Roll back the calendar to a cold Friday night in early December.
The North Penn football team’s dream of capturing a state title had just come to an end in the District One AAAA title game, and J.D. Dzurko was one of a handful of Knights still on the field in the rapidly emptying stadium at Coatesville High School.
More difficult to swallow than the loss for the Knights’ standout offensive lineman was the reality that his football playing days at North Penn were over.
“This program meant everything to me,” Dzurko said after the Knights fell to Ridley 19-10. “This football program has made me the person that I am, and I’m so proud to be a part of the North Penn Knights.
“I’m going to be Blue and Blue for the rest of my life.”
On Monday night, Dzurko and his senior teammates will write the final chapter to their high school football careers at their team’s year-end banquet. They leave behind a legacy that underclassmen will do well to emulate.
It is a legacy of perseverance and pride.
“We didn’t get what we wanted,” Dzurko said of his team’s ultimate goal of a state crown. “But a couple of years ago if someone had said that this group of seventh graders is going to go all the way to the district final in Quad A football when they’re seniors, people would have laughed at us.
“No way anyone would have seen this coming, but we grew together, we fought together.”
In a year many had written off as simply a season between great seasons, North Penn captured the SOL Continental Conference title, won 13 straight and was the state’s top-ranked team for the better part of the season and also found itself ranked nationally in USA Today.
“People thought we weren’t going to do anything, and it was going to be the worst year for North Penn,” senior Mike Culbreath said. “But a lot of the seniors stepped up and took it personally that everyone thought we weren’t going to do anything and just worked hard all year.”
That hard work paid big dividends.
Six seniors – Dzurko, Culbreath, Todd Smolinsky, Jason Wrigley, T.J. Gill and Dylan Harris – earned first team all-league honors. Tyler Scherer and Andrew Poe were named to the second team while Steve Tribanas and Anthony Ortiz earned third team honors.
Many of those seniors were virtually unknown when the season began.
“This senior group just came out of nowhere,” coach Dick Beck said. “Mike Culbreath was a no-name guy on our defense who did his job and wasn’t too flashy, and as a senior, he just had a great year and maybe was the best player on the field when we played Ridley.
“Todd Smolinsky just had a lights-out year and was the conference player of the year after not starting the year before at quarterback. That tells you a lot about him and his perseverance and being a team guy.
“Steve Tribanis – I would have never said would have started when he was a sophomore and junior, and he really had a great year at center and was third team all-league.
“Kevin Harrell was another kid that I never thought would ever start for us and really had a solid year for us playing offensive guard and tackle.
“Jason Wrigley last year was suspended from the team and bounced back from that and was first team all-league and maybe the best corner in our league.
“T.J. Gill wasn’t even going to play football and at the last second decided to play and was first team all-league safety and really came into his own in the playoffs as a receiver and was a tremendous leader. Those are the guys people didn’t know much about.”
Those are the guys who simply persevered.
“They were unselfish as juniors playing on the scout team, paying their dues and working in the offseason, knowing everything they got was earned,” Beck said. “Nothing was handed to them.
“They worked hard for everything they got. There are not enough good things I can say about them.”
This group of seniors, according to Culbreath, never lost faith in each other.
“We just did everything together and just always brought each other up,” he said. “When one person would think they would never play or start, another person would pick them up and say, ‘You can start. You’re going to be good.’
“We had a great year, a better season than people would have thought that the senior class would put out.”
Beck credited the leadership of several of those seniors.
“Mike Culbreath, Todd Smolinsky, J.D. Dzurko – those guys really led us, and they did it in a very positive, lead-by-example first (way),” he said. “I always say it’s hard to be a good leader if you don’t lead by example first. These are guys that do it on and off the field every day. They don’t just talk about it, they live it – getting to school on time, doing their class work, acting the way they’re supposed to on and off the field.
“As players, they were outstanding. These guys set the tone.”
For many of the seniors, it was simply a matter of pursuing their dream of being part of one of the state’s premiere programs.
“People are growing up in elementary school and just waiting for their turn to play North Penn football,” Culbreath said. “We think it’s a big deal to play for North Penn.”
Dzurko remembers watching his older brother, Andy Dzurko, go through the program.
“He didn’t start, but he contributed to the team no matter what,” J.D. said of his older sibling. “I grew up, I was chasing him. When I got here, I knew this would mean everything to me.”
The seniors have been together for quite a few years, many languishing on a middle school team that didn’t win a game, but they worked hard, and their sophomore team was 6-0.
“I’m sure several years ago not many people thought this would be a great senior class,” Dzurko said. “The funny thing about our school district is that our middle school teams tend to get pushed around.
“Our class never was considered bad, but we never had stars. We didn’t have a Ronnie Akins or Brandon McManus, but what we did have was a bunch of kids that were dedicated. We’ve been working so long and so hard. We just stick together no matter what.”
They came into their final season expecting good things.
“We just worked so hard, and we knew what we wanted coming into the season,” Smolinsky said. “We were focused.
“We knew we didn’t have the talent we had last year. We just wanted to come out and prove to everyone what type of football players we were.”
Being part of the program is about more than simply winning football games.
“These are going to be friends that I have for the rest of my life, and I’m so happy to have known them,” Dzurko said.
“You build a family,” Culbreath added. “You’re with your class all three years. You get to know them and build friendships and strong relationships.
“You never forget what happened in those three years at North Penn. It’s just always in your memory.”
“It was amazing,” Smolinsky said. “Just the camaraderie between the guys – it was an outstanding season.
And members of the Class of 2010 leave with more memories than they can count.
“How many times as you go through life do you hear people talk about their football stories?” Beck said. “Well, these guys lived it.
“They did win a (conference) championship, they were in a district championship, they were ranked in USA Today, and they were ranked the number one team in the state and the area.
“You hear war stories. These guys lived it. They have these memories forever.”
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