North Penn and Central Bucks West will square off in the PIAA 4A State title game on Friday at HersheyPark Stadium at 6:30 p.m. (North Penn photo provided courtesy of North Penn High School. Central Bucks West photo courtesy of Marge Bullock.)
Chemistry and talent a winning combination for Knights
The Knights will be playing for their program’s first state title on Friday night and had an opportunity to make their trip to Hershey a two-day event. They respectfully declined.
“They have pasta parties every night before a game,” coach Paul Duddy said. “I talked to the captains, and they were having their usual pasta party on Thursday night and said, ‘Coach, we’ll go through our normal game routine. We’ll go to school in the morning just like we always do.’
“If we went out and stayed overnight, it would have been great and it would have been an honor, if you will, for a high school team, but when we talked a little bit, it was more like, ‘Let’s just keep it going the way we have it going. We’ll go to school, we’ll have a little bit of a kick around, we’ll get on a bus, and we’ll go play.’ That’s it. It was great of the school district and athletic department to offer it to the whole team, but it was ‘We’re pretty good with what we do.’”
And what the Knights do is win and win a lot. A state title is the only piece missing from a season that’s been close to perfect. They already own SOL Continental and District One 4A titles. A PIAA 4A title would complete the trifecta.
While talent has certainly played a significant role in the team’s 24-1 record, the players point to good chemistry as a key piece to this year’s success story.
“Teams in the past – we had a lot of talent and tremendous regular seasons, but ultimately, it fell apart in the postseason,” said senior Carter Houlihan, a four-year starter for the Knights. “This year everyone is connected. We’re like a brotherhood.
“There are no different friend groups, no different clicks. We have pasta parties, we do team bonding, we go out and watch other North Penn sports teams as a team – we do everything as a team. I think that team chemistry is really important. It shows on the field.”
“We’re all brothers,” senior Mike Chaffee said. “We love each other, we know how to work each other’s games and find our strengths within the team.”
The team’s chemistry didn’t just happen. Some of the players have played soccer together since they were youngsters.
“A lot of us have played club since we were five or six years old, which I think is very important as well,” Houlihan said. “I can remember when we were on club and we were in elementary school, Liam Gorham said, ‘I can’t wait for high school. We’re all going to play together, and we’re going to be so good.’
“That’s something that just stuck with me. Saying that so long ago and then making it actually happen is just amazing.”
The Knights suffered their only loss of the season to Central Bucks East (1-0) on Sept. 10. Since then, they have reeled off 21 straight wins. The East loss – the only blip in an otherwise perfect season – may have been a blessing in disguise.
“In the CB East game, we played so much better than them, and we still didn’t come away with a result,” senior Jamie Stewart said. “Even though it was the fourth game of the season, we were all heartbroken, and we knew we weren’t going to fall after that.”
“It humbled us,” Chaffee said. “After that game, we found some flaws, we got a confidence check. It definitely humbled us.”
The Knights are ranked ninth in the latest USA Today Super 25, second in Region III behind only the nation’s top-ranked team, St. Benedict’s Prep of Newark, N.J.
“These kids have been through a lot together,” Duddy said. “The cool thing is they come in from all these different club teams, and we start playing as a high school team. It’s a bit of a puzzle, but you try and figure it out.
“There’s no question about it – they’re all great friends, they do everything together. They’re that close. It’s just a great group, and it’s a great experience. We just have to finish it. As great a ride as this has been, we have to finish it on Friday night.”
The only thing standing away between the Knights and a state title is a Central Bucks West squad that has had a magical run of its own in the postseason.
“A lot of credit to them,” Duddy said. “They came into districts the 23 seed, and they have proven everybody wrong. They’re a great team, and Stefan has done a great job coaching them.”
Bucks are the definition of ‘West kids’
Stefan Szygiel spends a lot of time talking about the significance of the ‘West kid’ culture. This year’s squad, which has defied the odds during its historic postseason run, might well be living out the very definition of a ‘West kid.’
“It’s very easy to look at it and say, ‘West kid – that’s a kid that goes to CB West,’” Szygiel said. “It’s not even just a soccer thing.
“Look across all our sports programs. There’s a common trait and theme. We have a bunch of multi-sport athletes who are also academically inclined, and they have this innate ability to just grind out results. That’s what this season has been. It’s just good old-fashioned, dig your heels in, refuse to lose, grind it out.”
If anyone knows about grinding it out, the Bucks certainly do. Their state run has included a double overtime win, a win in penalty kicks and a 1-0 win in regulation.
“The mental fortitude of the group and the program – I’ve been here seven years, and I think before that there haven’t been many big-time goal scorers to come through West,” Szygiel said. “There have been a few, and they’re all in the history books.
“We haven’t quite had that, so when that’s not there, you rely on different things. I continue to say the words collective defending and buy in. They’re just used to mentally going in knowing that every single game is going to be a grind because of the league we play in.”
If anyone should understand the ‘West kid’ concept, it’s senior Bailey Moyer, whose father Mike – the program’s all-time leader in goals scored – and grandfather Rick also played soccer at West.
“West kids – it’s kids who believe in what we’re doing, it’s kids who are willing to grind out the work,” Bailey said. “We never feel like we’re out of it, we never feel like we can’t win something.
“I think the past two or three weeks we came into everything as the 23 seed, but we had that West kid mentality that we’re the underdog, but we know that we can win. We know there’s no reason for us to not be able to win. I think that’s how the whole West kid mentality has really helped us. It’s something that’s going to keep us going.”
In the Bucks’ run to Friday’s state title game, the players have regularly had their collective backs against the wall.
“It’s the never-die mentality, there’s no challenge too big for any of us,” Moyer said. “It’s something the coaches have been instilling in us since preseason.
“Even my sophomore year when I first came here, it was always, ‘Hey, we’re West. You have to come play us.’ I think this season we got a lot of every team’s best shot, so we knew how to deal with it early on. I think that’s something that’s really helped us.
“In three playoff games, we’ve been down 1-0 at halftime. In the halftime huddles, we’re like, ‘Everything could end in the next 40 minutes,’ and I think it flips a switch for some kids, and we see the side of some kids we didn’t know they had come out, and we grind it out and get the result.”
Ten times this season, the Bucks have played overtime.
“It’s helped us a lot because now when these games in the playoffs go to overtime – it’s something we’re built for and seen all season and some other teams haven’t, so it definitely helps us with the experience there,” Moyer said.
Szygiel acknowledged that a 100 percent buy-in is next to impossible with any squad, but this year’s squad has come pretty close.
“The West kid culture gave them common ground,” the Bucks’ coach said. “You have different grades, you have different backgrounds, you have different positions, you have so many different things with each individual player in the program, but they’re all West kids.
“It gives them something binding, and I think that’s the key. It’s in those kind of moments when you need something – it’s not just about the 11 guys on the field physically. You have to have every single guy understanding that it’s about something bigger than that. I think we’ve felt that shift over the past few years.
“It gave them something to have in common, and when all else fails and they don’t know what else to do or say – you look at each other. You don’t look at the sideline, you don’t look for an answer from the coach in the moment. You look at each other and you go, ‘Oh, right, we do have this in common that’s going to pull us through this particular moment,’ and that’s what we’ve been relying on. I feel like it’s an intangible thing that we’ve turned into a tangible thing with results.”
The Bucks will face a familiar foe in Friday’s state title game. Twice during the regular season they fell to the Knights.
“Obviously, if you looked at our record, a lot of people on the outside would have thought this was crazy, but deep down, I really did believe this team would be able to pull off a run like this just because I know the guys better than people from the outside who just see our record,” Moyer said. “They don’t know how this team is built and how we work for each other.
“A lot of us have grown up playing with each other. I played with our goalie Ryan Van Pelt when we were 12 or 13 years old. I know a lot of these kids have played on the same club team and played with or against each other. Being able to come together and your senior year being with your best friends who are almost your brothers and being on the field together – there is that chemistry. You know how each other play. That’s definitely something we’ve built, and it’s all started to click at the right time which is awesome.”
#1-1 NORTH PENN vs #1-5 CENTRAL BUCKS WEST at HersheyPark Stadium (Friday, Nov. 15, 6:30 p.m.)
North Penn
- 25-1 overall
- 11-1 SOL Continental Conference champions
- District One 4A championship is first district crown in program history.
- Senior midfielder Carter Houlihan, a Lafayette commit, is one of the area’s most dangerous offensive weapons. Junior Josh Jones is an impact player at both ends of the field. Jamie Stewart anchors the defense at central defender, and Ryan Stewart is a versatile player who sees action at various positions depending on the game situation.
- Senior captain Mike Chaffee returned to action after being sidelined the entire district tournament with mono and has been a key contributor.
- Knights were shut out just once all season, and that came in their only loss to CB East (1-0) on Sept. 10.
- Twice defeated Central Bucks West in the regular season, 5-2 (Sept. 17) and 3-1 (Oct. 10).
How they got here: In Tuesday’s state semifinal game, North Penn defeated District 12 champion La Salle 4-0. Jamie Stewart turned a Carter Houlihan corner kick into a goal in the 38th minute to give the Knights a 1-0 halftime lead. In the second half, Mike Chaffee added a goal and an assist, Sean Flatley scored a late goal, and the Knights benefitted from an own goal. Sawyer Meade had a big game in goal.
In a state quarterfinal contest that was a rematch of the district semifinal, North Penn defeated District One’s fourth place team, Conestoga, 2-1 in overtime. Ryan Stewart scored the game-winner with a Josh Jones assist. Carter Houlihan scored early in the game to spot the Knights a 1-0 lead. Sawyer Meade recorded seven saves.
In an opening round state game, North Penn opened up a 5-1 lead on its way to a 5-3 win over District 3’s third place squad, Wilson. The Knights, who led 3-1 at the intermission, received goals from Roman Illovsky, Mike Chaffee and Josh Jones in the first half. Jones and Carter Houlihan each added a second-half goal.
Central Bucks West
- 14-7-5 overall
- 5-4-3 SOL Continental Conference third place
- 23rd seeded team in District One 4A Tournament played five straight road games at Downingtown West, Radnor, Lower Merion, Neshaminy and Unionville en route to a fifth place finish.
- Key players are defenders Bailey Moyer and James Lutz, goalkeeper Ryan Van Pelt, midfielder Jimi Leder and forward Alan Zlotin.
- The Bucks have 12 shutouts.
How they got here: In Tuesday’s state semifinal, Central Bucks West battled District One runner-up Boyertown to a 1-1 tie at the end of regulation and two overtimes. The Bucks won it 3-1 in penalty kicks. Reed Thompson scored in the second half with a Conor O’Brien assist. The Bears knotted the score late. Goalkeeper Ryan Van Pelt recorded 10 saves and turned away three of four penalty kicks in a dazzling effort.
In a quarterfinal state game, Central Bucks West defeated District 7 runner-up Mount Lebanon 1-0. Jimi Leder scored the game-winner midway through the second half, using a Carter Philo assist.
In a state opening round game, Central Bucks West edged District 3 champion Central Dauphin 1-0 in double overtime. Jimi Leder (James Lutz/Alan Zlotin assists) scored the game-winner five minutes into the second overtime. It was Central Dauphin that sent the Bucks home for the season in the opening round of states in 2018.
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