Scoreless Tie


Friday, December 16, 2011

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.

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Tuesday, December 13, 2011

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

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Sunday, December 04, 2011

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.

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Thursday, December 01, 2011

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.

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Wednesday, November 30, 2011

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.

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Tuesday, November 29, 2011

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.

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Monday, November 28, 2011

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.

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Sunday, November 27, 2011

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.

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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.

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Wednesday, November 23, 2011

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.

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Saturday, November 05, 2011

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.

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Friday, November 14, 2008

A couple quick links

Suburban One Sports had a nice write up on North Penn captains Sean Baldwin and Trey Farmer. I still occasionally hear questions about the Knights line, but they've shaped up very nicely this season. There is also a good District 1 PIAA AAAA football playoff Week 2 review.

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Friday, November 07, 2008

Let's Go Knights!

Some random thoughts & links - the North Penn-Souderton game tonight is on the WPVI Channel 6 website. Christiaan DeFranco doesn't say anything new in his Point after: Looking ahead blog entry, but it's there to read. Kevin Cooney's Nov. 7 Blitz calls the Wood-Egan game tomorrow night the game of the week.

That's all for now.

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Thursday, November 06, 2008

PLAY-OFFS!!!

The REAL season is finally here, and the North Penn Knights have the top seed in District 1. The Inquirer playoff preview features a picture of Ronnie Akins intercepting a pass against the Prep and a prediction that the Knights will win District 1. North Penn will play Souderton on Friday night in the first round. Sounderton picked up the 16th seed courtesy of Council Rock North's defeat of Council Rock South. This means that Pennridge doesn't have to face Crawford Stadium twice in two weeks. A point that Christiaan DeFranco missed by writing his Week 10 playoff implications blog entry too early on Saturday. I hope the Rams have a nice bus ride out to Garnet Valley. (It's very unlikely that the ride back will be much fun).

So Souderton gets to come to Lansdale instead in the Battle of Skippack Creek redux. The first time didn't go so well for the Indians, but they were able to beat Neshaminy back in the first week of the season. The North Penn JV team should get to play one more time, but Souderton could put a damper on it.

If you can't make it to the game, easternpafootball.com has a comprehensive listing of the games streaming on the Internet.

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Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Some thoughts about Week 10 from October 29

Assume North Penn beats Pennridge – North Penn ends up with 1480 points + additional power points (which should work out to about 50) and the #1 seed. If North Penn loses, it’s too hard to analyze all of the implications.

If Garnet Valley wins, they get 180 points + 40 or 50 power points and finish up with 1340. If D-town West wins, they get 140 points + say 40 power points and finish up with 1290.

If Neshaminy defeats Pennsbury, there is no way they overcome the 50 point deficit behind D-town West, they end up somewhere between 1250 and 1280. Whoever wins Pennsbury-Neshaminy ends up as at least the 4 seed (with 2 home games), the other team drops to between 7 and 9 and could be on the road for the whole playoff season.

If Quakertown beats Souderton, they should end up ahead of the Neshaminy-Pennsbury loser, I doubt they will get as high as 5, but they could be the 6 or 7 seed.

I would expect Penncrest to beat Conestoga, but Conestoga could give Penncrest a run for their money. A win will give Penncrest a home game in the 1st round, a loss puts them on the road. Of course, in the District 1 AAAA football play-offs, you should never count your home games before they hatch. There have been too many upsets over the years. If you are the #5 seed, you could be at home, away and back at home if the #1 gets upset (which is a pretty regular occurrence in D1).

I would say the best result for North Penn would be a Ridley win over Garnet Valley and Neshaminy over Pennsbury. This should put Neshaminy in the #3 seed, and although it might send Pennsbury to Lansdale for week 2, I think that would be preferable to seeing Neshaminy in week 2.

Links:
http://www.district-one.net/general/footballinfo.htm
http://www.district-one.net/brackets/footballAAAA.htm
http://philly.12dt.com/index.php?conf=pa_pub&action=1044

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Friday, September 19, 2008

Friday Morning - Week 4

After beating Liberty, LC & the Prep, North Penn has moved up in the polls - to 2nd in the state in most of the polls. There have been a bunch of news stories this week, too. Anthony Ortiz was named Times Herald Defensive Player of the Week. The article credits Ortiz with five solo tackles, two tackles for loss and a sack. RoxReview has a great summary of the win over St. Joe's Prep, including the frequently quoted line from Coach Beck, "do you guys know any landscapers?" Peter DiGiovanni in the Chester Daily Local is complaining about some "big schools" being to small to compete with the "big big schools." I've read that the issue of expanded size classifications has come up before PIAA, but it doesn't have legs, yet.

Tonight's contest between North Penn & Central Bucks South is North Penn's first regular season game against a Suburban One opponent since the loss that closed last season. As Ed Kracz points out, South doesn't have Eric Reynolds anymore. He heaps praise on the South QB/WR combo of Tom Johns & Mike Doty, but doesn't get into much discussion of the North Penn db's. Dennis Way writes a fine column about South's program in the Times Herald, but I think he's got a bit of revisionist history in his facts. When he states about the North Penn-South game, "Few expected the result, a South victory, the league title and a berth in the District One playoff quarterfinals," I don't think he is reflecting the sentiment I recall going into the game. The North Penn fans were optimistically hoping for a victory, but South had come back to beat Neshaminy, and Neshaminy had trounced North Penn. It was a tall order to keep Eric Reynolds in check, and North Penn wasn't up to the task.

Tonight's game will show whether CB South's program can continue to show results in the W column in Suburban One play or if the North Penn Knights really deserve to be ranked as the best team in Eastern PA. Unless Mike Doty can beat Ronnie Akins, South is going to have to win (or lose) the Suburban One way - pounding it out on the ground and in the trenches. Hopefully, Coach Beck found his landscaper and the field will be in good shape.

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Saturday, September 13, 2008

NORTH PENN 14 - ST. JOE'S PREP 7

15 days ago, I wondered if this team was any good. On August 29th, they showed that they could play with anyone. On September 5, they showed that they could recover from some sloppy play and put away a decent opponent. Last night, the North Penn Knights showed that they are the best team in Eastern Pennsylvania. Now I wonder, how good is this team? I'm not reserving a room in Hershey, yet, but this is a team that definitely has what it takes to get there.

As you can see from the picture, most of this game was a slog through the mud and rain. It was punctuated by three impressive plays by the speedsters - a 70 yard punt return touchdown by Ronnie Akins, a 96 yard touchdown run by Tyler Smith and a 60 yard touchdown run by Michael Yeager. After Yeager's touchdown, neither team was able to get anything going. McManus tried a 30 some odd yard field goal in the 4th quarter, but the footing was too poor to let him get any elevation on the ball. A series of bad decisions and mistakes at the end, kept the Prep from making a final bid to tie the game.

Next week - the eagerly awaited visit by CB South to Crawford Stadium.

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Thursday, October 11, 2007

REDWOLF'S PENNSYLVANIA AAAA FOOTBALL META-POLL


October 11, 2007 - Following Week 6
1 Pittsburgh Central Catholic (7)
2T North Allegheny (7)
2T North Penn (1)
4 Gateway (7)
5 Neshaminy (1)
6 Parkland (11)
7 Ridley (1)
8 Central Bucks South (1)
9 McKeesport (7)
10 Muhlenberg (3)
11 Bethlehem Liberty (11)
12 Shaler (7)
13 Bethel Park (7)

Based on Patriot-News, PFN, and PIAA computer rankings.

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Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Suburban One Sports - Football
PENNSYLVANIA FOOTBALL NEWS

2007 Week Three Rankings

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Rank - School - District - Won-Loss Record - Result - Last Week Ranking
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Class AAAA:
1. Pittsburgh Central Catholic (7) (3-0), Defeated Mount Lebanon, 35-7, (1)
2. Bethlehem Liberty (11) (3-0), Defeated Whitehall, 49-9, (2)
3. Upper St. Clair (7) (3-0), Defeated Connellsville, 41-0, (3)
4. Easton Area (11), (3-0), Defeated William Allen, 34-6, (4)
5. Neshaminy (1) (3-0), Defeated Germantown, 49-6, (5)
6. North Penn (1) (3-0), Defeated Souderton, 24-0, (6)
7. Gateway (7) (2-1), Defeated Baldwin, 35-7, (7)
8. Ridley (1), (2-0), Defeated Penncrest, 19-3, (8)
9. Parkland (11)(3-0), Defeated Bethlehem Freedom, 20-3, (9)
10. Downingtown West (1) (3-0), Defeated Chester, 26-2, (OTW)

Others To Watch:

Abington (1) (2-1)
Altoona (6) (2-1)
Bishop McDevitt (3) (2-1)
Cathedral Prep (10), (2-1)
Central Bucks South (1) (3-0)
Conestoga (1) (3-0)
Cumberland Valley (3) (3-0)
Delaware Valley (2) (3-0)
Downingtown East (1) (3-0)
Harrisburg (3) (2-1)
McKeesport (7)(2-1)
McDowell (10) (3-0)
North Allegheny (7) (3-0)
State College (6) (2-1)
Wyoming Valley West (2) (3-0)
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Class AAA:

1. Thomas Jefferson (7), (3-0), Defeated Elizabeth-Forward, 73-7, (1)
2. Hopewell (7) (3-0), Defeated Ambridge, 32-7, (3)
3. Red Land (3)(3-0), Defeated East Pennsboro, 21-20 (OT) (4)
4. Gettysburg (3)(3-0), Defeated Big Spring, 38-7, (5)
5. Berwick (2)(3-0), Defeated Dallas, 50-22, (6)
6. Pine-Richland (7)(3-0), Defeated Franklin Regional, 37-0, (7)
7. West Scranton (2) (2-1), Lost to Dunmore, 19-13 (OT), (2)
8. Titusville (10) (3-0), Defeated Oil City, 41-0, (8)
9. Garnet Valley (1) (3-0), Defeated Chichester, 41-0, (9)
10. Daniel Boone (3) (3-0), Defeated Twin Valley, 44-7, (OTW)
.

Others To Watch:
Blackhawk (7)(2-1)
Blue Mountain (11) (2-1)
Elizabethtown (3) (3-0)
Hershey (3) (3-0)
Hollidaysburg (6) (3-0)
Indian Valley (6) (3-0)
New Castle (7) (3-0)
Northern York (3) (3-0)
Northwestern Lehigh (11) (2-1)
Pottsgrove (1) (3-0)
Pottsville (11)(2-1)
Selinsgrove (4)(2-1)
Strath Haven (1) (2-1)
Strong Vincent (10) (2-1)
Trinity (7) (2-1)
Unionville (1) (3-0)
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Class AA:

1. Jeannette (7) (3-0), Defeated Yough, 53-0, (1)
2. Lansdale Catholic (1) (3-0), Defeated Boyertown, 28-13, (3)
3. Dunmore (2) (3-0), Defeated West Scranton, 19-13(OT), (7)
4. Tyrone Area (6) (3-0), Defeated Penns Valley, 10-3,(4)
5. Lakeland (7) (2-1), Lost to Abington Heights, 21-7, (2)
6. Fairview (10) (3-0), Defeated Seneca, 54-0, (6)
7. Aliquippa (7) (2-1), Defeated Freedom Area, 26-0, (8)
8. Wilson Area (11) (3-0), Defeated Catasauqua, 29-19, (9)
9. Montoursville (4) (3-0), Defeated Hughesville, 27-7, (10)
10. Wyoming Area (2) (3-0), Defeated Elmer L. Meyers, 27-0, (OTW)

Others To Watch:
Beaver Falls (7) (3-0)
Bishop McCort (6)(3-0)
Burrell (7) (3-0)
Danville (4) (2-1)
Ford City (7) (3-0)
Greensburg Central Catholic (7) (3-0)
Greenville (10) (3-0)
Jim Thorpe (11) (3-0)
Mars Area (7) (3-0)
Northern Lehigh (11) (3-0)
Philipsburg-Osceola (6) (3-0)
Steel Valley (7) (3-0)
Trinity (D-3) (3) (3-0)
Wilmington (10) (2-1)
Wyomissing (3), (2-1)
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Class A:

1. Steelton-Highspire (3) (3-0), Defeated Pius X, 47-6 (1)
2. Clairton (7)(3-0), Defeated Apollo-Ridge, 50-8 (2)
3. Marian Catholic (11) (3-0), Defeated Mahanoy Area, 17-0, (4)
4. Millersburg (3) (2-1), Defeated Juniata, 18-0, (6)
5. Shenandoah Valley (11) (3-0), Defeated Tamaqua, 20-13, (7)
6. Serra Catholic (7) (3-0), Defeated Avella, 66-6, (8)
7. Bloomsburg (4), (3-0), Defeated Warrior Run, 19-18, (9)
8. Southern Columbia (4) (2-1), Defeated Mount Carmel Area, 31-14, (10)
9. Pius X (11) (2-1), Lost to Steelton-Highspire, 47-6, (3)
10. Cameron County (9) (3-0), Defeated Coudersport, 28-16, (OTW)

Others To Watch:
Beth Center (7) (2-1)
Coudersport (9)(2-1)
Eisenhower (10) (3-0)
Kane (9) (3-0)
Ligonier Valley (6) (3-0)
Line Mountain (4)(3-0)
Monaca (7) (3-0)
Mercyhurst Prep (10)(3-0)
Meyersdale (5)(3-0)
Minersville (11) (3-0)
Redbank Valley (9) (3-0)
Rochester Area (7) (2-1)
Saegertown (10) (3-0)
Springdale (7)(3-0)
Western Beaver (7) (3-0)
Windber Area (5) (3-0)

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Friday, September 14, 2007
The High School Football Huddle - Nice high school football blog. I found it using google blog search. Google blog search must be one of the most frustrating tools on the internet. It is filled with spam blogs, yet no matter how much I blog about North Penn football, this blog never shows up.

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