TOWAMENCIN- The North Penn Knights will take on the Central Bucks South Titans in an away game this Friday, to see who will take the driver’s seat in the SOL National Conference. So far in this season, both teams are 6-0, but in a few days, that won’t be the case anymore.
Winning 42-21 against CB East just last week, North Penn has dominated on the field all season long, and they’re ready to turn their vicious stares toward CB South this week.
“We haven’t won a league title in a couple of years, so we’re using that as motivation. It is obviously not just another game, and we’re not going to practice like it’s just another game. We’re going to kick it up and keep up the intensity,” North Penn Knights captain and wide receiver Aiden Eves said.
As the game approaches nearer, it can become pressuring to attain the win as this is such an important game. North Penn is aware that this outcome will determine if all their hard work these past few months will come to fruition.
“Coach Beck knows it’s a big game, and we know it’s a big game, so we’ve been really focused and locked in this week,” North Penn captain and kicker Ryan Bocklet stated.
Despite North Penn’s undefeated streak, CB South is also undefeated 6-0 and has played well in their season. North Penn, however, is not willing to let this psych them out or take their eyes off what really matters.
“We should welcome competition. If you shy away from competition, you can sit on the sideline. We want a challenge. That is what we work for and practice for every day. [The team] challenges each other, so we got to challenge ourselves against another great team,” Eves commented.
Although the throwdown against CB South is a highly anticipated matchup, it is more than that to the North Penn team. To them, it is also a revenge game from their 50-28 loss against CB South last season.
“We had two kids last year who got hurt, and their season was done for by CB South. Jackson Schurmann broke his ankle and Cole D’Ambrosio had a dislocation. We lost pretty badly. We definitely have a bad taste in our mouth, and we want to win this week more than any other week,” Eves stated.
Last year, North Penn ended their season with a 6-5 record. They have improved tremendously since last year, and they’re planning to stay on that upward grind until they reach the top.
“I think a lot of kids stepped up this year. Last year, we had a lot of inexperience especially late in the season, but we had so many returning starters this year in contrast from last year. Our quarterback, Matt Bucksar, has really stepped it up. I know how good Matt is, and Matt knows how good the rest of the team is. We really lean on that,” Eves said.
While leaning on their trust of each other, the Knights have been preparing for Friday’s game for many weeks now. One of their greatest strengths is their secure mentality and positive attitude.
“We’re just going to go in and do the same thing we’ve done all year. We’ve done a great job in the weight room during these past weeks, and we stay healthy. We’re confident in ourselves and our starters and even our backups. If everyone does their job, we’ll be successful,” Bocklet noted.
Because anyone with eyes can see how skillful both teams are, at the end of the day, it’s going to take more than just ability to win. What makes North Penn special is their overflowing passion to win and the forward attitude to do so.
“[Winning] would mean everything. We’ve been here since January. We’ve been putting in the hours. [It’s been] an unbelievable amount of time and effort spent by the whole team,” Bocklet declared.
The long awaited kickoff will take place at 7:30pm at the Central Bucks South Stadium.
“We’re just going to keep leaning on each other,” Eves concluded.