Scott Huff recaps North Penn’s remarkable season that culminated with a PIAA Class AAAA title. Huff also names his Player of the Year for each squad.
By Scott Huff
North Penn completed its miraculous journey to a PIAA Quad-A state baseball championship with an exhilarating 6-5 victory over Lower Dauphin last Friday at Medlar Field on the campus of Penn State University. It was an arduous trek that began in the cool/damp middle of March and concluded in a swarm of humanity at home plate when senior Eddie Posavec scored the game-winning run in the warm/dry middle of June.
A look back on the Knights’ championship season:
2013 Season Preview: North Penn head coach Kevin Manero began his second season as the head coach of the Knights – and his eleventh with the program. North Penn finished the 2012 season with a 9-5 Suburban One League Continental Conference record and returned just three key players – Posavec, pitcher Bryce Mengel, and outfielder Brady West. He listed depth and experience as the strengths of the Knights and questioned where the 
pitching innings would come from. Manero said: “I feel good about this group. There is healthy competition among the team, and we have some exciting young players. We graduated 95 innings of varsity pitching. The Continental Conference is a tough conference, and you are going to have to have consistency and command if you want to be successful.”
2013 Regular Season: On April 3, 2013 - North Penn defeated Souderton 8-7 with a huge come-from-behind win. West sparked the win with a three-run double. Manero said: “It is going to take a while to find everybody’s role and find our way.” On April 5, 2013 - North Penn is defeated by eventual conference champion Central Bucks East 13-12 as the Knight pitching staff gives up 17 hits. On April 16 - Mengel throws a gem as North Penn defeats Hatboro-Horsham 2-1. On April 17 - North Penn ranks #7 in the Suburban One Sports Top Ten. On April 18, 2013, North Penn loses the first of what was to become three games to Pennridge as the Knights are shut out by Evan Myers and the Rams, 5-0. On April 23 - North Penn is ranked #7 in Suburban One Sports Top Ten. On April 25, 2013 – North Penn wins a huge game over Central Bucks South 7-3. Manero said: “It is going to be one of those years in this league. When we look back, we are going to see how important winning this game is going to be for us. Every single game is going to count.” On April 30, 2013 – North Penn loses again to CB East, this time by a 10-5 score. On May 2 – North Penn ranks #6 in the Suburban One Sports Top Ten. On May 8, 2013 – North Penn wins another huge game as the Knights defeat Hatboro-Horsham 7-1 behind the pitching of Bryce Mengel. On May 13, 2013 – North Penn is in danger of not making the PIAA Quad-A District One playoffs as Pennridge dismantles the Knights 18-8 in the regular season finale. North Penn finishes the regular season as the #7 team in the Suburban One Sports Top Ten. North Penn slips into the PIAA District One playoffs as the very last seed in the 24-team field.
2013 PIAA Quad-A District One Playoffs:
- North Penn Knights [N-12] vs. Conestoga Pioneers [S-5] – (preview) Manero said: “This is the exact position that CB South was in last year (#12 seed) and they were district champions.” (result) Bobby Scott hit a three-run homerun and West collected three hits as the Knights marched to a 9-3 victory. (post game) Manero said: “The guys are playing as a team right now. The chemistry and intensity are good.”
- North Penn Knights [N-12] vs. Perkiomen Valley Vikings [N-4] – (preview) Manero said: “We have to make them earn whatever they get and create as many opportunities for ourselves.” (result) North Penn scored five runs in the first inning and captured an 8-3 victory over PV. Sophomore Collin Healey threw 6 2/3 innings to collect the win and West sparked the offense with three hits. (post game) Manero said: “I feel great about our team right now. We are playing our best baseball of the season.”
- North Penn Knights [N-12] vs. Strath Haven Panthers [S-1] – (preview) Manero said: “We are doing all the little things right. We need to co
ntrol what we can control and continue to play good baseball.” (result) North Penn earned a berth in the state playoffs with a 5-0 victory over a Strath Haven team that was 20-0 coming into the game. Senior Brian Maher was masterful with a 60-pitch shutout effort. North Penn scored three first inning runs to cruise to the win. (Post game) Manero said: “I am happy for this team, and we are playing with a great deal of confidence. Hopefully, they can continue to execute and go as far as they want to go.” - North Penn Knights [N-12] vs. Pennridge Rams [N-10] – (preview) Manero said: “I expect it to be a very good game, and we will try to win every inning one pitch at a time. (result) North Penn let a 3-1 lead slip away as the Knights fell to Pennridge for the third time this season in a 4-3 loss. North Penn does not lose its bid for a state title, though, as four teams from District One advance to the state playoffs. (post game) Manero said: “We had opportunities to win the game. We needed to make things happen, and we didn’t do that. We didn’t come up with the big plays when we needed them.”
- North Penn Knights [N-12] vs. Council Rock North Indians [N-9] – (result) North Penn will advance to the state playoffs with a two-game losing streak as the Knights managed just four hits in a 4-1 loss to Council Rock North. North Penn will be the #4 seed in the PIAA Quad-A playoffs from District One. (post game) Manero said: “Nobody is going to be satisfied with just getting to the state playoffs. I think we are prepared, and this group has been such a pleasure to work with.”
2013 PIAA Quad-A State Playoffs:
- North Penn Knights [1-4] vs. Parkland Trojans [11-1] – (preview) Manero said: “We were disappointed with the way we played in the last two district games, but of the 35 innings we played in district baseball – we only had four bad innings. We need to play the type of baseball we played in the first three games of districts.” (result) North Penn edged the District 11 champions 1-0 behind a superlative performance of Maher who threw a three-hit shutout on just 68 pitches. The lone run of the game was scored on a RBI single by Brad Bertucci. (post game) Manero said: “We felt we lost momentum at the end of districts, but we got it back. There is no choice but to win now. Every game is getting tougher and tougher as we work our way through states.”
- North Penn Knights [1-4] vs. Coatesville Red Raiders [1-1] – (preview) Manero said: “I feel we can beat their # 2 pitcher, but we are going to have to hit. Dylan Borawski has been our ‘go-to’ gu
y out of the bullpen, but he will get the start. The key, though, is to score runs.” (result) North Penn shocked the District One champions with an 11-1 mercy-rule victory. The Knights offense was fueled by Posavec, West, Scott, and Jared Melone. Borawski collected the complete game victory. (post game) Manero said: “Maybe there is a little magic in the air. All year long the bottom of our order has hit, and it has been big for us. We put pressure on them and came up with some really big hits.” - North Penn Knights [1-4] vs. Pennridge Rams [1-2] – (preview) Manero said: “This game is without question the highest stakes game of the year. We can’t ignore the fact that Pennridge has beaten us three times. But if we can win this game, no matter who it is against, we are going to be playing for a state championship.” (result) North Penn will go to the PIAA Quad-A title game as the Knights defeated Pennridge 3-0 behind still another superlative performance by Maher. Maher fired a four-hit shutout and threw just 73 pitches in the game. Posavec collected a huge two-run triple for the Knights. (post game) Manero said: “That was high school pitching at its best. Let them swing the bats and play good defense behind him. At this point, we expect to win every game. Now we have just one more game to win to win a state championship.”
- North Penn Knights [1-4] vs. Lower Dauphin Falcons [3-1] – (preview) Manero said: “This is a team that has battled through adversity and plays with a great deal of heart and focus. We are not happy with just playing for a championship, we want that last win and be champions.” (result) North Penn captured the PIAA Quad-A state championship with a 6-5 victory over Lower Dauphin. Borawski throws a complete game and 107 pitches in the nine-inning championship contest. Posavec, West, Malone, Scott, and Chris Kersey all come up with key hits. (post game) Manero said: “It is so great for them (seniors) to go out like this, and it is great for our young kids to have this opportunity. It takes a lot of magic to get this far, a lot of execution too. But it takes a lot of intangibles, and this group brings a lot of intangibles to the field every day. I couldn’t be happier for them.”
Amen.
Suburban One Sports.com
Scott Huff’s Final Top 24 & Players of the Year
1. North Penn Knights (SOL Continental) – Eddie Posavec (senior)
2. Upper Moreland Golden Bears (SOL American) – Robert Knox (senior)
3. Pennridge Rams (SOL Continental) – David Tatoian (sophomore)
4. Central Bucks East Patriots (SOL Continental) – Ben Hauser (senior)
5. Neshaminy Redskins (SOL National) – Justin Andrews (senior)
6. Council Rock North Indians (SOL National) – Tyler Callender (junior)
7. Central Bucks South Titans (SOL Continental) – Ricky Dennis (senior)
8. Council Rock South Golden Hawks (SOL National) – Ryan Fleming (senior)
9. William Tennent Panthers (SOL National) – Brandon DiBona (senior)
10. Cheltenham Panthers (SOL American) – Calvin Salazar (junior)
11. Pennsbury Falcons (SOL National) – Brandon Garrett (senior)
12. Wissahickon Trojans (SOL American) – Randy Frankenfield (senior)
13. Hatboro-Horsham Hatters (SOL Continental) – Zach Prendergast (senior)
14. Souderton Indians (SOL Continental) – Dan O’Hara (senior)
15. Norristown Eagles (SOL American) – Brendon Iorio (senior)
16. Springfield Spartans (SOL American) – Anthony Scafadi (senior)
17. Bensalem Owls (SOL National) – Andy Moser (junior)
18. Upper Dublin Flying Cardinals (SOL American) – Morey Hershgordon (senior)
19. Abington Ghosts (SOL National) – Eric Tidwell (senior)
20. Truman Tigers (SOL National) – Shane Monahan (senior)
21. Central Bucks West Bucks (SOL Continental) – Brennan Snyder (junior)
22. Plymouth Whitemarsh Colonials (SOL American) – Austin DiBonaventure (senior)
23. Upper Merion Vikings (SOL American) – Brendan Steiner (junior)
24. Quakertown Panthers (SOL Continental) – Sage Fuhrmeister (sophomore)
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