TOWAMENCIN- At the end of October, the Knights were forced to play their absolute best football to land a spot in the District 1 playoffs. After a rough season, they came together and did just that. 

KNIGHT TIME! Despite a season with its share of struggles, the #14 North Penn Knights have advanced to the PIAA District 1 Football Playoffs. They now head to face off against the #3 Pennsbury Falcons, in a rematch of the regular season in which the Knights (5-5) fell to the Falcons (9-1) 44-34. Here’s everything you need to know prior to the Knight’s playoff run.

North Penn Knights season recap:

The 2022 football season has had its many ups and downs, but the Knights persevered. During the first game of the season, they fell to the Lasalle Explorers 37-28. The following week, the Knights came out strong after a season-opening loss to cruise past Quakertown 49-7. Their third game was a close one vs. the Upper Dublin Cardinals. North Penn seemed to have secured another win when Amir Major scored a seven-yard touchdown run for a 28-17 lead with 2:13 remaining in the game, but with 29.5 seconds remaining, Upper Dublin scored a touchdown and completed the 2-point conversion attempt securing a 32-28 win. Week four ended in a thriller OT win against the Neshaminy Redskins. Mo Sgro scored the game-winning TD and the game finished with a final score of 35-28. To start their homecoming game, the Knights came out strong, but as the game progressed, they could not stop the CB West Bucks’ run game and lost 35-14. Coming off a tough homecoming game loss, the Knights bounced right back with a win over the CB South Titans 35-21. On Senior Night, there was no stopping Pennbury running back Galamama Mulbuh, and the Falcons run game; the Knights lost 44-34. With two games left in the regular season, winning out was the only way to make the postseason. North Penn did just that. They came out strong vs. the Pennridge Rams and won 42-6, and in the final game of the season, they clinched their playoff berth with a 38-21 win over the Abington Ghosts. 

Knight’s head coach Dick Beck reflected back on how the team worked together and ended the season with something to prove. 

“It was a great group of players to work with and we finished strong,” Beck said.

Next man up mentality:

Unfortunately for North Penn, key WR Yazeed “Zeed” Haynes is ineligible to play due to the PIAA transfer rule. The rule states, “any students who transfer after playing a sport in their 10th-grade year shall not be eligible to participate in the ensuing PIAA tournament in that sport. The student, if otherwise eligible, may participate in that sport only during the regular season.” This is a huge loss for the North Penn offense, as he had 55 catches, 1212 yards, and 13 TDs during the regular season. \

With a key player out, this is the opportunity for other players to step up and continue with the game plan. 

“We are gonna put the next players up there.. and continue to run with what we are running, “ Beck said.

Pennsbury Season recap:

From chumps to champs. The Pennsbury Falcons had quite the season turnaround. Going into this season, they lost 18 straight games dating back to 2019; now they are SOL National Conference Championships ending their three-year losing streak. Following a season-opening loss to Coatesville, the Falcons won 9 straight games to conclude their season with a 9-1 record. Much of their seasons’ success has come from their run game with players such as Nate Beighley, Shane McGurrin, Galamama Mullbauh, and Chamar Wade, to name a few. 

“Hungry Dogs Run Faster” 

When in the playoffs Beck explained that to him and the Knights’ they are starting off fresh and that they are proud to have made it to the postseason. Even though they are underdogs, they are going to give their all on the field. 

“I think that the team is excited for the opportunity… I told them they all start at 0-0 when the playoffs start… records don’t matter. We are just excited to be here as a team,” Beck explained. 

The Knights may be underdogs in this one, but they still have more to prove. As Philadelphia Eagles Center Jason Kelce once stated, “We’re all a bunch of underdogs and you know what underdogs is? It’s a hungry dog.“

The 3-seed Falcons will host the 14-seed Knights at 7 pm Friday at Pennsbury High School to begin the first round of the District 1 playoffs.