North Penn’s defense allowed Neshaminy to amass just 117 yards of total offense in Friday night’s District One AAAA second round contest – a 21-7 North Penn win.
TOWAMENCIN – Roll back the calendar to Oct. 22, 2004.
On that date, North Penn and Neshaminy squared off in a classic battle between the perennial SOL powers. It took two overtimes to determine a winner with the Knights eking out a 31-30 win.
North Penn’s Ralph Reeves – then in fifth grade – remembers it well.
“I was water boy, and I was at the game at Wissahickon when we won in double overtime,” the senior captain said. “We pulled that (game) out with Pete Stoll running the ball.
“I was at all the playoff games. Growing up as a kid, it was like, ‘Wow, I can’t wait until I play this team.’”
Three times in the last three years, Reeves and his Knight teammates did battle with the Redskins in the postseason, but a fourth showdown against their archrival seemed all but impossible.
Until, that is, a remarkable chain of events.
It began with Neshaminy upsetting Pennsbury on the Falcons’ home field in the final regular season game and, as a result, sneaking into the District One AAAA playoffs as the 14th seed.
The Redskins – an underdog on paper only – weren’t finished yet. They humbled third-seeded Unionville 28-0 on its home field in last week’s opening round. All that remained in order to set up yet another meeting between the storied high school programs was for 11th-seeded North Penn to upset sixth-seeded Bayard Rustin. The Knights happily obliged, downing Rustin 48-21 and setting the stage for
North Penn-Neshaminy, Chapter 4, for Reeves and company.
Unlike the preceding three meetings – all lopsided wins for North Penn, Friday night’s second round district game was a war, but sparked by their relentless defense, the Knights prevailed, earning a 21-7 win over a gritty Redskin squad.
“Everyone has their own jobs, and we all did our own jobs tonight,” senior Danny Wynne said of the Knights’ defense. “We weren’t trying to make a big play – we were just doing what we were told to do.
“We executed all the plays, and we played great defense. They had a couple of big (passing) plays, but we came back and stopped them on the run, stopped them on the pass.”
The Knights limited the Redskins to just 117 yards of total offense. Neshaminy had only five first downs in 48 minutes – two over the final 38.
“Our captains – me, Ralphie and Dan Gevirtz – we just try and keep our players going,” senior Shay
ne Watson said. “When we have a lot of energy – that’s how defense wins the game. You have to keep your players going. Everybody is strong, and if everybody does their job, you get that ‘W.’
“When it’s a good game like this, I feel like we have energy. Everybody is more hyped and excited to go at it even harder, and I think that’s what we did.”
The Knights held Neshaminy standout Sean Ulmer to just 40 yards on 17 carries. His longest run of the night was for seven yards.
“We knew he had great speed, and we knew he would try and hit the corner,” Wynne said. “He’s really an elusive back, so we knew as long as we contained his speed, our middle linebackers were going to fill and make the plays inside.
“We all just had to play as a team and play hard. If you mess up one play, you just have to look forward to the next play, and that’s what we did.”
Wynne – who had a six-yard touchdown reception to seal the win - delivered one of several huge hits on the night, standing up Ulmer with a bone-jarring tackle for a five-yard loss after a screen pass in the third quarter.
“It’s exciting,” Wynne said of the play. “I would rather have that (hit) than an interception. It’s a big adrenaline rush.”
In the end, it all came down to execution on defense, and the key, according to Watson, is discipline.
“Everybody has to be doing the correct thing at practice,” he said. “If one thing is wrong, we get yelled at by the coach, and we’ll get it together eventually. That’s what builds a strong defense.”
The Knights’ defense stole the spotlight in Friday night’s win, propelling North Penn to the big win in front of a large and enthusiastic home crowd.
“There’s nothing better than playoffs,” Watson said. “It’s high school football – you only get one chance, and I dream every night about playing my next game.
“It’s great playing Neshaminy. They’re a hard-fighting team, and I feel as though when we play them, it only makes it better for our next opponent.”
“Being able to play (Neshaminy) all four years is something special, and I love it,” added Reeves, who had an interception in Friday's win. “It doesn’t get any better than this.”
The Knights’ senior captain paused and then added, “Until next week.”
Next week, the Knights will do battle with another SOL foe when they will host Pennsbury in a district semifinal clash.
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