End of the Year, End of the Decade

This best of the decade: NFL article jumped out at me from google news. 8 playoff appearances by the Eagles (2nd to the Colts). The Birds had the 4th highest winning percentage at .645, but they were the only top team with no top players for the decade. And while Korey Stringer and Pat Tillman were included in the significant deaths (and rightly so), Andre Waters was not, even though his suicide was one of the initiators of current high concern about concussions.

As for the end of the year, 6 Eagles were named to the Pro Bowl: cornerback Asante Samuel, wide receiver DeSean Jackson, left tackle Jason Peters, fullback Leonard Weaver, defensive end Trent Cole, and kicker David Akers. After a tremendous first half, Temple fell flat and lost to UCLA in the Eaglebank Bowl at freezing RFK Stadium.

posted by Ed at 8:43 AM

Ridley 19 - North Penn 10

I plan to link to articles and discuss commentary on this game, but I want to put down my impressions of this game developed over the last 42 hours. First of all, Ridley was ready for North Penn. North Penn was not ready for Ridley. Ralphie getting hurt on the first series of the game seemed to put the Knights out of their rhythm. The execution on the first offensive series was horrible. Would it have been better if Ralph were in? It doesn't matter.

I have to say that Ridley was the most physical team North Penn has faced since Liberty a year ago. Dick Beck was quoted somewhere as saying that North Penn was healthy going into the game. Well, they sure weren't comeing out. In addition to Ralph, Brandon Mercer and Mike Culbreath were both knocked out of the game. Dave Jackson and Craig Needhammer were both nicked and continued to play. If North Penn HAD somehow pulled out a win, I think they would have been severely disadvantaged in the next game.

Now for some second guessing on the game. After scoring before halftime, why didn't Dylan pooch the ball to an up man? Or even kick it out of bounds? On the opening drive of the second half, Ridley stopped the 4th and inches run using an old Dick Beck trick of having the D-lineman angle behind the direction of the O-line blocks. In hindsight, it's darn near predictable. Also, why the double pass to T.J. Gill in the 3rd quarter? You got a score on a trick play already; Ridley had to be looking for that. If you are going to run another trick play at that point, make it something brand new.

Finally, even though I think North Penn COULD have gotten it done, they didn't, and all the credit goes to Ridley. With Easton's loss, I think they can lay claim to the best AAAA high school defense in PA. Good luck to the Raiders against LaSalle.

And congratulations to the Knights on a great season. There were 560 odd other PA high school football teams that were sitting at home Friday night with their seasons over. You gave us some great thrills and excitement with your play this year.

posted by Ed at 1:02 PM

Looking toward Friday Night

One thing I haven't been able to figure out. Who is scoring all the points for Ridley. North Penn has Craig Needhammer with 24 rushing touchdowns and Todd Smolinsky has thrown 19 TD passes. The 258 points there put you well on your way to the Knights' total of 475. Ridley, though, has scored 425 points. That should be somewhere between 50 and 65 TD's for the year. Maybe I just missed it, but it seems like the Ridley offense is rather formidable. And on Monday, the Inquirer noted of North Penn's strong defense: "...Most impressive through three postseason games is the play of the North Penn defense. The Knights have allowed 31 points in three games. But take away the 15 points scored by Neshaminy during garbage time of a blowout in the District 1 quarterfinals, and North Penn is giving up 5.3 points per game."

I have this nagging suspicion that all the attention given to the Knights' O vs. the Raiders' D may be overshadowed by either North Penn's defensive performance or Ridley's offensive performance. North Penn's offensive line has gotten a lot of press, like Kev Hunter's widely published North Penn's offensive line is a force. Ridley's defense has been extremely stout against some high flying offenses. If the North Penn offense and Ridley defense play to a stand still, the game is going to be determined by the guys who come on the field when the North Penn offense and Ridley defense are on the sidelines.

Another unusual note. The Lansdale Reporter put up a Youtube video with North Penn highlights. It was picked up by Never Let it Rest, a blog which describes itself as "a glimpse into the funny mind of a semi-frustrated hyphen-happy housewife." I think it's because of the Latch Key Kid background music.

posted by Ed at 8:51 PM

Inquirer: Rick O'Brien: N. Penn vs. Ridley: A rout or a rumble?

Rick O'Brien writes: "With its vaunted downhill attack, North Penn has outscored the opposition by a whopping 475-117 this season.

Next on the card, in Friday night's PIAA Class AAAA state quarterfinal, which also will serve as the District 1 championship, is a Ridley team that features a rugged defense potentially able to slow down the explosive Knights. The unit has notched five shutouts and yielded an average of only 7.5 points per game."

Game plan and execution. Both Ridley and North Penn have had superb execution this year, so who comes up with the better game plan? Dennis Decker or Dick Beck. In my opinion, Coach Beck has raised his level of coaching this year. He has gotten more out of this team than anyone thought possible. Dennis Decker is a first year coach, although he does have an excellent supporting cast. I'm looking for a good game, but I still think the Knights will win by 2 scores.

posted by Ed at 7:25 AM

North Penn - Avon Grove live blog | Philly | 11/27/2009 Interesting live commentary from the game. Maybe I will record mine this Friday.
posted by Ed at 1:44 PM

PIAA football quarterfinals - Somerset - Daily American Nice summary of the remaining high school football games in PA.
posted by Ed at 9:42 AM

Lansdale Reporter Video

posted by Ed at 12:57 AM

North Penn 42 - Avon Grove 7

The Knights dominated the Red Devils - putting them down 35 points just before the half. Advice to future opponents / 20:20 hindsight - if you're down 28-0 to North Penn with 2 minutes left in the half and it's 4th down inside your 25 yard line - TAKE THE SAFETY! You're a lot better off coming out 30-0 in the 2nd half (especially if you're getting the ball) than having to try to come back under a running clock.

Here is the WNPV Overtime Show Post-game:

posted by Ed at 11:26 AM

District Semi's

Kevin and Dom give their analysis on Youtube:

Kev Hunter gives a nice summary of the teams and North Penn history in NP in semi-final showdowns tonight. It's a cold blustery day, but the game is still at Crawford Stadium. Perhaps this is a disadvantage for Avon Grove, a team that is used to playing on artificial turf. Of course, the Knights haven't played in "the swamp" for almost a month - 4 weeks ago against Hatboro-Horsham.

Everyone, except of course Avon Grove, expects the Knights to win tonight. The game plan to beat North Penn remains the same: control the ball and run right at North Penn's defense. So far, no team has been able to make this work. Kev Hunter gives his keys to the game in Avon Grove has upset in mind. (I guess Captain Obvious is writing the Reporter headlines this week). 1 - Stop the run, 2 - Balance on offense, 3 - Mix up the backs, 4 - Ball control, 5 - Improve conversions. I think there are only 2 keys for a Knights win: Execute the way you have all season and make Avon Grove fight for every inch they gain on the field.

Listen to the game on WNPV 1440 AM or on the web at WNPV1440.com.

posted by Ed at 4:01 PM

Not Again!?!?

Didn't the reporter to a search about all the idiocy that went on last time? Reclassification prompts queries doesn't look that way. Wasn't Don Beideman paying attention during the spring and summer? Maybe, just maybe, if North Penn can win 2 AAAA football championships in a row, WPIAL/District 7 will think about giving the big boys a class of their own. It seems to me that it's a lot more likely that a PIAA school with less than 600 boys will win a AAAA championship this year or next, and WPIAL's response to Chester County will be to suck it up and get a program that can win.

posted by Ed at 3:32 PM

North Penn 35 - Nehaminy 22

Well, it has taken me a whole week to post this. Now we're on the cusp of the semi-final game against Avon Grove. This post is a little (Lot?) disjointed, but I'm just going to post it so I can move forward.

In the Reporter Christiaan DeFranco crowns the Knights champions with Knights dominate Heartbreak Ridge. (Somewhat misleading headline since the game was played at Souderton's new field - in the dead tree edition, the column was titled "NP has outgrown Neshaminy.") While I certainly hope that DeFranco is correct and the Knights become the first eastern team since the CB West juggernaut to win a 2nd PIAA AAAA football championship, they are beatable. As I've previously noted, the team with the better game plan and execution wins in the playoffs. Last night, I felt that the game plans were equal. North Penn beat Neshaminy with better execution.

Listen to the post-game interview / Kev Hunter's 5 keys - I think the Knights did it.
Intel article
Reporter - A Unified Effort
Reporter - 'Big test' turns into another show for NP

WNPV overtime:

posted by Ed at 11:24 AM

In The Huddle Week 12

posted by Ed at 10:42 PM

North Penn 39 - Council Rock South 12

Once again the Knights built a mercy rule lead before allowing their opponent to score. Bucks Local News described how Council Rock North run over by Knights. The Reporter's Christiaan DeFranco reminds everyone that this was supposed to be a rebuilding year for North Penn in A North Penn Tale. The Times Herald gave Dom Taggart their nod for the Times Herald Offensive Player of the Week. The Reporter summarizes the North Penn - Neshaminy rivalry in NP football: The next chapter... Bill Kenny writes about North Penn - Neshaminy in the Trentonian's The Naturals: Neshaminy hoping to play North Penn on real grass. Based on Kenny's assertion last week that Unionville picked Pennsbury over North Penn as their opponent and that Pennsbury would use this for inspiration, maybe the worst thing that could happen to Neshaminy would be for the game to be at Crawford. For an example of North Penn performance on a muddy Crawford Stadium field, see if 6abc.com has archives of the North Penn-Prep game from last year.

posted by Ed at 8:51 PM

posted by Ed at 1:10 PM

Playoffs are here!

First of all, Kyle Berger and Mike Carey run down the District 1 AAAA bracker:

The Pottstown Mercury introduces the playoffs with North Penn back to dominating district. In the Philadelphia Inquirer, Pat Maguire suggests going to Heartbreak Ridge for the first half of the Abington-Neshaminy game and then heading to Souderton for the end of the North Penn-Council Rock North game in Preview of three PIAA football playoff games. I think that's a little risky because you may only get to see the North Penn JV by the 4th quarter.

Of course, any team left can win or lose. North Penn has dominated all season, but one bad game is all it takes to send the team home. In HS Football Previews, the North Penn Reporter predicts a big witn for North Penn, though. Both the Inquirer and Reporter note that the game has been moved to Souderton's new field with artificial turf.

posted by Ed at 1:55 PM

Ready for the playoffs?

I extend apologies to Kyle Berger about his predictions. Even though he missed some seedings, he did get 15 of the 16 teams in the bracket. Rick O'Brien got all 16 teams, but he got the CR North-CR South game result wrong and misplaced the 2 teams in the bracket. That's all done now, and the games begin on Friday. Someone is trying to stir up Pennsbury with Unionville picks its poison — Pennsbury. Aside from the fact that Bill Kenny's source is just wrong - the Pennsbury-CR North game would not have been played - the whole idea that Unionville "picked" Pennsbury is ridiculous. If Unionville had tried to keep the game with North Penn contrary to the tie-breaker rules, that might have meant something. All they did was point out that the District Committee hadn't followed their own rules for determining seedings. Perhaps this says more about the District 1 officials than it does about Unionville.

As for North Penn, in several published sources, both Dom Taggart and Coach Beck are “excited” about the playoffs. That’s good. It’s time to step up the performance because there is some serious competition coming up. Todd Thorpe notes, in a bit of a look ahead to week 2, “How tasty would a North Penn-Neshaminy showdown sound for the quarterfinals of the PIAA District One Class AAAA Tournament? Well, if both win their openers this week, that could be in store for Week 2 of the playoffs.” Hopefully, the Knights aren’t looking ahead and will just take care of business with CR North. Suburban One Sports reviews the field in SOL Teams Celebrate District Berths. Football Fever - Week 12 gives a few more tidbits on the playoffs and summarizes the results from last Friday's regular season closers.

posted by Ed at 10:28 AM

North Penn 39 - Pennridge 12

Bring on the Playoffs

North Penn didn't play particularly well, but the Knights were still able to win convincingly and Craig Needhammer broke 1,000 yards rushing for the season. The Knights finish 10-0 with the #1 seed in the District 1 AAAA football playoffs. According to WNPV's Official Unofficial Playoff Show, their opponent next Friday will be Council Rock North. You can listen for yourself on the Scoreboard Show web page.

posted by Ed at 12:43 AM

Week 10 - Playoff Implications

Kyle Berger's predictions at WNPV quickly got blown up. We'll have to see how Rick O'Brien's Handicapping the football playoffs works out for him. His District 1 AAAA Bracket: No. 16 Unionville at No. 1 North Penn; No. 15 Conestoga at No. 2 Pennsbury; No. 14 Penncrest at No. 3 Garnet Valley; No. 13 Council Rock North at No. 4 Downingtown West; No. 12 Council Rock South at No. 5 Avon Grove; No. 11 Quakertown at No. 6 Ridley; No. 10 Downingtown East at No. 7 Norristown; and No. 9 Abington at No. 8 Neshaminy.

These predicitions don't include any upsets on the order of Abington over Pennsbury. For Suburban One playoff possibilities, see Scott Huff's Football Fever: Week 11 at Suburbanonesports.com. Huff takes an extensive look at Souderton's long shot chances of making the playoffs.

Some other links:
Top Defenses Begin with their Ends - Rick O'Brien's catchily titled article puts Andre Poe at No. 3. Why Chuck Knower wasn't listed, I don't understand.
Final Weekend of Bucks Play Promises to be Dandy - big games such as Pennsbury at Neshaminy and the battle of the Rocks.
Interactive? Playoff Bracket at Keystone Sports Report
Rod Frisco's Week 9 AAAA Rankings - North Penn is #3 behind McDevitt & Gateway.
WNPV's District 1 AAAA Playoff Points

posted by Ed at 6:33 AM

Friday Football: Abington shocks Pennsbury | Bucks Mont Sports NOW The Neshaminy-Pennsbury game on November 6 looms even bigger, now. North Penn is in the driver's seat for the #1 seed in the District 1 AAAA football playoff bracket.
posted by Ed at 12:22 PM

North Penn 35 - Hatboro-Horsham 0

The Knights log their 2nd shut-out of the season at the expense of the Hatters. The North Penn cheerleaders put up a sign saying, "Welcome to the swamp." (At least I was told that the cheerleaders put up the sign). The field was definitely sloppy, and it seemed like North Penn approached the game in a very methodical fashion. As reported in the Reporter's NP Batters Hatters, Hatboro was able to gain 170 total yards, but couldn't get the ball across the goal line. Drew Markol points out in Unbeaten North Penn rolls past H-H that losses by Pennsbury and Ridley leave the Knights as the last unbeaten AAAA football team in District 1. Short of a huge upset by the 4-5 Pennridge Rams, North Penn will coast into the top seed in the District 1 playoffs.
posted by Ed at 12:14 AM

Some thoughts before Senior Night

Tonight is Senior Night at North Penn. 28 senior players and their parents will go out on the field tonight. Looking back at last week, Dom Cosentino sees the Souderton win as passing a test. Could be he's right. Also, this week, master of hyperbole Rick O'Brien looked at the Top 10 Pa. high school gridiron thrillers. Sad to say, I didn't attend any of these games, but from the write up there were some great ones.

Looking forward, we are moving into Week 9 and play-offs are just 2 weeks away. WNPV continues to keep the best District 1 AAAA football playoff rankings. Kyle Berger predicts the playoff seedings in his Youtube video:

With the usual disclaimers, North Penn is doing well in a lot of polls. Here are a couple:

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Varsity Blog
PFN Rankings from PASportspages

Finally, the North Penn Reporter previews Hatboro-Horsham at North Penn. Kev Hunter predicts a 38-13 North Penn win. The Crawford Stadium weather looks to be overcast, but dry, with temps in the mid-50's. Perfect football weather. See you there!

posted by Ed at 2:25 PM

Winningest teams in Pennsylvania since 2000 - Varsity Blog - post-gazette.com Based on this, North Penn is the top AAAA team in the last decade.
posted by Ed at 2:58 PM

North Penn 27 - Souderton 6

North Penn moves to 8-0, Souderton falls for the first time in 5 weeks. Coach Beck, among others, had predicted that this would be the Knights' toughest test in the Suburban One Continental Conference, and it was. My contention, going back to last season, is that the big games come down to game plan and execution. Souderton coach Ed Gallagher has a good game plan, but the Indians weren't able to execute. As the North Penn Report notes in Fumbles Cost Souderton, "North Penn has recovered nine turnovers in its last two games, and its for/against ratio this year is 18-8. When a team does that, it only needs a couple game-breaking plays each week to pile up wins." Rain-soaked homecoming for NP has video highlights of the game and Homecoming King & Queen. WNPV Scoreboard Show had an interview with Coach Beck after the game.

posted by Ed at 5:27 PM

North Penn Television Production Blog: Back to the Blog! NPTV has "... the opportunity to demo a special replay unit for this Friday's football game. Check out our special angles and replays."
posted by Ed at 1:08 AM

Some collected thoughts (and links) from the past few days

(updated 2 AM on 10/23) I missed Who would win a North Penn-Pennsbury clash? In the Inquirer. It is interesting, but we won’t know until December 4th or 5th – if both teams make it that far. Unless one of the teams drops a game or two, in which case they could meet earlier. Of course, Calpreps predicts North Penn (Lansdale, PA) 28, Pennsbury (Fairless Hills, PA) 20. One of the closest scores in their listing.

Another big win for North Penn has a video with highlights of the game. The Morning Call teases that Quakertown could have done better, but as I pointed out elsewhere, Quakertown's game plan and execution were lacking. The Examiner points out that "The North Penn Knights are undoubtedly the team to beat." If/when someone does, that will be news. Christiaan DeFranco shares the sentiment in the Reporter.

Of course, Dom Cosentino has a problem with North Penn being in the Suburban One Continental Division. He doesn't have a problem with CR South going 10-0 and then going down the tubes in the play-offs. Nor does he see any value in CB South - the last team to beat NP in a regular season game - being in the same division with North Penn. The Times-Herald points out that "North Penn (is) an eye-popping 42-5 in SOL conference/divisional games under Beck." So how much difference does it really make which conference the Knights inhabit?

Finally, a couple of looks at the play-off picture. WNPV posts the numbers through Week 7. Pat Maguire of the Inquirer has Pennsbury, North Penn, Ridley, Neshaminy, Garnet Valley, Downingtown West, Downingtown East, Avon Grove, Norristown, Council Rock North, Council Rock South, and Abington as locks for the District 1 AAAA play-offs in Football playoff spots still up for grabs. He provides Quakertown, Conestoga, Perkiomen Valley, Souderton, Penncrest, Unionville and Upper Dublin as possible contenders for the last 4 spots in the bracket.

posted by Ed at 6:21 PM

Rating the receivers: La Salle’s Feleccia is No. 1. | Philadelphia Inquirer | 10/21/2009 - Dom Taggart is ranked as the top junior, #4 overall.
posted by Ed at 12:28 AM

Pa. Football Standings | Philadelphia Inquirer | 10/19/2009 So you can see where everybody stands. I guess I need to link the computer rankings for playoffs, too.
posted by Ed at 6:44 AM

Football: North Penn tramples Quakertown, 43-13 | Bucks Mont Sports NOW Dom Cosentino praises North Penn. Everyone is on the bandwagon now. Keep up the effort, Knights, or they will be picking at your bones.
posted by Ed at 9:41 PM

'03 Knights rule roost | Philadelphia Inquirer | 10/18/2009 While this is about as useful as all of the polls, Rick O'Brien has written an interesting article here. (I have to say something nice after I dissed his North Penn - Quakertown preview). North Penn's 2003 team played some pretty good football. It's nice to see them recognized in this fictional championship.
posted by Ed at 9:28 PM

North Penn 43 - Quakertown 13

As I noted after the South win, a high school football game is 48 minutes long and you have to play out the whole game. Playing even the first half and losing the second half is still a loss. Last night, however, North Penn only needed the first 12 minutes to put the Panthers away, buried them in the 2nd quarter, and let the 2nd teams get some time on the field in the second half. In my mind, I break this game down into 3 "mini-games." The first 24 minutes was a clinic by North Penn with a 41-0 half time lead and a running clock in the 2nd half. The 2nd mini-game was the 3rd quarter where Quakertown's starters were able to beat the North Penn JV 13-0. In the 4th quarter, it was time to let everyone play, and the 2 teams basically played to a tie. The safety was a result of the Quakertown JV defense's goal line stand, forcing the Panther's QB2 to try to throw from his own end zone. For the WNPV take on things:

posted by Ed at 12:48 PM

Friday night football: No. 1 North Penn visits 5-1 Quakertown | Philadelphia Inquirer | 10/15/2009 Crack me up. The story starts out, "They don't get much bigger than this." It ends with a predicted score of North Penn 27 - Quakertown 7. It looks like it's going to be a messy night, so anything could happen.
posted by Ed at 3:23 PM

Choosing the Right VOC Emission Control Technology.(volatile organic compounds used in coating industry)(Brief Article) - Products Finishing | Encyclopedia.com
posted by Ed at 11:13 AM

PIAA football playoff picture coming into focus | Philadelphia Inquirer | 10/14/2009 North Penn up one spot to #3 in District 1 AAAA.
posted by Ed at 9:42 AM

North Penn moves up to #21 in the USA Today Super 25 as Elder HS in Cincinnati suffered an upset loss.
posted by Ed at 8:27 AM

Big games this week in Pa. football | Philadelphia Inquirer | 10/12/2009 Question: Can Quakertown take a huge step toward winning or tying for the Suburban One League Continental Conference title by beating North Penn? Despite Rick O'Brien's more detailed answer, it still comes down to "NO."
posted by Ed at 1:46 PM

Rick O'Brien: Penncrest’s Moretti enjoyed football shootout | Philadelphia Inquirer | 10/11/2009 Smolinsky & Needhammer in the "Extra Points" section.
posted by Ed at 12:59 PM

Xcellent 25 Football Rankings: Byrnes back to No. 2 - MaxPreps Articles North Penn ranked #23 HS football team in this list.
posted by Ed at 10:08 AM

North Penn 49 - Central Bucks West 7

Completing the Central Bucks sweep, North Penn dominated CB West. Leading 35-0 at the half, the 2nd half went quickly under a mercy rule clock. The Reporter's NP air attack sparks win describes the Knights performance, led by Dom Taggart's 5 catches for 109 yards and 3 TD's. Also from the article, "It was an emotional win for the Knights, who helped raise money for a local boy, Jacob Shive, who is suffering from muscular dystrophy. The North Penn community has raised $1,400, and is on its way to its goal of $2,000. Shive was there for the festivities on Friday night." (See picture links below) There are some nice pictures in the North Penn vs CBS photo gallery. North Penn romps to win over West from the phillyburbs web site provides the stat that the Knights scored 5 touchdowns on 17 plays in the first half. This quote from the article sums up the spirit of the game: "None of our guys quit," West coach Brian Hensel said. "There's more heart on this team than any I've seen. And give North Penn credit; they play with class, heart and character."

Some pictures from the NP Football web site with #65:
The team with Jacob Shive
The team with Jacob Shive
The team with Jacob Shive
The team with Jacob Shive
The team with Jacob Shive
After a play 1
After a play 2
In the huddle 1
In the huddle 2
Breaking the huddle
Another picture

posted by Ed at 11:21 AM

Courier Times Football Blitz | Bucks Mont Sports NOW As noted in this article and my earlier post, North Penn is currently seeded 4th behind Pennsbury, Abington & D'town West. Hopefully, this doesn't end up meaning that the North Penn fans have to sit in the abysmally small visitors stands at William Tennent for a D1 final this year. Of course, if Pennsbury, Abington and Neshaminy knock each other off so they each have 1 loss, the North Penn gets the higher seed and is only dependent on Ridley and Downingtown West to falter and give them the top seed.
posted by Ed at 11:58 AM

HS football previews - The ReporterSports: Serving North Penn, Indian Valley and neighboring communities North Penn vs. CB West tonight. There was a time when this would have been the biggest game of the season. No more.
posted by Ed at 11:50 AM

Week 6 musings

Computer rankings for playoff seedings are popping up this week. PFN has the top teams in District 1 AAAA as Pennsbury, Abington, Downingtown West, North Penn and Ridley in that order. Pennsbury should be fine for the next 3 weeks, but their last 2 games are against Abington and Neshaminy. Abington has already beaten Neshaminy, but still has the critical Pennsbury game at the end of the season. Downingtown West, North Penn and Ridley should win out, but every team they play is going to be gunning for them.

Abington Holds Off Neshaminy describes Abington's win over the Redskins last Friday.

posted by Ed at 10:56 PM

Hammer Time - The ReporterSports: Serving North Penn, Indian Valley and neighboring communities Nice write-up about Craig Needhammer.
posted by Ed at 4:05 PM

North Penn 41 - Central Bucks East 0

North Penn recorded their first shut-out of the year as they dominated CB East on Friday night. "Todd was playing great and the O-line was making great blocks," said Knights' running back Craig Needhammer. The game also marked the return of junior Ryan Hessenius to the line-up. He ran for 64 yards and scored a touchdown in his first game for the Knights. He had suffered shoulder injuries in the first scrimmages last year and this year. More in the Reporter's Hessenius shines for NP. Calpreps had predicted a 42-3 score, so the Knights lived up to expectations. Calpreps has North Penn ranked as the #1 team in PA, and 50th in the country in their National Football Power Ratings.

posted by Ed at 7:16 AM

PhillyBurbs.com:  Prep coach Brooks' thoughts on the North Penn game - Gil Brooks gives the Knights props.
posted by Ed at 4:46 PM

Football analysis: Souderton lifted by Giannini - The ReporterSports: Serving North Penn, Indian Valley and neighboring communities
posted by Ed at 4:43 PM

Rick O'Brien: Triple-threat Hill does it all in Malvern Prep's victory | Philadelphia Inquirer | 09/28/2009

Football player is candidate for homecoming queen - KOAM TV 7 Joplin and Pittsburg News Weather Sports | - We ARE in Kansas, Shelby.

posted by Ed at 6:33 PM

North Penn 27 - Central Bucks South 7

posted by Ed at 6:25 PM

2 Weeks, 2 Wins

Due to travel, I wasn't able to post even the score from last week's impressive 28-14 North Penn win over St. Joe's Prep. Last night, I listened to WNPV on the internet to hear North Penn put up 20 unanswered points in the 2nd half to beat Central Bucks South. Christiaan DeFranco, among others, seems to think that North Penn was close to an upset by CB South, and the Knights admittedly came out a little flat and made some mistakes. The thing is, a high school football game is 48 minutes long. Being tied after 24 minutes may have been a great accomplishment for CB South, but it wasn't enough.

I don't think people get this team. They can be beaten, but if they get a chance, they will win the game. As Coach Beck has said repeatedly, the Knights will be better at the end of the season than at the beginning. With the competition I've read about so far in PIAA District 1, I think they have strong chance to go deep into the playoffs.

Some more articles from the last week (working backwards in time):
Game stats from CB South game
CB South turns up the heat on North Penn, but Knights battle for win - Ed Kracz places a little more emphasis on the 2nd half than DeFranco, but CB South could have put more heat on the Knights - they could have had the lead at the half
Pennsylvania: Abington football meets big test in Neshaminy - mostly about Abington, but North Penn gets prop's at the end.
Conference clash begins - a preview of the NP - CB South game.

Maybe I'll post another update later - if I get time and the inclination. See you at Crawford Stadium Friday night.

posted by Ed at 6:00 PM

North Penn 28 - St. Joe's Prep 14

posted by Ed at 5:59 PM

Rick O'Brien: North Penn-SJ Prep football | Philly | 09/16/2009
posted by Ed at 12:04 PM

PhillyBurbs.com:  Week 2 thoughts and observations
posted by Ed at 9:55 AM

North Penn continues its impressive run - The Mercury Sports: Pottstown, PA and The Tri County areas of Montgomery, Berks and Chester Counties (pottsmerc.com)
posted by Ed at 9:51 AM

WNPV Overtime Show from North Penn-Liberty game

posted by Ed at 6:54 PM

North Penn 42 - Libery 10

Liberty certainly isn't this bad. I can hope that North Penn is this good. We will find out in 2 weeks at the St. Joe's Prep game.

Apparently, Tim Moncman doesn't think his team gave 100% in the 2nd half.

posted by Ed at 12:14 PM

Football preview: North Penn Knights - The ReporterSports - The North Penn Reporter gives their summary of the 2009 team.
posted by Ed at 6:40 AM

Bradley's Buzz: The (split) verdict on Vick's signing | Mark Bradley - posted because I like the guy's blog roll.
posted by Ed at 10:36 AM

3 weeks to camp. Everybody ready? (this could be a tweet, couldn't it?)
posted by Ed at 7:09 PM

The Great High School Football State Debate: Who's producing top players? | Prep Zone - I don't agree that top players = good football, but it's an interesting article.
posted by Ed at 8:19 AM

Deadly aftershocks | Philadelphia Daily News | 05/28/2009 - Brain trauma in contact sports - especially football.
posted by Ed at 4:14 PM

ProFootballTalk.com - Undrafted Free Agent Paydays - Someone was asking me about undrafted free agent payments. This sheds s little light.
posted by Ed at 9:26 AM

Commission proposed to review cutting state school districts - this will definitely have some effect on athletics, but who knows what?
posted by Ed at 4:28 PM

Delay possible in PIAA grid vote - PennLive.com
posted by Ed at 4:26 PM

Friends Of Coal Classic - Keystone Sports Report - PennLive.com - The prep is playing in WV on Sept 5.
posted by Ed at 1:10 PM

MSA Sports Network - High School Articles More on football classification controversy, WPIAL opting out of PIAA, and the fall sports start date.
posted by Ed at 1:09 PM

Is he a good pick? Depends on who picks him - NFL - Yahoo! Sports - interesting commentary on perception in football. As competitive as the game can be, it is interesting that games and careers can be so heavily impacted by something as subjective as the perception of a player or coach.
posted by Ed at 1:02 PM

Brad Cashman vs. WPIAL

There is a Pittsburgh Post Gazette story linked on the Pennlive HS Football forum in which PIAA Executive Director Brad Cashman is quoted as saying that he is going de-link the 6 classes (which only needs a majority vote) and the shorter season (which needs a 2/3 vote) at the May reading.

I believe that this proposal is turning into a pi$$ing contest between Cashman and the WPIAL. It would appear that he plans to pass the 6 classes on a simple majority and then try to force the 21 votes for the shorter season since the 6 classifications are already a fait accompli. While these actions show a certain mastery of bureaucratic procedures and gamesmanship, I don't know how much it advances PA interscholastic athletics.

2009 may be the last true state football championship for a while.

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

posted by Ed at 9:22 AM

Joyner, Dyer, Luc, White top 2010 roster - Insider - ESPN
posted by Ed at 11:05 AM

Wawa!!!

I was going to post this in Alien Family, but then I thought, "How many Friday nights last year did I stop at Wawa with 86 on the way home from a game?" Then it hit me, Wawa is integral to every part of life in the Delware Valley, including football. Wawa turned 45 years old yesterday. On my facebook, you can see pix I took there when I visited last year.

The Inquirer wrote their story, How Wawa Became a Success. Dan Stamm of NBC 10 posted his Wawaversary story on MSNBC. My favorite was Pat's Papers' Story of Wawa, complete with Bloodhound Gang Youtube video.

posted by Ed at 9:19 AM

Pretty Funny Trick Play

Kind of reminds me of the missed field goal in the North Penn-Abington playoff game.

posted by Ed at 1:09 PM

Social networking a potential trap for prospects - NFL - Yahoo! Sports - Yes, kids, you can do this at home! I think I smell a contest coming on.
posted by Ed at 11:53 AM

Game-by-game look at Eagles' 2009 schedule | Philadelphia Daily News | 04/15/2009 -- Not much happening on the high school football scene. I can spare some time to think about the Eagles.
posted by Ed at 8:58 AM

PIAA meeting: 6 football classifications still alive - The Sports Blog with The Patriot-News: One step closer.
posted by Ed at 1:40 PM

Coatesville football coach resigns | Philadelphia Inquirer | 03/12/2009
posted by Ed at 1:55 PM

The Annals of Sports Psychology: Winners Wear Red - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News - International
posted by Ed at 3:55 PM

Decker is Ridley football coach - Ridley gets a new coach. Quote from article, "It's an honor to be back at Ridley in a position that some great people have held before me, guys like John Waller, Ralph Batty, and Joe McNicholas."
posted by Ed at 3:53 PM

Since 2002, 1,000-yard rushing duos not a rare occurence - Western PA Football By Joshua Funk: "When a running back hits 1,000 yards in a season, it's kind of a big deal. At least it used to be. Now, the standard for an individual successful season on the ground appears to be 2,000 yards rushing in a season.
But what if two running backs on the same football team hit 1,000 rushing yards in a season? That should count for something, right? That feat is a rare occurrence, correct?
Truthfully, it's not as rare as you might think."
posted by Ed at 8:49 AM

Altoona, Hollidaysburg get conditional WPIAL approval - PennLive.com: "Altoona and Hollidaysburg high schools were conditionally accepted into the WPIAL for football at Tuesday's District 7 committee meeting.
If the two District 6 schools are formally accepted later this year, they would begin WPIAL play starting in the 2010-2011 school year."
posted by Ed at 8:46 AM

A-11 offense reined in by national body | Philadelphia Inquirer | 02/20/2009: "The National Federation of State High School Associations' football rules committee has 'clarified' a rule that will restrict the use of the innovative but controversial A-11 spread offense."
posted by Ed at 8:45 AM

Section Nine Football: Lessons for Statisticians
posted by Ed at 1:04 PM

NCAA and NFHS Football Rules and Rules Changes Index - Football.Refs.Org
posted by Ed at 12:58 PM

SI.com - Scorecard - Daily List: Most Confusing Football Rules
posted by Ed at 12:47 PM

Endzone Bound: PIAA football and recruiting coverage - PennLive.com
posted by Ed at 12:46 PM

Horse-collar tackles are out in Pennnsylvania football starting in 2009 -- themorningcall.com
posted by Ed at 12:39 PM

Villanova feels like home for North Penn's Aikens | Philadelphia Daily News | 02/04/2009
posted by Ed at 3:02 PM

Letters: NPHS football player responds from The ReporterOpinion: Serving North Penn, Indian Valley and neighboring communities. Nice response to a complaint about the Reading Superbowl. The original letter that sparked Dave Muchetti's response.
posted by Ed at 2:02 PM

Anthony Gonzalex possible career stats from EasternPAFootball - Your # 1 Source for High School Football in Eastern PA
posted by Ed at 11:21 AM

Pittsburgh Sports Report

PSR has a List of PA's top 50 football prospects for the 2009 recruiting year. They also have a PA All-State football team. Since the link doesn't work, here it is:

PSR's All-State Football Team

By Chris Dokish



All-Pennsylvania Team

Mark Arcidiacono, St. Joseph's Prep (Philadelphia) Sr.- OL/DL

The leader of the most talented offensive line in the state and the only one that will have not only have a top 10 prospect in the state this season, but also one next season with junior Seth Bettancourt. Committed to Penn State.



Brian Baldrige, Thomas Jefferson HS (Clairton) Sr.- RB

Led TJ to their second consecutive state title with a school record 2,312 yards and 34 TDs.



Zach Barket, Schuylkill Haven HS (Schuylkill Haven) Sr.- RB

How about these numbers: 4,187 yards and 64 touchdowns, both state records. And just in case you misunderstand, that was just for this season.



Kyle Baublitz, Central York HS (York) Jr.- LB/TE

An absolute beast as a 6'4" 255 pound middle linebacker. Ended the season with an incredible 166 tackles. Already has a half a dozen offers for next season.



Dorian Bell, Gateway HS (Monroeville) Sr.- LB/RB

Generally considered the best college prospect in the senior class and he responded this year with a season in which he ran for 17 touchdowns and 885 yards, good for a ridiculous average of 10.7 yards per carry. And he's considered to be better at linebacker, where he added 116 tackles and 7 sacks. He's going to Ohio State.



Seth Betancourt, St. Joseph's Prep (Philadelphia) Jr.- OL/DL

Already 6'6" and 285 pounds and getting bigger and better by the day. Should be the No.1 OL prospect in the state next season.



Corey Brown, Gateway HS (Monroeville) Sr.- WR/DB

Will join teammate Bell at Ohio State next year as a cornerback where he covered like a glove this season, but as a wide receiver he also caught 42 passes for 708 yards and 15 touchdowns.



Curtis Drake, West Catholic HS (Philadelphia) Sr.- QB

A big time game breaker with 21 rushing touchdowns and 1,639 yards. His yards per carry was 14.3, which is a state record. If that wasn't enough, he also completed 60.6% of his passes for 1,354 yards and 13 more touchdowns. Headed to Penn State to play wide receiver.



A.J. Fenton, McDowell HS (Erie) Sr.- QB/LB- Will go to Wisconsin to play linebacker or safety, but in his first year as a quarterback this season all he did was run for 1,933 yards and 24 touchdowns, while also throwing for 764 yards and 10 more scores.



Anthony Gonzalez, Liberty HS (Bethlehem) Jr.- QB/DB

Became a Pennsylvania legend this year as he lead his team to the Quad A state title. Passed for 1,580 yards and 12 touchdowns, while running for another 1,697 yards and 24 touchdowns. If that isn't impressive enough, he was just as excellent on defense where he added 96 tackles and 4 interceptions.



Jordan Hill, Steelton-Highspire HS (Harrisburg) Sr.- DL

Teammate Jeremiah Young gets a lot of the publicity because of his record breaking ways, but Hill was just as dominating on defense as Young was on offense. He also blocks for Young. Pitt and Penn State are currently fighting for his services.



Rob Holloman, West Catholic HS (Philadelphia) Sr.- RB/DB

As if stopping Curtis Drake wasn't hard enough, West Catholic also had this little speed demon who amassed 36 rushing touchdowns (42 total) and 1,923 yards for an absurd 13.4 yards per carry.



Ben Koyack, Oil City HS (Oil City) So.- TE

One of the best underclassmen in the state and a future national recruit, the sophomore had 48 catches for 800 yards and 10 touchdowns. In his last two games he had a whopping 19 catches for 321 yards and 5 touchdowns.



Dan Mason, Penn Hills HS (Pittsburgh) Sr.- LB/FB

A nasty middle linebacker who was the main reason that Penn Hills was one of the hottest teams in the state during the second half of the season. The hard hitter is one of the best college prospects in the state and Pitt and Penn State are among his suitors.



Brandon Real, West York HS (York)- RB

Had a huge season with 41 rushing yards and 2,607 rushing yards, good for a 10.4 yard average. If that wasn't enough, he may be the best return man in the history of the state as he returned 10 more for touchdowns. You read that right - 10. On the season, he totaled 51 touchdowns, and this was with him missing the last few games with a broken collarbone and against AAA competition.



Dakoya Royer, Manheim Central HS (Manheim) Jr.- DE/TE

A star on both sides, Royer caught 56 passes for 1,099 yards, good for an exceptional 20.5 average. Five of those passes went for touchdowns. On defense he was just as good with 86 tackles and 11 sacks. He will be one of the most recruited players in the state next season.



Eric Shrive, West Scranton HS (Scranton) Sr.- OL/DL

Big brute who demolishes people on both sides of the ball. Generally considered the No.2 best college prospect in the class behind Dorian Bell. Will attend Penn State in the fall.



Abdul Smith, Perkiomen School (Pennsburg) Sr.- QB/DB

Will be a defensive back in college at Rutgers and he used his great speed to amass 5 interceptions in his 8 games this year. But on offense he was just as excellent with 1,126 yards on the ground and 667 yards in the air.



Kyle Smith, Lancaster Catholic HS (Lancaster) Jr.- QB

Top junior prospect that threw for 3,193 yards and 43 touchdowns – against just 5 interceptions in 278 attempts.



Tyler Smith, Wilson Area HS (Easton ) Jr.- QB

Wilson Area has a way of producing great high school quarterbacks and Smith is the next in line with 2,952 yards and 35 touchdowns, while running for 499 more.



Je'Ron Stokes, Northeast HS (Philadelphia) Sr.- WR/DB

Can do it all with his great physical talent. Ended the season with 45 catches for 555 yards and 5 touchdowns, while also playing great on defense and special teams.



Todd Thomas, Beaver Falls HS (Beaver Falls) Sr.- WR/RB/DB

Did a little bit of everything for the Tigers with 834 yards and 16 touchdowns rushing, as well as 553 yards and 5 touchdowns receiving. Will play his college ball at Pitt.



Kevin Weatherspoon, Clairton HS (Clairton) Jr.- WR/DB

Dominated and Class A and impressed college recruiters with 47 catches for 1,294 yards, and 23 touchdowns. He averaged a remarkable 27.5 yards per catch. On defense, he added 7 interceptions.



Ryan Womack, GAR Memorial HS (Wilkes-Barre) Sr.- RB/DB

Dominated the Wilkes-Barre area with 1,570 yards and 27 touchdowns on the ground, as well as 75 tackles and 6 interceptions on defense.



Jeremiah Young, Steelton-Highspire (Harrisburg) Sr.- RB

What can you say about a young man that is the all-time leading rusher in state history with 9,027 yards? Young left in style by helping the Steamrollers win the Class A championship as he ran for 2,812 yards and 30 touchdowns.



AAAA Player of the Year

Anthony Gonzalez, Liberty HS (Bethlehem)

There are some amazingly talented players in Quad A, but none was a bigger winner than this southpaw.



AAA Player of the Year

Brandon Real, West York HS (York)

One of the most electrifying players in state history, either on the ground or returning kicks and punts.



AA Player of the Year

Kyle Smith, Lancaster Catholic HS (Lancaster)

Another lefty that should be playing at a major college in two years, but for now he will settle on torturing opponents in the L-L League.



A Player of the Year

Zach Barnet, Schuylkill Haven HS (Schuylkill Haven)

Only somebody who put up absurd numbers could have beaten out Jeremiah Young, but he did just that.





AAAA Coach of the Year

Jeff Metheny, Bethel Park HS (Bethel Park)

Metheny's team lost to Bethlehem Liberty in the state finals, but barely. Tim Moncman did a superb job, but Bethlehem Liberty is loaded compared to Bethel Park, who does not have one major college prospect on the team. For that reason we give the nod to Metheny for even coming as close as he did with inferior talent.



AAA Coach of the Year

Bill Cherpak, Thomas Jefferson HS (Clairton)

If anybody even came close to having the same situation in AAA we would have went with them, but Cherpak's machine just keeps on rolling. The only hope for the rest of the state is if Cherpak eventually leaves for a college job.



AA Coach of the Year

Terry Verrelli, Wilmington HS (New Wilmington)

Despite losing star running back Chris Burns to Pitt, Verrelli did an amazing job this year, including the Class AA state title win over an wildly talented West Catholic team.



A Coach of the Year

Rob Diebler, Steelton-Highspire HS (Harrisburg)

The Steamrollers weren't doing much a few years ago, but then Diebler took Jeremiah Young and Jordan Hill, and turned them into Pennsylvania high school legends. A second straight state championship was also delivered.

Dec 22 2008 by Tony DeFazio

posted by Ed at 5:02 PM

50 States, 51 Systems
posted by Ed at 8:36 AM

GarageStrength.com - Something of a wacko, but still interesting.
posted by Ed at 1:42 PM

PIAA Football Classifications

The move to 6 classes past it's first hurdle during the initial reading last week, but without the 2/3 vote needed to pass the final reading in May. Information on the PIAA 6 Classification proposal is published on the Patriot New Pennlive site. This includes a possible breakdown of each of the classes. Pennsylvania seems to have more teams per classification than other states. Indiana has 317 schools divided into 5 Classes. Apparently, Ohio decided not to split up the largest of their 6 classifications. Ohio currently has an average of 119 schools in each football classification.

Does any state have more schools per classification than PA?

posted by Ed at 1:23 PM

The Last Game - Here's a review of the CB West documentary about the 1999 season. I've never seen it, but the review has my interest piqued.
posted by Ed at 1:20 PM

Player-parent-coach relationships growing more tenuous -- themorningcall.com
posted by Ed at 1:00 PM

PARADE Magazine | Meet PARADE's All-America High School Football Team
posted by Ed at 12:42 PM

Morning Report: Buddy's son fires up the Jets | Philadelphia Inquirer | 01/22/2009
posted by Ed at 9:55 AM

The Sentinel Online : Archives : Sports : Local : Christen named All-State First Team
posted by Ed at 3:45 PM

PhillyBurbs.com:  Losses to father still gnaw at Pettine
posted by Ed at 3:43 PM

The Varsity Letters: WPIAL 4,000-yard club
posted by Ed at 9:36 AM

PIAA Football - 6 classes

The Patriot News reported that the PIAA football steering committee asked for consideration of a 6 class football organization. I would be shocked if it passed, but it would certainly shake things up.
posted by Ed at 11:52 AM

40-yard dash - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
posted by Ed at 3:55 PM

The Wizard of Odds: Annual Rant About 40-Yard Dash Times
posted by Ed at 3:52 PM

2008 All-PFN Teams - Pennsylvania Football News All-State Football Teams
posted by Ed at 2:13 PM

Mlb: J.C. Romero Rises Up For [Dumb] Puerto Ricans Everywhere - Baseball diversion: J.C. Romero gets the shaft.
posted by Ed at 12:50 PM

Andy's Fan Page
posted by Ed at 3:28 PM

Extra Cheese: High school gridiron thrills | Philadelphia Inquirer | 12/20/2008
posted by Ed at 4:01 PM