Versatile. That’s how North Penn high school football Head Coach Dick Beck describes his undefeated knights.
“A strength of our team would be our versatility,” Beck stated. “A lot of the kids can play many positions, and do many different things. We can run the ball, we can pass the ball, we can play power football, but we can also play finesse, running the ball. We’re good on special teams, we have a great kicker. We’re a pretty balanced team overall and we can do so many things, and that’s really the strength of the team.”
The offense has been a strength for the Knights (5-0) as they’ve scored at least 31 points in their last four games. North Penn has dominated on the defensive side of the ball as well, yielding only 10 points per game during their unbeaten run.
The Knight’s defense features senior veterans Aiden Eves and Christan Johns-Wallace, who Beck believes provide emotional and strategic leadership.
In addition to their offensive and defensive prowess, the knights have shown an ability to adapt to any situation that comes their way. Beck attributes the success in both areas to teamwork.
“I think the attitude of some of the parts are greater than the individual parts,” explained Beck. “I think we play better as a team than we do as individuals. This team has embraced the team aspect. Th at has really been the key to our success.”
Despite their strong start, Beck recognizes that there is always room for improvement.
“We need more consistency at the offensive line with running the ball on first and second down. Besides that, I think you can always have an improvement in all aspects. But I think the offensive line needs to continue to improve,” expressed Beck.
A final key to the Knight’s success has been the unwavering support from the students.
“The student section has been unbelievable this year. I think the kids feel it, the crowds have been amazing. We travel over the next five weeks, we have 4 away games. We have a big one against [Central Bucks] East this week, then [Central Bucks] South, so we’re hoping to get everybody to come and support us like they’ve been doing. Hopefully, that will give some energy to our guys,” stated Beck.