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By Scott Huff
TOWAMENCIN – The early action looked good for Souderton in its upset bid of Suburban One League Continental Conference power North Penn.The Big Red (4-4, 4-1) actually controlled the first period against the nationally-ranked Knights (8-0, 5-0); however, a trio of devastating turnovers in that first period kept the game scoreless.
And a North Penn big play offense came to life in the final three periods as the Knights rolled to a 27-6 victory.
“If we score on that one drive in the first period, go up 7-0, it might have been a different ballgame,” said Souderton head coach Ed Gallagher. “If we don’t turn the ball over (Souderton had five turnovers), we showed that we could play with them.”
The Indians moved the ball on their initial series of downs, but a fumble killed that first drive. But it was the second Souderton drive of the night that was the most disheartening for Big Red fans.
Souderton moved the ball from its own 32-yard line to the North Penn 9-yard line – first and goal. The highlight of the drive was a wonderful 34-yard pass from Connor Brokenshire to wide receiver Kyle Connolly.
On first down, Souderton running back Derek Brown bulled to the 5-yard line. On second down, Brown – who rushed for a game-high 127 yards on 30 carries – was separated from the football with the Knights recovering the ball.
“I don’t know,” said Gallagher. “Derek said he was down, but the refs didn’t agree. It was a tough call to go against us.”
“I told anyone who would listen that Souderton had the best offensive line we played against all year,” said North Penn head coach Dick Beck. “This was a great experience for us because we are going to see teams later in the year with offensive lines that are bigger than Souderton.
“I liked Souderton a lot for what I saw of them on film,” added Beck. “We made too many mental mistakes tonight, but I’m glad we met the challenge.”
North Penn could not move the ball and was forced to punt. Again, the Knight defense came up with a defensive gem as it recovered still a third Souderton fumble in the period.
The initial first down of the night for NP came on its last offensive play of the first period when quarterback Todd Smolinsky fired a 38-yard pass to tight end Ralphie Reeves.
The first score of the game came two plays after the Smolinsky-to-Reeves connection as Smolinsky scored on a 12-yard run. Dylan Harris added the PAT to give the Knights a 7-0 lead.
North Penn scored on its next possession as Harris concluded the scoring drive with a 29-yard field goal. The featured play of that drive was a 31-yard run on fourth-and-one by Smolinsky.
The Knight defense came up with a big play to set up a second Harris field goal – this one of 31 yards – to present North Penn with a 13-0 lead. Dan Gevirtz came up with an interception late in the second period to give NP excellent field position at the SAHS 30 yard line.
North Penn took control of the scoreboard on its initial series of the second half. Craig Needhammer – who rushed for a team-high 120 yards – bolted 46-yards to pay dirt. Harris made the placement to push the advantage to 20-0.
“We were a little sloppy in the first half,” said Needhammer. “But it was mostly mental mistakes, and things that we were able to correct in the second half.
“We have a lot of respect for Souderton,” added Needhammer. “They came out to play and didn’t back off.”
Souderton scored its lone touchdown of the game in the third period. The Big Red forced a fumble and moved 47 yards on nine plays for the TD with Brown scoring on a 9-yard pass from Brokenshire. The PAT was blocked.
North Penn answered with the lone scoring play of the fourth period. The Knights marched 91 yards on just six plays for the score. Smolinsky rolled out for a sensational 64-yard run, and the scoring drive was capped by a 10-yard touchdown romp by Dominic Taggart. The Harris PAT made the score final at 27-6.
“We played very well at times against a good football team, but I told the kids not to be too happy with this game,” said Gallagher. “We lost.”
Souderton 0 0 6 0 - 6
North Penn 0 13 7 7 - 27
NP: Todd Smolinsky 12 run (Dylan Harris kick)
NP: Harris 29 FG
NP: Harris 31 FG
NP: Craig Needhammer 46 run (Harris kick)
S: Derek Brown 9 pass from Connor Brokenshire (kick blocked)
NP: Dom Taggart 10 run (Harris kick)
Souderton North Penn
12 First Downs 9
174 Rush Yards 239
69 Pass Yards 58
243 Total Offense 297
3-37 Punts/Avg. 1-45
3-30 Pen. / Yards 3-20
Souderton
Rushing: Derek Brown 30-127; Chris Kelly 3-17; Andrew Coyle 4-15; Connor Brokenshire 5-15. Totals 42-174.
Passing: Brokenshire 5-17-2; 69 yards & TD.
Receiving: Kyle Connolly 2-39; Ry Yozallinas 1-14; Brown 1-9 & TD; Tyler Scholl 1-7. Totals 5-69 & TD.
Interceptions: None.
North Penn
Rushing: Craig Needhammer 15-120 & TD; Todd Smolinsky 9-105 & TD; Dom Taggart 2-14 & TD. Totals 26-239 & 3 TD.
Passing: Smolinsky 5-11-0, 58 yards.
Receiving: Ralphie Reeves 2-45; Needhammer 1-8; TJ Gill 1-4; Taggart 1-1. Totals 5-58.
Interceptions: Dan Gevirtz, Mike Culbreath.
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