Super Bowl Big 33 Connection

The Super Bowl has had at least one Big 33 player every year. As reported on Easterpafootball.com, this year there will be 9. Big 33 streak continues for Super Bowl XLVI.

posted by Ed at 5:40 PM

At the AAA game

No, not me. Urban Meyer, according to Kyle Berger. First tweet: "Ohio State Head Coach Urban Meyer is here at Hersheypark Stadium to watch the AAA State title game between Archbishop Wood and McDevitt." Second tweet: "Presumably Meyer is here to woo McDevitt DE Noah Spence, the #1 DE prospect in the nation, who is currently undecided on his college." Kyle tweeted that Luke Fickell and Mike Vrabel are at the game, too.

BTW, Congratulations to Clairton on their 3rd straight A championship.

Labels: high school football, Pennsylvania High School Football, PIAA playoffs

posted by Ed at 6:31 PM

Playoffs under way

Southern Columbia and Clairton are underway, with the North Penn-Central Dauphin game as the finale tomorrow knight at 6 PM. The Reporter has a nice write-up about the 2003 North Penn State Champs who are now with the team as coaches, Zack Raffle and Jim Laky. Kevin Brandt talks about the Knights' resurgence after a 1-2 start and how the team has come together in NP's Brandt anxious for state final test. Easternpafootball.com has a championship preview of the 2011 North Penn Knights and a championship preview of the Central Dauphin Rams.

Labels: North Penn football, North Penn Knights, Pennsylvania High School Football, PIAA playoffs

posted by Ed at 1:42 PM

Going to Hershey!

North Penn 21 - LaSalle College High School 14

I never got to post a preview of the game, but I'm going to at least link to everything I can find on the review of the game. Inspired second half send Knights into finals describes the North Penn miscues in the first half and the defensive dominance the Knights had over the Explorers in the second half. A nice write-up and all the stats are in North Penn earns trip to state championship by Todd Thorpe in the Intel. La Salle’s injured Coleman put best foot forward in loss describes Sean Coleman's incredible effort to overcome injury and not only play, but contribute. In NORTH PENN FOOTBALL: Beck’s decisions keep working out for Knights, Christriaan DeFranco describes Dick Beck's all out strategy and how this time it paid off.

More stories:
North Penn's Fielder feels "lucky" to be back in lineup
North Penn solves La Salle, wins semifinal
Reeves' Hat Trick Sends Knights to Title Bout
'HOW SWEET IT IS!': Knights headed to Chocolatetown USA
PIAA football roundup: CD Rams get North Penn in Quad-A final
North Penn buries its demons
And their next opponent coach: Coaching peers applaud Central Dauphin's Glen McNamee

Labels: high school football, North Penn football, Pennsylvania High School Football, PIAA playoffs

posted by Edward at 6:25 PM

North Penn 34 - Council Rock South 14

Kev Hunter describes the Knights' win in North Penn Rolls C.B. South. Led by 4 touchdowns from Ralph Reeves, the Knights finished off the Golden Hawks for their second straight District 1 title. This sets up the Knights for round 4 with the LaSalle College High School Explorers with a trip to Hershey on the line.

While the consensus will be that LaSalle is the superior team, the North Penn Knights will leave nothing on the field in their quest to get back to Hershey. The North Penn pass defense will have to provide the best performance of the last 2 years if they want to win. North Penn has certainly been of the losing side when they were favored. Ralph Reeves was their when they lost to Liberty in 2008 and Ridley in 2009. They came awfully close last year. If Corey Ernst's last pass had been complete, the Knights would have been in position to go to Hershey. That's all in the past now, and it comes down to Saturday's game at Northeast High School.

Labels: North Penn football, Pennsylvania High School Football, PIAA football, PIAA playoffs

posted by Ed at 1:40 PM

North Penn-Council Rock South Preview

I feel compelled to link to the easternpafootball.com preview of tomorrow night's game. I particularly liked Armand Vanore's questions, which I will attempt to answer/predict.

Will the Knight defensive front be able to maintain their gap integrity vs. the Hawks triple option attack? Yes, the Knights have always focused on this and the defensive linemen are chosen for speed, strength and technique. This will allow them to succeed in filling the gaps.
Will heavyweights Smink and Garland be able to wear down the Hawks defensive front if they have a lead in the fourth quarter? Maybe, maybe not. If not, the Knights will go to traps and screens to free up Mayfield and Gevirtz in space.
Will Bedesem roll the dice and have Donnelly throw more in this game? Yes, and North Penn will be prepared, leading to stalled drives and turnovers.
Will Ernst look more to his TE (Reeves) in the second half? Only if necessary.
Will the Knights be able to avoid the turnovers that have plagued them in their previous four losses over the last two years? Probably not, but it will not be a factor, just like it wasn't a factor when Gevirtz muffed the punt against Neshaminy.

In this Suburban One heavyweight bout, it will all come down to execution. Everyone already knows what the game plans will be. North Penn's extensive playoff experience will give them an edge in taking advantage of any mistakes by Council Rock South.

Labels: District 1 AAAA playoffs, North Penn football, Pennsylvania High School Football, PIAA football

posted by Ed at 10:05 AM

As the District 1 Final approaches

Kev Hunter says Top-seeded CR South a tough opponent for NP in finals in the Intel. He goes through a lot of comparisons, but it seems like the defense that steps up could determine the outcome of the game. Both offenses have been prolific in the playoffs and both defenses stingy. If either the Golden Hawks or the Knights can manage to lock down the other teams offense, that could determine the game. Chris Felton seems to agree in Inside Football Week 14. He summarizes, " I think it’s going to come down to discipline and execution. You have two systems. North Penn is a little more diverse. They can throw the ball, and they can run the ball very well. Council Rock South is the triple option, and they’re not going to pretend that they’re not. Everybody in the stadium that follows both of these teams and knows anything about District One football knows what Council Rock South is going to be running. That includes obviously North Penn, so it’s going to come down to execution for Council Rock South.

At the end of the day, just like in any other big-time playoff football game, it’s also going to come down to defense. North Penn is going to have to prove they can stop the triple option, and because of the numbers they sometimes put up, Coucil Rock South’s defense is sometimes overshadowed. I think it’s one of the top defenses in the area.

Again, it’s going to come down to execution and defense."

Football Fever Week 14 interviews the coaches of some common opponents. Neshaminy's Mark Schmidt and CB South's Dave Rackovan both foresee a close game. Pennridge's Randy Cuthbert thinks that North Penn has the edge. Finally, Christiaan DeFranco reviews the North Penn Knights football program in North Penn's Beck one of the best in the biz. As DeFranco notes, Coach Beck's program revolves around his system and getting the most out of his players in the system. With a few exceptions, this leads to great teams without focusing on star players. Certainly, the "skill position" players stand out because they score points. The defensive players in Dick Beck's system are often overlooked, in large part because they don't throw up big numbers in tackles or interceptions. They usually aren't on the field enough to get to big numbers. By the middle of the 3rd quarter they are often on the bench giving other players an opportunity to hone their game skills. The end result has been a North Penn football team that consistently been among the best high school AAAA football teams in the state.

Labels: District 1 AAAA playoffs, North Penn football, Pennsylvania High School Football, PIAA football

posted by Ed at 11:06 AM

Just three from District 1 still left in PIAA tourney

Don Seeley gives a good summary of the playoff situation in District 1 and lists the remaining teams from around the state in the Pottstown Mercury. Seeley also summarizes North Penn's success in the post season over the last 10 years. He points out that the Knights have only missed the District 1 final once since 2002, in 2007 when they lost to Neshaminy during the regular season and then again in the play-offs. On Friday night, North Penn will be going for its sixth District 1 AAAA title in the last 10 years.

Labels: District 1 AAAA playoffs, North Penn football, PIAA football

posted by Edward at 8:36 AM

Intelligencer Athlete of the Week - Dan Gevirtz

Dan certainly deserves this after the way he has stepped up his game in the playoffs. He hasn't been perfect, but he hasn't let anything stop him, either.

Labels: high school football, North Penn football

posted by Ed at 8:42 AM

Kyle Berger (@bergerkg) tweeted that the 4 sites under consideration for NP-CRS are Tennent, Souderton, H-H, or P-W.

Kevin Cooney (@KevinCooney) and TJ Smink (@tsmink77) just tweeted PW at 7:30 on Friday. TJ was told by Coach Beck.

Labels: District 1 AAAA playoffs, North Penn football, North Penn Knights, PIAA football

posted by Ed at 1:28 PM

North Penn 27 - Pennsbury 3

Pennsbury's size didn't slow down the Knights. Dan Gevirtz continued in his role as a difference maker in the playoffs scoring touchdowns on the ground, in the air and on a punt return. James Fielder got to extend his North Penn career, adding 25 of the Knight's 155 rushing yards. The defense is making the 2011 Knights the playoff juggernaut that they are. Dick Beck was quoted in the Intell's Knights roll into District Final, "Our defense is playing maybe better than any defense I’ve ever had. They have really come together and really have it going.”

Other articles about North Penn's win over Pennsbury:
Plenty of heroes for North Penn
North Penn gets in the holiday spirit

Next up for the Knights, the Golden Hawks of Council Rock South. CR South came in as the number one seed in the District 1 AAAA football playoffs. They advanced to the final with a win over Garnet Valley. The game is scheduled for Friday night at 7 PM, but, as usual, the site is the subject of speculation. Plymouth-Whitemarch seems to be the leader in the rumor mill. I'm not sure if William Tennant would be available. Some have proposed War Memorial in Doylestown, but they always winterize before Thanksgiving. Hopefully, the two teams won't be forced to make the long trip to Coatesville.

Labels: District 1 AAAA playoffs, high school football, North Penn football, Pennsylvania High School Football, PIAA football

posted by Ed at 11:16 AM

North Penn-Pennsbury Preview

I wasn't going to post anything before the game, but Kevin Cooney did a really good job in The Run To The Playoffs. Most of the things I read focused on the size of Pennsbury's offensive line. The Knights under Dick Beck have successfully dealt with this numerous times before. North Penn starters don't get their jobs because of their size. They get to start because they are fast, strong and smart.

The game is still likely to be a fight in the trenches. As Kevin rightly points out, "For all the talk of these spread offensive attacks that go five wide receivers deep and throw it around the yard, it is generally the "smack-you-in-the-face" attacks that win at this time of year." This is something I've been saying for years. It goes along with my observation that Florida and Texas High School Football have great athletes playing at a superior level, but they don't generally play in 20 degree (or colder) weather. Granted, Accuweather is predicting high 40's for game time tonight. I remember a North Penn-Downingtown West game the day after Thanksgiving 3 years ago where I couldn't feel my legs when I got up at half time. But I digress.

Kevin points out that this is another "no surprises" game where two teams will line up and try to outplay each other. And to highlight another of my recurring themes, Kevin sums things up: "The winner will be the team that executes the best."

Labels: District 1 AAAA playoffs, Pennsylvania High School Football, PIAA football

posted by Ed at 4:55 PM

Knight dominance of Redskins continues

I finally got to see the 2011 North Penn Knights in person on Friday night and they put on quite a performance. The Knights defense held Neshaminy in check all night, allowing a single touchdown and less than 125 yards total offense. Dan Gevirtz continued his playoff break-out with over 200 total yards, and both he and Kyle Mayfield broke the century mark on the ground. Kev Hunter's North Penn defense devastates Neshaminy provides a good summary of the game. Some other game summaries:

The Intel: North Penn defense smothers Neshaminy
Times-Herald: North Penn shuts down Neshaminy
The Reporter: North Penn's defense always on attack
Levittown Patch: Neshaminy Football Season Ends With Loss To North Penn

The Times-Herald had a nice write-up on Ralph Reeves by Dennis C. Way in Reeves epitomizes North Penn football. The article correctly points out that Ralph is a prototypical North Penn stand-out. He has captured 2 District Titles with the Knights and has been on the field for every game of the Knights' 28 game streak in the Suburban One Continental Conference. I'm pretty sure he is the 2nd four year starter (after Temple's Brandon McManus) for the Dick Beck coached Knights. It would be a nice ending for his high school career if he got to play in Hershey.

The Knights will face Pennsbury Friday night at Crawford Stadium. Pennsbury has played extremely well all season with a huge offensive line pushing the traditional SOL ground and pound. Dick Beck should be ready for this. As Kev Hunter notes in Pennsbury brings offense into matchup with NP, Dick Beck is 6-0 against Pennsbury. The Knights have tended to offset size with speed and technique. Friday night should be a good test of the Knight's defense to see if they have what it takes to get to Hershey.

Labels: District 1 AAAA playoffs, high school football, North Penn football, PIAA football

posted by Ed at 3:54 PM

Underdogs Move On

PIAA District 1 AAAA football playoffs - 6 of 8 teams from the bottom half of the 16 team bracket move on to week 2. Easterpafootball.com published the updated playoff bracket. Council Rock South and Garnet Valley were the only higher seeded teams to move on. Contrary to Rick O'Brien's predictions. Rick and others still see North Penn as the favorite in the field. Here is the pre-game rundown of all the matchups. And another pre-game view of the West Chester teams (both lost).

North Penn upends Rustin: Scott Huff summarizes the game.
North Penn knocks out Bayard Rustin in first round of playoffs - Kev Hunter gives his report in the Times-Herald.
North Penn’s Gevirtz deemed ‘best-kept secret’ - Dennis Way lets us in on the "secret" that Dan Gevirtz is one heck of a football player. (Nice video, Dan).
Neshaminy gets another game with North Penn - by shutting out #2 seed Unionville.

Suburban One rises to the top.

and a blast from the past - this blog entry shows the high expectations for North Penn 2 years ago, just before losing to Ridley in the District 1 final.

posted by Ed at 6:21 PM

Final District 1 AAAA Football Playoff Seedings

After Episcopal Academy & Methacton both won, the D1 seedings are:

16 – Upper Dublin
15 – Pennsbury
14 – Neshaminy
13 – CB South
12 - Ridley
11 – North Penn
10 - Coatesville
9 – Downingtown East
8 – WC Henderson
7 – Spring-Ford
6 – West Chester - Rustin
5 – Garnet Valley
4 – Plymouth-Whitemarsh
3 – Unionville
2 - Abington
1 – Council Rock South

Inter-conference replays: Pennsbury at Abington, Ridley at Garnet Valley, Downingtown East at Henderson. The higher seeded (home) team won the first game in all 3 cases.

Labels: District 1 AAAA playoffs, high school football, Pennsylvania High School Football, PIAA football

posted by Ed at 2:03 PM

North Penn 27 - Pennridge 0

While the football playoff picture is exciting, let's not overlook that the North Penn Knights have run off 28 straight victories in the Suburban One League Continental Conference since the league reorganization in 2008. The Lansdale Reporter's North Penn tops Pennridge to wrap up Continental documents their dominance of Pennridge last night - no first downs for the Rams in the 2nd quarter, no completed passes for Rams QB Alex Krivda. Due to a shoulder injury to Corey Ernst, North Penn may need to rely on their defense next Friday against Bayard Rustin.

Congratulations to the Knights for their leaque championship and good luck in the playoffs.

Labels: high school football, North Penn, North Penn football, PIAA

posted by Ed at 9:36 AM

District 1 AAAA Football Playoff Bracket

Kyle Berger has made his predictions on WNPV.
16 – Upper Dublin
15 – Pennsbury
14 – Neshaminy
13 – CB South
12 - Ridley
11 – North Penn
10 - Coatesville
9 – Downingtown East
8 – WC Henderson
7 – Spring-Ford
6 – West Chester - Rustin
5 – Plymouth-Whitemarsh
4 – Garnet Valley
3 – Unionville
2 - Abington
1 – Council Rock South
These results are dependent on GA-Episcopal (UD gets points from a GA win and could move up to the 14 seed) and Methacton-Pottstown (PW gets points from a Methacton win and could move up to the 4 seed). Half the bracket is from Suburban One. 5 teams are from Ches-Mont.

Labels: District 1 AAAA playoffs, high school football, Pennsylvania High School Football, PIAA football

posted by Ed at 12:15 AM

As the regular season ends

Rod Frisco's Week 10 rankings (before tonight's games). Not sure I agree with everything, but there they are. Kevin Cooney whines about playoff points in What's the Point? While it is easy to complain about an arbitrary system, how would you set up the selection committtee? The last place team in every league sends their coach to determine seedings?

Eastern PA Foootball's Week 10 Master Schedule.

Can CB South make a splash in the PIAA District 1 AAAA football playoffs? Kevin Cooney seems to think so. It only goes so far, though. See Avon Grove in 2009. But with a lot of luck and great matchups, the Titan's spread offense might get them to the District semi-finals. Not sure how the spread will work when the ground freezes. Ground and pound seems to work much better.

Here are some Delco games to watch. Garnett Valley should get a high seed when they beat Haverford Twp. HS tonight, but I'm not sure how much help it will be in week 2 of the playoffs. Springfield can end on a positive going into the AAA playoffs with a defeat of Marple Newtown.

So have a great time at the games tonight and listen to Kyle Berger on 1440 WNPV for the AAAA playoff seedings at 10 tonight.

Labels: high school football, Pennsylvania High School Football

posted by Edward at 6:18 PM

In Two Big Games in District 1 AAAA Rick O'Brien takes the insipid stance that both Downingtown East and Pennsbury win. A Pennsbury win I can understand; if they were playing at Heartbreak Ridge, I would say the game was Neshaminy hands down, but the game is in Fairless Hills. Mark Schmidt may be able to get the Redskins to pull out the win and get into the playoffs, though. Not that Neshaminy has shown the ability to play with the big boys this year, and their prize for a win would be a re-match with Council Rock South. CR South crushed Neshaminy in the first game. Downingtown East, however, has to go to West Chester and beat a Henderson team that takes sole possession of the league title with a win. By my calculation, a Henderson win would vault them to the 8th seed and result in a rematch with East the next week. This would be the most interesting finish to alter the District 1 AAAA bracket. For this reason alone, I am picking Henderson.

Labels: District 1 AAAA playoffs, football, high school football, PIAA football

posted by Ed at 11:25 AM

The Playoffs are coming!

Some completely unsupported thoughts about the PIAA District 1 AAAA Football playoffs coming up. North Penn continues to dominate the Suburban 1 Continental, winning their 27th straight regular season contest. The last time the Knights lost to a Continental rival was Week 10 of 2007, losing to Central Bucks South - before the SOL re-org. North Penn & CB South were in the SOL National Conference then. The last time North Penn lost to a Suburban One team at all was to Neshaminy in the 2007 playoffs.

I'm not familiar enough with potential rivals to say if anyone matches up well against North Penn, but if I were at the top of the bracket, I would worry that North Penn climbs to the #9 seed with a win on Friday against Pennridge and would then be visiting me the 2nd week. @bergerkg thinks that the Knights end up as the 10 seed with a trip to Chester County for the first round. While the Knights have had their issues with trips to Chesco over the last few years, I think they could take Rustin (@bergerkg's pick for the 7 seed). Although, as mentioned previously, a North Penn-PW match-up to see the master (Dick Beck) vs. the student (Dan Chang) would be a game I would like to see. Either way, I think PW's return to the playoffs is short-lived. I would expect North Penn, Pennsbury and Ridley to make it out of the lower half of the bracket into the 2nd week.

posted by Edward at 9:08 AM

Experience Matters

The North Penn Knights are now 6-2 after trouncing Souderton last Friday for their 26th straight Suburban One Continental victory. Depending on how other teams do in the next 2 weeks, they are going to end up right in the middle of the playoff seedings. It is not inconceivable that they will play the #1 seed in the second week. What would be realy interesting would be if PW somehow ends up with the 1 seed and the Knights have to travel down to Plymouth Meeting on November 18. Would the student, Dan Chang, be able to best the master, Dick Beck? I don't think anyone in District 1 AAAA wants to play North Penn right now. They Knights expect to get far into the play-offs. I'm sure they would relish a chance to meet LaSalle or St. Joe's Prep again in the Eastern final. (Just don't let Coach Beck hear you talking about that.)

Kevin Cooney expounds on the District 1 AAAA playoff picture in Let's Talk Football - Week 9.

posted by Ed at 6:58 AM

North Penn update

The Knights pasted Quakertown last Friday, 35-0. All the reports say it was an old-fashioned, Suburban One straight out run over the defense. North Penn keeps in simple in win over Quakertown As Kevin Cooney put it in the Courier-Times, "The straightest point to the end zone for the Knights on Friday night was a straight line right through the Quakertown defense." After which he highlighted that the North Penn offense put up nearly 500 all-purpose yards. Meanwhile, Souderton was in a shoot-out with CB South, prevailing 44-42. Souderton outlast CB South in wild one.

This was all in preparation for this weeks showdown at Crawford Stadium. The SOL featured game this week will prove whether Souderton has advanced far enough to play with the big boys or whether North Penn will continue dominance of the SOL Continental Division.

posted by Ed at 7:35 PM

North Penn moves to 4-2 with a convincing (on the scoreboard at least) 40-14 win over CB West, completing the CB sweep for 2011. The Intel's story is North Penn runs away from CB West.

posted by Edward at 5:35 PM

Well, the Knights still haven't figured out the Explorers. 3 straight losses to LaSalle College High School show that North Penn still has work to do. Tonight's game against Lansdale Catholic has been postponed until Saturday at Souderton. In The Reporter, Mike Cabrey lays the groundwork for the meeting of the two 0-1 teams. It seems unlikely that the Knights will fail to get back on track with a win in this contest. Sunday will be the 10th anniversary of the death of the last quarterback to lead LC over North Penn. Noell Maerz was killed in the World Trade Center in 2001. He was a 1990 LC graduate. Brian Bingaman wrote a nice article in the Pottstown Mercury - 9/11 TEN YEARS LATER: Foundation in name of victim continues to help others. Rod Frisco has his Week 1 rankings up: 1. Pittsburgh Central Catholic (7) 1-0 1 W Archbishop Wood 20-17 Next up: Bethel Park (7) 1-0 NR W Kiski Area 42-14 2. La Salle College HS (12) 1-0 7 W North Penn 44-27 Next up: Bergen Catholic (NJ) 0-0 NR First game of 2011 season 3. Upper St. Clair (7) 1-0 4 W Shaler 49-0 Next up: Norwin (7) 0-1 NR L Seneca Valley 47-0 4. Neshaminy (1) 1-0 3 W Souderton 20-13 Next up: Hatboro-Horsham (1) 1-0 NR W Frankford 27-26 5. North Penn (1) 0-1 2 L La Salle College HS 44-27 Next up: Lansdale Catholic (12) 0-1 NR L Perkiomen Valley 27-26 6. Liberty (11) 1-0 5 W Glen Mills 35-21 Next up: Northampton (11) 0-1 NR L Stroudsburg 24-12 7. Downingtown East (1) 1-0 10 W Allentown CC 62-41 Next up: Bayard Rustin (1) 1-0 NR W Penncrest 21-0 8. McDowell (10) 1-0 6 W Cathedral Prep 25-20 Next up: Baldwin (7) 1-0 NR W Fox Chapel 35-10 9. North Allegheny (7) 1-0 8 W State College 53-21 Next up: Butler (7) 1-0 NR W New Castle 24-14 10. Cumberland Valley (3) 1-0 9 W Red Lion 35-6 Next up: Central York (3) 1-0 NR W West York 13-7 Calpreps has the Knights as the 7th best AAAA team in PA.
posted by Ed at 5:31 PM

One Week to Camp

North Penn's Trevell Moxey will be jumping for the Manhattan College Jaspers next year. Joshua Funk predicts Neshaminy will take the District 1 AAAA football championship this fall (among others). He correctly predicted North Penn would take District 1 in 2010.

posted by Edward at 5:25 PM

Mythical High School Football

The Dillon Panthers have walked off into the sunset, with Eric Taylor ending up as a PIAA District 12 coach. While his school was called Pemberton, it was really Frankford Stadium - Frankford Stadium graces Friday Night Lights. Here is the google map street view of Rutland Street from the article:

posted by Edward at 7:32 AM

Brandon Mercer takes 100 meter silver

North Penn's Brandon Mercer's 10.95 seconds took second to Norristown's Tyler Smith at 10.87 in the PIAA 100 meter final. Brandon was always a quick, tough kid (he had to be tough to play football at his size). He got knocked around a little bit, but had a nice finish to his high school athletic career. It's good to see he is going on to football and track at East Stroudsburg.

posted by Ed at 8:25 AM

Tornadoes and former Knights

Since I haven't been posting, the recent blogger outages haven't affected me. Pro Football Talk had an entry Javier Arenas haunted by Tuscaloosa tornado that linked to Lars Anderson's Terror, Tragedy And Hope In Tuscaloosa. This is an incredibly compelling article, and if by some chance you are reading this blog, you should take the time to click the link and read the article.

In more local to Pennsylvania & Lansdale news, Jason Vollmar, North Penn '07, was honored by the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame for his scholarship. (He received the award for the highest GPA on the North Penn team after the 2006 season). Jay started at guard for Bucknell as a junior and played center last fall as a senior (while posting a 4.0 for the semester).

posted by Ed at 6:48 PM

Dom Taggart was featured in the Intel's All-Area team.

Justina McIntyre talked to North Penn students about prescription drug abuse to help others make better choices than the one that killed her son Ronnie Powell. Ronnie was a stand out football player at Souderton who went on to Tennessee State before his death.
posted by Ed at 6:51 PM

Changes - NOT

Saw a blog post about starting football a week earlier in August so that the PIAA championships are not the week before Christmas. It just won't happen. You can pick your villain, whether it's eastern teams not wanting to open up the school earlier or WPIAL insisting on championship day at Heinz Field, but it comes down to finding an acceptable compromise. It hasn't happened yet.

BTW, the reason for the east not wanting to start early isn't that the football players are working at the shore. They are all home lifting weights, conditioning and learning plays. Many of their fellow students are at the shore, however, and in Districts 1 and 12 the first game is already before school starts. Having 2 games before the traditional start of school after Labor Day just isn't going to fly with the school boards and administrations in the 5 southeastern counties.

I would suggest that D1 and D12 play a 9 game season and let everyone else start a week earlier and play 10. Then you could finish the championships 2 weeks before Christmas.
posted by Ed at 1:48 PM

5 Second Wrap-up:

North Penn lost to LaSalle.

LaSalle lost to North Allegheny.

AAAA football champ is back in Western PA.
posted by Ed at 12:37 PM

A little more:

Rod Frisco's Predictions
Dave Jackson excels at D Tackle
DEFRANCO: North Penn's early loss to LaSalle a blessing in disguise

Plus - Former Knight Kevin Uhll at Delaware.

posted by Ed at 11:09 PM

2010 AAAA Football Eastern Final

My thoughts: LaSalle is the defending state champ and has already beaten North Penn in Week 1. They have played very well and showed a lot of poise and persistence in come from behind wins. North Penn hasn't lost since Week 1 and seems to play better every week, culminating in applying the "Mercy Rule" to Neshaminy in the District 1 final last week. I think that each team will score at least 2 touchdowns, but I wouldn't be surprised at any outcome in this game, including a blowout by either team or multiple overtimes to determine the who goes to Hershey. (I think an overtime game is the only thing that could prevent one of these teams from winning the AAAA championship on 12/18).

Others' thoughts:
Kev Hunter in the Reporter - Explorers are up next for North Penn
Joe Stokes - Playoff survivors can smell the chocolate
Scott Huff on SuburbanOneSports.com - 2010 Eastern Final Preview: North Penn Vs. La Salle
The Philadelphia Eagles' Sean McDermott is pulling for his alma mater: McDermott pulling for Explorers

Now, some complaints. The only acceptable field in District 1 is the Explorers home field? How is that right? And why are they playing Saturday afternoon? This is the first time the Knights have faced another team during the day since their scrimmage against Don Bosco prep on August 27. I'm pretty sure it's the first day game they have played since the 2008 Eastern Final. It's the sixth day game that LaSalle has played this year. It's almost like District 1 doesn't want to send a team to Hershey.

Thinking about it, this game might come down to the coin toss. In that scenario, if the Knights can receive the 2nd half kick-off, and they can put together a touchdown drive to open the 2nd half of the game, it could be what they need to position themselves to win the game. The bottom line, like most football games, this one will come down to game plan and execution. And in this game, it may be execution more than anything. Protect the ball, stay in your lane, make your checks, do more things right than the other team, and you will be going to Hershey.

posted by Ed at 10:36 PM

District 1 Final

Links to articles:
The Trentonian: HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL: Neshaminy takes on North Penn with the District Title on the line
The Times Herals: Knights, ’Skins playoff foes 5th time in 7 years
The Reporter: H.S. FOOTBALL: Redskins present a tough challenge for NP
The Inquirer: A closer look at North Penn-Neshaminy football game
Intel/Courier Times: Let's Talk Football Week 14
Suburban One Sports: Knights Boast Triple Threat At Wide Receiver
Suburban One Sports: Redskins' Offensive Line Quietly Delivers
Suburban One Sports: 2010 District One Class AAAA Final Preview

Somewhere in there North Penn Knights Coach Dick Beck sums it up best, "It comes down to North Penn speed vs. Neshaminy power."

posted by Ed at 1:02 PM

Some articles about North Penn's 28-14 victory over Council Rock South:

The Intel: Focus helped push North Penn into District One final against Neshaminy
The Reporter: District 1-AAAA Football Knights get points for patience
The Reporter: Ernst-to-Wendowski delivers for North Penn - Gerard had a great game on Friday. At least 6 of his 7 catches were for first downs or a touchdown. He has become the Cris Carter of the North Penn Knights.
The Inquirer: North Penn ousts Council Rock South, 28-14 - Rick O'Brien credits Wendowski with 8 catches for 89 yards.
The Reporter: DISTRICT 1-AAAA FOOTBALL: North Penn routs CR South: The Reporter gives Wendowski 7 catches for 76 yards.

And Shayne Watson will be out of the game against Neshaminy this Friday. Hopefully, he will be back on December 10 for the AAAA State Semi-final game.

posted by Ed at 10:24 AM

North Penn is poised to win their playoff game against Council Rock South. Corey Ernst got the single season record for touchdown passes, going one ahead of Todd Smolinsky from last year. Gerard Wendowski had a monster game, with 6 or 8 catches and a touchdown. Shayne Watson was ejected for fighting; he will be out next week, too.

Looks like the final score will be North Penn 28 - Council Rock 14.
posted by Ed at 8:54 PM

A memorable weekend for local football
Needhammer honored on Andy Reid show
Rod Frisco Rankings - Week 13 - is it really fair for Easton to play Thursday, Saturday and maybe Friday, 12/3 while LaSalle gets to rest until then?
posted by Ed at 2:12 PM

North Penn - Downingtown East Recaps

But will start with Rick O'Brien's preview - Not as close as Rick though
and the Pottstown Mercury preview, Expectation remain high for North Penn
A Dark Knight - Daily Local recap of the Cougar's efforts to get back in the game.
Inquirer coverage of the game
The Reporter - No Contest for North Penn
The Reporter - with Photo and Video goodness - Dick Beck, "Another Thanksgiving we got practice, that's all we wanted."

posted by Ed at 5:29 PM

North Penn 49 - Downingtown East 33

posted by Ed at 1:20 PM

Some last minute Week 12 links

Dom & Kevin's week 11 review
Eastern PA Football is on Twitter Friday Nights
Twitter link

posted by Ed at 6:41 PM

Links wtih Blurbs

From last week & earlier
Downingtown East vs. OJ Roberts

A write-up on Mike Pettine, Sr & Jr - From the Shadows to the Spotlight
Ridley and the Hendersons - Ridley suffers stunning upset to W.C. Henderson
Let the kids play and quit complaining - rarity makes a thing more valuable - Lopsided scores raise questions about playoffs
Go Brandon -N P's Mercer A Versatile Contributor
Matt Donovan deserves the acoolades - Versatile Matt Donovan does it all at North Penn
Sums it up nicely (take THAT Reading Eagle) - High school football is postseason done right

Preview for Friday
Suburban One Sports - 2010 SOL District FB Preview (Second Round)
Bracket - PIAA District One AAAA Football Bracket - Updated
My picks - Henderson, Neshaminy, CR South & North Penn.
WNPV Preview

posted by Ed at 4:52 PM

WNPV Overtime for Friday, November 12, 2010

posted by Ed at 1:16 PM

Playoffs - Round 1

Friday night scores with video of Council Rock - Souderton and North Penn - Penn Wood in the Reporter. The D1 AAAA winners are Council Rock South, North Penn, Neshaminy, Henderson, CB West, Rustin, Downingtown East & Abington. I was 7-1. Rick O'Brien was 4-4. Rod Frisco was 4-3. The consensus at WNPV was 5-3. Dan Morehouse and Daryl Dobos were both 6-2.

Over the last couple of years, Suburban One has been down a little bit; Ches-Mont has been on the rise. This year, the field is down to 5 Suburban One teams and 3 Ches-Mont teams. At least one Ches-Mont team will remain since Henderson and Rustin play each other on Friday.

posted by Ed at 8:00 AM

The Road to Hershey

Play-offs start tonight. Sixteen AAAA football teams in District 1 will be playing to take another step toward Hershey on December 18. I posted my picks for D1 AAAA a few days ago. Rick O'Brien of the Inquirer posted his picks on Wednesday, looking for Ridley, North Penn, Neshaminy, Downingtown East, Coatesville, Rustin, Cheltenham and Souderton to advance. I question picking Cheltenham - SOL American teams always seem to have a tough time in the play-offs. Souderton over Rock South is a tempting pick, but I think CR South will step up and win - at least this week.

Suburbanonesports.com predicted the outcome of the games involving SOL teams. Rod Frisco gives his playoff predictions around the state. For D1 he picks Ridley, North Penn, Neshaminy, Rustin, Abington, OJ Roberts & Coatesville - no word on Souderton-CR South. WNPV has posted their picks, too.

posted by Ed at 5:47 PM

Beware of being the favorite! Josh Funk annoints LaSalle as the AAAA champion.
posted by Ed at 7:00 AM

WNPV has a final 2010 District 1 AAAA football bracket up. Roman beat the Prep last night, so North Penn is seeded #3. My picks are Ridley, Rustin, Neshaminy, Abington, North Penn, Downingtown East, CB West, and CR South. It doesn't seem like enough upsets for District 1, but there it is.
posted by Ed at 12:47 PM

North Penn 41 - Pennridge 8

As Kevin Cooney notes in the Intel's Knights roll past Rams to tune up for postseason, North Penn has won 24 straight SOL Continental Division contests since the Suburban One realignment in 2008. Cooney also describes how the Knights are "kicking on all cylinders." Of course, before week 10, Joe Santoloquito was saying the same thing about Ridley in Ridley peaking at the right time. Then Ridley squeaked out a 14-7 win on Friday against 5-5 Upper Darby (with only 2 wins against AAAA teams). Not that it matters. Ridley is still the #1 seed. North Penn will be 2 or 3 depending on the outcome of the St. Joe's Prep-Roman Catholic game tonight. Rick O'Brien is picking Roman to win, despite the Prep's 31-15 win 2 weeks ago).

Of course, neither O'Brien or Santoliquito has struck me as having particularly good insight into the southeastern PA high school football psyche. Perhaps I appreciate Kyle Berger's SOL perspective more than O'Brien's Philadelphia and Santoloquito's Delco perspectives. Kyle provides his District 1 bracket on wnpv1440.com. Berger seems to be leaning toward a Prep win tonight putting North Penn in the playoffs as the #2 seed.

posted by Ed at 5:58 PM

Play-off Hype

We are on the eve of finding out the seeding in the District 1 football play-offs. As everyone reading this blog knows (and that would pretty much be me), District 1 AAAA produces one of the 4 semi-finalists for the state tournament. This weekend's games could move a lot of teams around the 16 team bracket. Via twitter, WNPV's Kyle Berger has predicted that North Penn will rise to the #3 seed on the strength of bonus points from a St. Joe's Prep victory over Roman in the PCL play-offs this Saturday at P-W. Rick O'Brien's Forecasting some football playoff fields seems to be looking at only the points for a win and ignoring the bonus points - or predicting a Roman win against the Prep.

The Pottstown Mercury adds to the playoff speculation with Plenty of 'ifs' still surround playoff pictures. This focuses more on AAA than AAAA. It does point out that Downingtown East and North Penn have been playing well since early losses, but ignores how tough Ridley will be with 3 potential home games before a neutral site District 1 final / State quarterfinal.

posted by Ed at 3:42 AM

Lights to go out on Roosevelt Field

This is a nice article about Roosevelt Field, closing after the Norristown-PW game Friday night. Several local coaches are interviewed about their experiences as players and coaches at Roosevelt Field.

posted by Ed at 7:37 PM

Extra-curricular Activities

I was reading the Sound Off section of the Reporter when I read the complaint "Why did it not say "Three North Penn football players are honored" for helping an elderly resident at a scene of an accident? It did not point out that they are on the team." So I had to go back and read the "Citizens Honored" article that described how Joshua Cook, Brandon Mercer, Shayne Watson had helped an elderly woman out of her car after she'd hit a pole before her car was enveloped in flames. Pretty cool.

In other news, Kyle Berger points out that if Saint Joe's Prep beats Roman in their play-off game Saturday night, the Knights will get bonus points. He feels that this will push North Penn to the #3 seed in the District. This would give the Knights 2 home games and the only possible game against Ridley would be the District Final.

posted by Ed at 4:08 AM