They are playmakers.
Plain and simple
Granted, it might be easy to overlook the contributions of North Penn’s linebacking corps on a squad loaded with playmakers, but make no mistake about it, senior Mike Culbreath, juniors Craig Needhammer and Matt Donovan and sophomore Ralphie Reeves make things happen.
Consider only a pair of plays in Friday night’s District One AAAA second round game against Neshaminy.
The first came with 90 seconds remaining in the opening half when Reeves stepped in front of an intended Redskin receiver for an interception.
“We feed off that – once something good happens, everyone gets fired up,” Reeves said. “Everyone wants to put up points.”
Seven plays later, Dylan Harris did just that, nailing a 37-yard field goal that sent the Knights into halftime with a 21-7 lead.
The second play came on the Redskins’ opening possession of the second half after the Knights had already punched it in for a touchdown on their opening drive.
Redskin quarterback Brian Titus never saw this one coming as Culbreath appeared out of nowhere to make a leaping pick at midfield. The senior linebacker returned it all the way to the Redskins’ 25-yard line.
Three plays later, Needhammer took it in from nine yards out for his fifth touchdown of the night and – after the Harris extra point – a 35-7 North Penn lead.“All we have to do is make stops because when we get a turnover we know our offense is most likely going to score,” Culbreath said “If you get more turnovers than the other team, you’re probably going to win.
“We just try to force turnovers and get our offense on the field as fast as possible. When our defense gets an interception or forces a fumble, we try to capitalize. I think we’ve scored off almost every turnover we’ve had this year.”
That pattern of turning opponent’s miscues into points has become a North Penn trademark this season, and it invariably sends opponents into a death spiral. Just ask the Redskins, who were victimized by five turnovers in Friday’s 35-22 loss to the Knights.
“That’s a compliment to our offense – when we get the ball for them and give them a short field, our offense is that good and will capitalize on that,” Donovan said. “We know if we get the ball back to our offense, they will come back and do something good with it.”
Needhammer acknowledged that the offense feeds off turnovers.
“Everybody is fired up after a pick or fumble recovery,” he said. “The ‘O’ line is fired up – they’re ready to hit somebody. The backs are ready, and (quarterback) Todd (Smolinsky) has been great for us all year. He always gets us going. He’s a great leader, a great athlete.
“After a turnover, you have momentum on your side, and you just want to drive it into the end zone and keep it going.”
Those turnovers, according to Donovan, don’t just happen.
“All week in practice, we work on the second man in getting the ball out,” the junior linebacker said. “All the forced fumbles – some of them are dropped handoffs, but most of them are forced. When the ball is on the ground, our defense is so relentless, and everyone just flies to it, and we usually end up with the ball.”It’s easy to lose sight of the contributions of the defense on a Knight squad that is averaging 36 points a game, but they have given up less than 10 points a contest with many of those points coming long after the outcome has been decided.
The linebackers are the centerpiece of the Knights’ stellar defense.
“These guys are the heart and soul of our team,” coach Dick Beck said. “Our philosophy is we have little guys up front that are doing a lot of moving around, and they’re taking up blocks, so we need our linebackers to be very good tacklers because with our D-line being so aggressive, we may overplay some plays, so our linebackers have to protect our weakside.
“These guys can play physical and play fast to the ball, but they know when they’re back side of the play they’re always in good position looking for cutbacks and reverses.”
Making the contributions of the linebackers even more impressive is the fact that the Knights lost defensive standout Ryan Hessenius to an injury a week and a half before the season began.
That injury opened the door for Donovan, who seized the moment.
“Our offseason program physically prepares you for the season,” he said. “Everyone is in the weight room working hard and conditioning in the summer. When we get to camp, everyone is in shape, and if you’ve been paying attention - and our coaches really coach us well, I was prepared going in.
“When I came in the lineup, I just had to do my job. When guys fall like that, you play a little bit harder just to show everyone that you can do it too. You play for your boys too because if someone gets hurt you feel bad for them, and you want to play hard for them as well.”
The Knights’ defense doesn’t always out-size its opponents, but the players more than make up for their lack of size with speed and smarts.
“I think we fly to the ball probably better than any team,” Reeves said. “We have 11 guys flying to the ball every time, and when that happens, stuff works out.
“We have our D-line staying low, beating blocks, and they’re going up against kids twice their size. It’s everyone putting out 110 percent, focusing in practice and working hard in the weight room.”
“We just work together and play as a team, and we go until the whistle blows,” Culbreath added. “We never give up on a play because you make one mistake, and it can change the game around.”
Culbreath, Reeves, Needhammer and Donovan have been outstanding all season for the Knights.
“Ralphie and Mike are probably two of the best linebackers combination-wise in the state of Pennsylvania,” Beck said. “Craig Needhamer plays weakside opposite Mike, and he’s just like a gnat. He’s quick and small and goes between people and makes plays all over the place because he’s so quick. He’s always in position. “Matt Donovan is one of those guys that’s kind of an over achiever. He’s not the fastest guy in the world, he’s not the biggest guy in the world, and he’s not the strongest guy in the world, but he plays with a lot of smarts, studies films and makes a lot of calls for us. He’s been a very solid performer for us all year.”
According to Reeves, there’s nothing quite like playing football for North Penn.
“It’s great, it’s awesome,” the sophomore linebacker said. “It’s a lot of hard work, and if you’re playing for North Penn, you can’t be someone who doesn’t like getting yelled at because you have coaches on you all the time, but you have to understand they’re doing it for you, so you can be better.
“You know when you play for North Penn you have to live up to some expectations. That’s why everyone works harder, so we can keep getting better.”
And according to Culbreath, who is getting serious looks from numerous colleges, the team is vastly improved since the beginning of the season.
“Some people were new to their positions this year and hadn’t played them before, but now we’re used to the positions we’re playing,” he said. “The biggest change is our D-line. They’ve really stepped up and gotten better every week. They pick up the blocks so the linebackers can make the plays, and it’s just all falling into place.”
The Knights’ defense will be tested on Friday night when it faces the three-pronged running attack of Avon Grove that has accumulated close to 3,000 yards on the ground.
“We definitely like challenges, without a doubt,” Donovan said. “Liberty coming in first game – we saw that as a big challenge. We love stepping up to the plate and getting those big games.
“It’s fun when you’re playing meaningful games against good teams. Everything you practice during the week is translated onto the field, and it feels good.”
The Knights take a 12-0 record into Friday night’s game, and according to Donovan, it’s been quite a ride.
“It’s absolutely great,” he said. “I don’t even have words to describe it. There’s so much camaraderie. You look forward to going to practice every day and working hard with your teammates. Everyone plays hard for each other and is always looking out for each other.
“It’s just too much fun, absolutely too much fun.”
“It’s great,” Needhammer said. “Just the atmosphere is fantastic. We have great chemistry amongst the players. It’s just great being a part of it.
“We weren’t sure how well we were going to do this year after losing some key players, but I really think we’ve answered a lot of those questions.”
“We love the challenge,” Culbreath added. “We love overcoming. When people say we’re not going to be good, we like proving everyone wrong.”
So far, so good for a Knight squad that is hoping to vie for a state crown.
“We have big dreams for the season,” Needhammer said. “Without high expectations, we would never be where we’re at.”
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