Scott Huff previews North Penn's PIAA Class AAAA title game against Central Dauphin.
By Scott Huff
North Penn is sometimes referred to as the ‘Evil Empire’ due to its sizeable school enrollment.
But the 2011 Knights do not have Division One football players littered all over the gridiron (e.g. Archbishop Wood). In fact, North Penn most likely has none. Ralphie Reeves, Dan Gevirtz, and Shayne Watson project to be the elite collegiate prospects on the Knight roster – and those players will probably play at the Division I-AA level.
But yet North Penn is playing for a PIAA Quad-A state championship this Saturday at Hersheypark Arena against Central Dauphin - kickoff is at 6 pm.
“We are the consummate high school football team,” said North Penn head coach Dick Beck. “The whole of this team is far better than the individual parts. We have 22 different parts that we have to put together on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball. We have to rely on each other as a team to be successful.”
The offense has been unfailing in almost every game this season. Quarterback Corey Ernst has used many Knight weapons such as Gevirtz, James Fielder, and Kyle Mayfield to put some nice numbers on the scoreboard.
“We like to spread the ball around on offense,” said Beck. “We will play the hot hand. Whatever is working, we will go back to it. We feel that we have enough weapons to make that work.”
However, it has been the emergence of the North Penn defense that has punched the ticket to Hershey. Reeves is the ‘quarterback’ of that crew, and the Knight defense has been relentless over the second half of the season.
“We made some changes along the defensive line that really has made a huge change in the way we play defense,” said Beck. “Once we moved George Shipp to defensive end and Josh Cook to defensive tackle, we became a more consistent defensive football team.”
A 2011 North Penn Knight football team that has earned its respect as a team of winners – without the influx of Division One football players.
Last Week
North Penn advanced to the PIAA Quad-A state final gamewith a 21-14 victory over nemesis La Salle. Knight senior fullback/tight end/linebacker Ralphie Reeves bulled his way for three touchdowns on runs of one, 10, and one yards. Senior Dan Gevirtz accounted for 110 yards of total offense on 12 rushes and four pass receptions. Senior running back James Fielder rushed for a game-high 104 yards on 19 carries. Quarterback Corey Ernst was an efficient 7 of 12 passing for 81 yards. The Knights posted 20 first downs and accumulated 363 yards of total offense against the District 12 champions.
Central Dauphin advanced to the PIAA Quad-A state final game with a 23-20 victory over defending state champion North Allegheny. The Rams won the game on the final play of the game when placekicker Evan Brandes spilt the uprights on a 21-yard field goal. Central Dauphin had taken a 20-7 lead in the game on the strength of touchdown runs by Zayd Issah (3 yards), Drew Scales (53 yards), and Adam Hollinger (28 yards). The Rams finished the game with 126 yards rushing on 31 carries, while quarterback Brandon LaVia completed 12 of 19 passes for 112 yards. Bobby Schaffer was the leading receiver for CD as he caught five balls for 48 yards.
Tale of the Tape
The North Penn Knights are ranked #6 in the Quad-A division in the state of Pennsylvania by MaxPreps.com. North Penn has scored an average of 32.6 points per game and has allowed an average of 14.0 points per game. That computes to a + 18.6 points per game. The Knights have lost games this season to La Salle (44-27) and St. Joseph Prep (51-33).
The Central Dauphin Rams are ranked #1 in the Quad-A division in the state of Pennsylvania by MaxPreps.com. Central Dauphin has scored an average of 31.3 points per game and has allowed an average of 14.4 points per game. That computes to a + 16.9 points per game. The Rams only loss of the season came on September 10 against Bishop McDevitt (Harrisburg) – 20-13.
Players To Watch
North Penn has featured a balanced offensive attackthe entire season. The leading rusher going into the game with Central Dauphin is Kyle Mayfield with 1352 yards on 195 carries (6.9) and 10 touchdowns. His role has been diminished though, and the Knights have relied on James Fielder and Dan Gevirtz in recent games. Fielder has rushed for 755 yards on 126 carries (6.0) and seven touchdowns, while Gevirtz has rushed for 602 yards on 62 carries (9.7) and six scores. The touchdown maker for North Penn has been Ralphie Reeves, a blue chip short yardage back who has scored 16 touchdowns on his 39 rushing attempts this season. Quarterback Corey Ernst had been terrific with 25 touchdown passes and only five interceptions this season. Ernst has completed 146 passes (62.9%) for 2069 yards for a 14.2 average per reception. Gevirtz is his favorite target with 918 yards on 56 receptions (16.4) and nine touchdowns.
Central Dauphin is more of a run-first offense but has also thrown the pass. The leading rusher for the Rams has been all-purpose back Zayd Issah who has rushed for a team-high 1285 yards (5.9) and 20 touchdowns. Drew Scales has rushed for 845 yards (6.7) and seven touchdowns, while Adam Hollinger has added 620 rushing yards (7.2) and four touchdowns. Quarterback Brandon LaVia has completed 94 passes (57.7%) for 1415 yards with 15 touchdowns and nine interceptions. His leading receiver is Issah with 29 receptions for 672 yards (23.3) and 10 touchdowns.
North Penn head coach Dick Beck said:
“Central Dauphin is a team that is battle tested this year and has shown the ability to win the close football games. They won their last four playoff games by a touchdown or less (see below) and can handle adversity. They have good size along the line, and #1 (Zayd Issah) is a 6-4 junior running back that is going to have hundreds of college offers when he is done playing high school ball. To be able to get to this game, you have to be a good football team, and that is what we expect to see when we get to Hershey.”
Trip to Hersheypark Arena
North Penn (13-2) – Lost to La Salle (44-27);defeated Lansdale Catholic (36-6); Lost to St. Joseph Prep (51-33); defeated Central Bucks South (28-14); defeated Central Bucks East (35-0); defeated Central Bucks West (40-14); defeated Quakertown (35-0); defeated Souderton (37-14); defeated Hatboro-Horsham (40-8); defeated Pennridge (27-0); defeated West Chester Rustin (48-21); defeated Neshaminy (21-7); defeated Pennsbury (27-3); defeated Council Rock South (34-14); and defeated La Salle 21-7.
Central Dauphin (14-1) – Defeated Manheim Township (28-21); Lost to Bishop McDevitt (20-13); defeated Delaware Valley Charter (42-6); defeated Mechanicsburg (42-7); defeated Central Dauphin East (49-7); defeated Cumberland Valley (17-7); defeated Harrisburg (35-7); defeated Carlisle 35-16; defeated State College (26-17); defeated Chambersburg (42-14); defeated Central Dauphin East (30-0); defeated Cedar Cliff (35-32); defeated Central York (28-21); defeated Wilson (24-21); and defeated North Allegheny (23-20).
Memory Lane – 2003 North Penn Knights – State Champions
The 2003 North Penn Knights were unbeaten in 15 games and featured some impressive offensive numbers over the course of the season. The Knights showcased the talents of Kevin Akins who rushed the ball 191 times for 2065 yards and 24 touchdowns. Quarterback Adam Hearns was the second leading rusher with 809 yards and 12 touchdowns. Hearns completed 59 passes for 1666 yards – threw 13 touchdown passes – and only one interception. Hearns favorite receiver was Deanco Oliver who caught 36 passes for 672 yards and nine touchdowns. North Penn generated 312.2 yards per game rushing the football – 92.6 yards per game passing the football – and totaled 404.8 yards of total offense.
- Log in to post comments
