PENNRIDGE- It was a ball game at Pennridge on Saturday night as North Penn (3-2) faced Pennridge (3-2). The two top Suburban One Continental Conference squads battled it out until the final whistle, but it was the Knights who clinched the win 45-35 in the fourth quarter.

Within the first few plays led by Pennridge quarterback Zak Kantor, the Rams earned an early touchdown (8:51, Ryan Garner, 7 yards). However, the lead only lasted for eleven seconds as North Penn’s KJ Cartwright used his wheels to answer back for the Knights (8:40, 65 yards).

“That was really big for us. We just stayed composed and took it down the field on them,” said quarterback Steve Depaul.

The Rams’ momentum got going again after Kyle Schetter had a 58 yard run that brought Pennridge one yard from the end zone. It was then Nick Tarburton, the 6’ 4’’ 240lb running back, that plowed through the Knights line for another Pennridge touchdown (6:28).

“After that we knew we couldn’t back down; we were in for a long night,” said Henley.

Towards the end of the first quarter, the Knights looked prosperous under the leadership of DePaul. The junior quarterback had two passing connections with Owen Thomas and utilized running back KJ Cartwright who brought the Knights to the 2 yard line after three carries. Khan Jamal punched it in for a touchdown and that left the score tied 14-14 at the end of the quarter (1:43).

The second quarter was all about North Penn. Just seconds into the quarter, a pass by Kantor was intercepted by Justis Henley and taken deep into Rams’ territory.  

A pass from DePaul to AJ Catanzaro put the Knights in scoring position, and it was Dars Bowsky who took it over the line for another touchdown (7:15, 3 yards).

“Our offense really clicked tonight. We moved the ball and executed very well on the third and fourth downs,” said DePaul.

The Pennridge offense was struggling after many incomplete passes and only a few yards gained on the ground, so they were forced to punt. North Penn looked to be struggling as well until DePaul got the ball in the air to Thomas. Thomas made the pass a 56 yard touchdown as the Knights took the lead 28-14 (1:11).

“It was a great momentum swing, and it always feels great when we score,” said Thomas.

Just as the second quarter was all about North Penn, the third was all about Pennridge. The Rams were loaded on the ground with big runs by Tarburton, Garner, and Schetter.  The three guys ran through the Knights and it was Tarburton who made the touchdown (9:10, 1 yard).  

Things looked a little rocky for the Knights after DePaul was sacked by Tarburton for a loss of 8 yards; the Knights had to send out Noah Clemens to punt the ball away. The Rams kept the momentum after a 31 yard pass to Tucker Chaikin. Then a reverse handoff by Kantor to Ryan Angelini was good for another Pennridge touchdown that tied the game 28-28 (1:23, 18 yards).

With the game tied up, the fourth quarter was all about execution. North Penn scored first with a run by Jamal (9:29, 1 yard). DePaul threw the ball to Jamal later in the quarter for another touchdown, putting the Knights ahead 42-28 (2:40, 10 yards).

“Coach [Beck] put his trust in me, I knew I had to score on [those plays],” said Jamal.

The Rams continued to make plays happen. After the kickoff by Kelly Macnamara was received on the 6 yard line, Garner tore past Knights for a 94 yard touchdown (2:34).  What sealed the deal for the Knights was a 36 yard field goal by Macnamara which won them the game 45-35 (1:20).

“I thought we played okay. They are one of the best teams in the league right now. Offensively we scored a lot of points, but on defense there were a lot of mistakes that we need to fix up,” said Matt Bevan.

“We battled the whole game. We knew it was going to be a tough one coming into the game, but I think we played to the final whistle to get the win,” said Henley.

The Knights will face CB South at home next Thursday for a Suburban One Continental Conference showdown.