For one team, it’s a chance to add to a storied collection of titles and avenge last year’s season ending loss; for the other, it’s the biggest game in the program’s history.
This Friday, #2 North Penn Knights (11-2, 5-2) will take the 16 mile trip to Perkasie to face #1 Pennridge Rams (12-1, 6-1) in the District One Championship at Helman Field.
The appearance is North Penn’s second consecutive, having been defeated by Downingtown West last year, 35-16. The Knights are chasing their eighth district title, while the Rams are pursuing their first.
“The experience from last year’s championship helps because we know that hard feeling of losing in the championship and I can speak for the whole team,” standout junior Rylei Gray said. “We do not want to feel that way again.”
This Pennridge team’s season has been anything but expected. Having won just 9 games in the past three years combined paired with 24 losses, who would have predicted the Rams to win twelve games, let alone three playoff games for the first time in the schools 72 years of football?
When these two teams met in mid-September, it was the Rams who came away victorious with a 34-10 win, their first win over North Penn since 2012. With the Knights trailing just 6-3 at halftime, Pennridge ran away with the game in the second half on the back of four total touchdowns from senior quarterback Noah Keating and two interceptions from the Rams defense. Before that, Keating was five years old the last time Pennridge beat North Penn in football.
“Those interceptions were on no one but myself so the only adjustments are with me. I got to be better,” North Penn senior quarterback Matt Bucksar said.
“Keating’s a really good player, so we just have to keep the pressure on him and can’t let him extend any plays. If we keep him in the pocket and force him into tough decisions, we give ourselves a good chance to slow down their whole offense, and win the game,” senior captain Dom Tranzilli added.
Since that fateful night, the Knights have been winners of 8 straight, including a revenge win over Neshaminy last week in the District semifinal. As the lights have gotten brighter, so have the Knights. In the playoffs, North Penn has allowed just 11.7 points per game while averaging 40 offensively.
“Our run game has really been our spark, we have been running the ball great these past games and it’s really taken pressure off me,” Bucksar said.
“The defense has been huge for us during this streak ever since we lost to [Pennridge] early in the season. We have changed a few more positions around, brought in guys who weren’t in before,” Tranzilli said. “We’ve gotten a lot more disciplined, we’re tackling better, and everyone is doing their job. It takes a ton of pressure off of the offense when we’re getting stops and giving us great field position.”
Similar to North Penn, Pennridge owns a 8-0 record at home this year, and has won five straight since their only loss this season to Central Bucks West. Their margin of victory in the playoffs hasn’t been as clear cut as the Knights though, only scoring an average of 20 while giving up 14.7. Their defense has stepped up big time, notching three interceptions in the past two games.
North Penn had beaten CBW earlier this year, and against common opponents the Knights are 7-1 compared to Pennridge’s 6-1. Since 1980, the Knights are 24-5-1 against Pennridge, and the all-time standing sit at 39-26-2. Back in 2004, North Penn got blown out by the Rams 24-8 in the regular season. In the second round of district playoffs later that year, the tables were turned as North Penn came out on top 24-21.
“The whole energy of the locker room to the field feels different; we seemed to find our confidence later in the season and it’s showing now,” Gray said. “I think last week’s win [over Neshaminy] shows our whole team that even though we lost to a team doesn’t mean we cannot come back and beat them; it’s very possible…I’m not taking a loss for an answer this year so I’m going to give it all I have like there’s no tomorrow.”
This matchup will be North Penn’s 15th District One Championship appearance, and the winner will play the winner of District 12 champion La Salle (10-1) and. District 11 champion Easton (13-0).
“I’ve been up on the team for four years and a lot of seniors are three year starters and we know how hard we work and how much we have done to get to this point. The legacy means a lot,” Bucksar said.
“We just have to stay locked in and keep our mind straight. No thinking ahead or backwards,” Gray concluded.
Get your tickets here for Friday’s 7:00 PM District One Championship!
