Avon Grove is hardly a familiar name on the District One AAAA football scene.
With good reason.
The Red Devils had never won more than four games in a season before this year when everything changed, and Avon Grove captured a share of its first ever Ches-Mont National Division crown and earned its first trip to the District One AAAA Tournament.
On Friday night, the Red Devils will face North Penn at Crawford Stadium in a district semifinal showdown. They come into the game fresh off of impressive wins over Quakertown (41-14) and Downingtown West (35-21) in the first two rounds of districts.
Ask North Penn’s players what they know about Avon Grove, and they echo a similar refrain.“They have three great running backs that are game breakers,” senior Mike Culbreath said. “They’re real fast.”
“They have three fantastic running backs,” junior Craig Needhammer said. “We were watching some film, and they’re all great athletes.”
The Red Raiders – and running backs Brendan McLaughlin, Brandon Monk and Jordan Harris - have been all but unstoppable out of their Wing-T offense.
“We have seen the Wing-T before, but obviously, Avon Grove runs it in a very unique manner because they have that three-headed monster,” North Penn coach Dick Beck said. “All three guys can go the whole way.
“What makes you nervous is – they get in the open field, and you hate to give them a cheapie. I would like to see those guys go 15 plays and score. If they do that – well, then they win, and it’s a good drive by them, but I don’t want to give them seven points real fast. We can’t let those guys get in the open field and go. We need those guys to earn everything they get.”
According to information provided by the Daily Local, McLaughlin has accumulated 1,135 yards on 169 carries with eight touchdowns. Brandon Monk has 925 yards and nine TDs while Jordan Harris has 835 yards and seven TDs.
If you’re counting, that’s close to 3,000 yards on the ground between the three running backs.
“We have a phrase we always use – ‘Do your job, and good things will happen,’” Beck said. “I think that’s what you have to do against the Wing-T.
“You have to do your job – you can’t try to do anybody else’s job. I think the biggest thing for us is we have to stay in our pursuit lanes. We have to play these guys at levels. We have to have guys at the line of scrimmage, we have to have the linebackers, and we have to have the DB’s (defensive backs), and we have to make them go through all three levels to score.
“I think sometimes you get caught up – you have so many guys so close to the ball and the line of scrimmage, and as soon as they break one, they’re gone. We want them to have to break through three levels, not just one.”
The Knights’ defense is both fast and disciplined. That discipline, according to Beck, will be key as his players must be prepared for everything.
“They run a very efficient offense,” the Knights’ coach said. “Their timing is spot on with their handoffs and their fakes, so you don’t have that much time to react. With a team like this, you can’t try to find the ball. You have to be able to read where the blockers are going and know what your assignment is.
“Our guys are doing a nice job in practice, and we have some guys on our scout team who can emulate their speed – maybe they’re not quite as fast, but they’re close, so I’m hoping that will be to our advantage.”
The Knights have some lethal weapons of their own on the offensive side of the football. Junior Craig Needhammer - who scored five touchdowns in the Knights’ 35-22 win over Neshaminy last week - has 1,320 yards and 22 touchdowns. He also has 18 catches for 241 yards and three TDs.
Senior Todd Smolinsky has been the perfect field general for the Knights at quarterback. He has completed 100-of-152 passes for 1,642 yards and 19 touchdowns. He has thrown just four interceptions all season for the 12-0 Knights. Smolinsky also has rushed for 497 yards and six touchdowns.
“The one thing that helps us is Todd isn’t taking too many chances and thrown bad interceptions,” Beck said.
Dom Taggart has been Smolinsky’s favorite target this season. The senior wide receiver has 31 receptions for 521 yards and five touchdowns. He also has 254 yards rushing and five TDs.
Tight end Ralphie Reeves has 15 catches for 280 yards and five touchdowns while T.J. Gill has 19 catches for 258 yards and three touchdowns.
So far, it’s been a winning combination for the Knights.
“You only have to have one bad day for the season to be over,” Beck said. “We can’t turn the ball over, and we need to create a couple more turnovers like we did last week.”
Kick-off for Friday night’s semifinal showdown between North Penn and Avon Grove is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at Crawford Stadium.
*North Penn stats quoted in the article are courtesy of The Intelligener/Bucks County Courier-Times.
On the air…
Friday night’s District One AAAA contest between North Penn and Avon Grove will be broadcast live of WNPV 1440 AM and on the internet at www.wnpv1440.com, beginning at 7 p.m. with the pre-game show.
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