North Penn rallied to defeat defending Class AAA state champion Archbishop Wood 24-10 on Saturday night.
They didn't complete a pass. Tried only three passes.
You would think, in order to beat the powerhouse that is Archbishop Wood - so strong up front and tough to run against - that you would have to keep them off-balance with the passing game.
But it was a wet night, not conducive to passing, and ultimately the running backs of North Penn - a perennial powerhouse itself - were on fire.
North Penn had the ball for only nine offensive plays in the first half of its Saturday night showdown with defending Class AAA state champ Wood. The Vikings had it for 38 and were threatening to run the Knights out of the stadium, with nearly 200 yards rushing through the first two quarters.
But the tables turned dramatically, starting with Steve Gozur's game-changing takeaway and breakaway.
With Wood leading 10-0 with about 10 minutes left in the first half, and encamped at the North Penn 8-yard line, threatening to take a probably insurmountable 17-0 lead, Gozur stripped the ball from Wood running back Laquille Nesbitt and was off to the races, going 94 yards for a touchdown to put the Knights back in the game.
After that, every phase of North Penn's team became electrically energized, particularly the running game led by juniors Kyle Mayfield and Gozur. They would combine for nearly 200 yards rushing - Mayfield 135, Gozur 60 - and behind gritty line play, they led North Penn's transformation to a cathartic 24-10 victory, snapping Wood's 15-game winning streak.
The versatility of Gozur, a standout linebacker as well as hard-running back, was on full display. Coach Dick Beck had planned to use Gozur in many places this season, capitalizing on the 6-foot, 200-pounder's athleticism, nose for the ball, toughness and instincts. As a sophomore he played some backup quarterback before moving into receiver and defensive back roles. Beck especially values his defense, but he knows he doesn't have to rest Gozur as much the coach would like because Gozur just loves to play and makes an impact everywhere. As evidenced against Wood, he can play at a high level wherever, and especially whenever, the Knights need him.
"When we went into camp I wanted to give him a shot to win the quarterback position, because he's such a great athlete," Beck said. "After the second week, we realized he wasn't going to play quarterback. After last week, it was so hot I didn't want to give him the ball too much, but you saw when he got the ball (against La Salle) how explosive he was. Steve's such a good player for us."
Of Gozur and Mayfield as a backfield duo, Beck went on: "Gozer and Mayfield were incredible tonight. I mean, every yard they earned. They knew where the sticks were and they found them."
Gozur found himself with the ball and Nesbitt found himself without it at a most important time for North Penn. Both teams had trouble with fumbling in the rainy conditions; North Penn lost the ball on consecutive kickoff returns in the first half, leading to a Wood field goal and also enabling the Vikings to knock on the door at the North Penn 8 with a 10-0 lead.
"I just try to do whatever I can to help the team," Gozur said. "I was going in for the tackle, and I just ripped the ball out. Luckily it was just right in my arms. I had blockers for me and I was set to go."
The Vikings never scored again, and the energized North Penn defense throttled them the rest of the evening. Meanwhile, Mayfield and Gozur propelled the Knights' second-half charge, the two of them combining for 171 yards on the ground the last two quarters. Mayfield responded to a Wood fumble with an immediate 13-yard TD, and later, on fourth-and-one at the Viking 40, he sped outside and down the sideline for the clinching touchdown.
"They had a lot of guys in the middle and didn't have a guy in the hard contain position," Beck said of Wood's defensive alignment, "so I figured if we got to the edge, even if we didn't have a guy block the D-backs, I thought Mayfield could either run 'em over or make 'em miss. And let me give credit to (tight end) Mike Berstecher, who played quarterback all during camp and is now playing tight end. He was the guy we were running behind on those pitches. He made a great block, and Mayfield's just awesome."
It was a huge win for North Penn, last year's Class AAAA state finalist that, despite losing six starters on each side of the ball, as usual appears to be reloading rather than rebuilding. Beck's typically tough pre-conference scheduling is a test to see where the Knights stand early in this season's development, and with Mayfield and Gozur leading the way, the Knights passed this one with flying colors. After a frustrating 20-7 loss to powerful La Salle in the opener, North Penn really needed this one before preparing to play another toughie, St. Joseph's Prep, next week.
"We just played with so much enthusiasm," Gozur said. "Last week versus La Salle, we were so flat. This week, someone made a good play, we all patted them on the back, and our enthusiasm just carried us.
"It's all about heart. We were down 10-nothing, we came back with 24 unanswered points. It just says everything about our team - heart."
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