North Penn earned a come-from-behind win over Pennridge, setting the stage for next Friday night’s showdown against Central Bucks West.
By Scott Huff
Fourth-and-one.
North Penn head coach Dick Beck rolled the dice on a fourth-and-one on his own 14-yard line with the Knights holding a tenuous 24-20 lead over Pennridge in the fourth quarter. Beck decided to feature Lewis Dickinson on that critical down, and the senior running back burst through the heart of the Ram defense for a 60-yard run to give the Knights a key first down. North Penn (5-3, 5-0) finished off the drive with a Nyfease West touchdown – and finished off the Rams (5-3, 1-3) - 31-20.
“There was never a question about whether or not to go for it,” said Beck. “Pennridge is too talented a team offensively to give the ball back in their hands.”
The victory sets up next week’s Suburban One League Continental Conference showdown with Central Bucks West. The Bucks (7-1, 5-0) routed Hatboro-Horsham 47-21 to set up the battle of the conference unbeatens. The game will be played next Friday – at CB West.
However, the showdown at War Memorial Field would not have taken place without a superior effort by the Knights against the Rams.
“The second half of this game might be the best we have played all season – maybe the last four or five years,” insisted Beck. “It was a total team effort, and everyone seemed to pick everyone else up.”
The North Penn offensive numbers spoke for themselves. West – the slender sophomore speedster – rushed for a game-high 119 yards on 24 carries and scored two touchdowns. Senior quarterback Austin Shearer completed 12 passes for 130 yards and scored on a 15-yard run, and fullback Luke Berry rambled for 93 yards on 15 carries. Matt Ammendola kicked a 32-yard field goal and was a perfect 4-4 on extra points.
But lost in the spotlight was the wonderful job that Knight senior cornerback Kris Akins turned in on the defensive side of the football. Akins literally played man-to-man defense against the splendid wide receiver of Pennridge – Micah Stutzman. Stutzman – who has recorded sparking numbers in receptions, yardage, and touchdowns – was limited this night.
The Stutzman line was three catches for 39 yards and a touchdown. Not bad – but well below his seasonal average.
“We said all week that if we can’t contain Stutzman, Pennridge could beat us,” said Beck. “Kris watched a lot of film – a lot of film – and he played great. Really, the touchdown pass Stutzman caught came after our end lost contain and the quarterback had seven or eight seconds to throw the ball. That surely isn’t Kris’ fault.”
“I noticed on film that he was very tall, could jump well, and had great hands,” said Akins who began the season as a starting running back for the Knights. “I have concentrated on being the best defensive player that I can be, and we win these games as a team. Pennridge beat us last year, and that was all the motivation we needed.”
North Penn scored the only points of the first period to take a 3-0 lead. Ammendola blasted a 32-yard field goal to cap off a 10-play Knight drive. Showcased in that drive were two pass completions from Shearer to Justin Hudimac for 24 yards.
Pennridge would snatch the lead with an 11-play scoring drive that covered 80 yards. Senior quarterback Matt DiPasquale fired a 13-yard scoring pass to Stutzman – and Peter Psomiadas added the placement to present the Rams with a 7-3 lead.
Pennridge would expand its lead to 14-3 later in the second period. DiPasquale executed a terrific play fake on fourth-and-one and jetted down the sideline for a 56-yard scoring run.
North Penn would close to 14-10 with a second period scoring drive of its own. The Knights moved 60-yards on nine plays on the scoring drive with Dickinson earning scoring honors with a 2-yard blast. Dickinson would carry the ball just two times – but both carries were huge for the winners.
A North Penn drive late in the first half ended on the final play of the first half when Ram defensive back Michael Class intercepted a pass in the end zone.
The Knights would snatch a 17-14 lead on their first possession of the second half. Shearer made the most of a busted play and dashed 15-yards to pay dirt.
Pennridge would regain the lead for the final time at 20-17 when Class took a counter and darted 62-yards for a touchdown. Class finished with a team-high 93 yards on just 12 carries. It would prove to be the final time the Rams would lead in the game.
North Penn scored late in the third period to regain the lead as West carried the ball into the end zone on a 4-yard run. Featured in the scoring march was a 16-yard pass from Shearer to Nick Wright and a 10-yard run by Shearer.
The final score of the game came when West capped the seven-play – 95-yard scoring drive with a 15-yard burst. Ammendola concluded the scoring on the Homecoming Night with the extra point.
“This was a must win for this team,” said Shearer. “We made some adjustments in the second half, and I think we began to dominate the line of scrimmage. It just came down to the fact that we were tougher than them when we had to be.”
Like on fourth-and-one from the 14-yard line.
*******
Pennridge Rams 0 14 6 0 * 20
North Penn Knights 3 7 14 7 * 31
NP: Matt Ammendola 32 FG
P: Micah Stutzman 13 pass from Matt DiPasquale (Peter Psomiadas kick)
P: DiPasquale 56 run (Psomiadis kick)
NP: Lewis Dickinson 2 run (Ammendola kick)
NP: Austin Shearer 15 run (Ammendola kick)
P: Michael Class 62 run (run failed)
NP: Nyfease West 4 run (Ammendola kick)
NP: West 15 run (Ammendola kick)
Pennridge Rams North Penn Knights
12 First Downs 22
167 Yards Rushing 318
100 Yards Passing 130
267 Total Offense 448
4-38 Punts / Average 2-30
3-30 Penalties / Yards 6-60
Pennridge:
Rushing: Michael Class 12-93& TD; Matt DiPasquale 7-58 & TD; Logan Turk 4-9; Jon Unganst 4-5; Ryan Sterling 1-2. Totals 28-167 & 2 TD.
Passing: DiPasquale 7-14-0; 100 yards & TD.
Receiving: Micah Stutzman 3-39 & TD; Class 3-44; and Unganst 1-17. Totals 7-100 & TD.
Interceptions: Class
North Penn:
Rushing: Nyfease West 24-119 & 2 TD; Luke Berry 15-93; Dickinson 2-62 & TD; Austin Shearer 8-38 & TD; Justin Hudimac 1-6. Totals 50-318 & 4 TD.
Passing: Shearer 12-20-1; 130 yards.
Receiving: Hudimac 5-60; Nick Wright 4-41; Berry 1-13; West 1-10; Brandon Quinn 1-6. Totals 12-130.
Interceptions: None.
- Log in to post comments
