueen said.

The players aren’t the only people who have high expectations for this season. Multiple sources across the state have the team as top five in the state, and the players are using that as motivation. However, they all know that with a shortened season, it is an extra challenge to prove that they belong in the top five.

“As a team, we were really excited to see that people thought of our team so highly. But we can’t let it get into our heads, we need to use it for motivation going forward,” senior captain Andrew Berry said.

The Knights open up their five-game season against the Neshaminy Redskins tonight at 7 pm. No away spectators will be allowed, but you can watch North Penn’s first game in the quest for the undefeated season on NPTV’s YouTube channel.