NEWTOWN — With two first-quarter trips to the red zone yielding just three points, North Penn’s offense was in need of a spark. It didn’t have to wait very long or look all that far for the fuse to ignite. Knights linebacker Nate Schepian’s late first-quarter hit on Council Rock South QB Marley Emerson forced Emerson to fumble at his own 15 yard line, and the ball was recovered by North Penn defensive lineman Vinnie Montmore.
On the next play from scrimmage, Knights quarterback Matt Bucksar hit Matt Pownall for a 15-yard score to put the visitors up by 10 points, with the fumble recovery proving to be the jolt the team needed en route to a dominant 34-6 win over the Golden Hawks on Thursday night at Walt Snyder Stadium. The 2-0 Knights came within 15 seconds of a shutout, issuing a dominant defensive performance in which South gained just 184 yards of total offense and allowed just nine first downs all night. “We came out really wanting this ‘dub,’” Montmore said.
“I feel like that turnover just set the tone for the rest of the game. We came out strong and were hitting hard right off of the snap. We were able to get to the ball and get it back.
We worked really hard all week in practice and just stuck to our jobs.” More often than not, the North Penn defense gave the offense strong field position, and after a bit of a slow start the latter unit began to cash in. The Knights’ next offensive possession started at their own 48, and Bucksar needed just six plays before he hit wideout Mason Franek in stride down the middle of the field for a 36-yard touchdown early in the second quarter to make the score 17-0, which it remained until halftime.
Ryan Bocklet’s second field goal of the game, this one a booming kick from 41 yards away, put the Knights up 20-0 with 7:29 left in the third quarter. Council Rock South started the next drive at its own 37, and over the next nine plays managed to gain just five yards. It was that kind of night for the home team.
Emerson was under relentless pressure all game, and his 10 completions gained just 47 yards because he only had time for quick screens and dump-offs. “It definitely gave us a little bit of giddiness,” Pownall said of the defense’s performance. “We were ready to take the ball down the field and try to get in the end zone and score to give the ball back so the defense could get another stop.
Then we come back out and keep dominating.” Once the North Penn offense got going, there wasn’t much stopping the collective. Bucksar finished the night 10-for-15 for 165 yards and two passing scores while adding 34 yards on five carries.
Pownall tallied 95 yards on 13 carries while hauling in three receptions for 59 yards and a score. Franek contributed 46 receiving yards, and Josiah Coleman carried the ball six times for 56 yards and a TD on the Knights’ final offensive drive. All told, North Penn outgained Council Rock South (1-1) 378-184 in total offense, and the Knights racked up 213 rushing yards on 29 carries — over seven yards per rush.
Tight end Aidan Eves added a one-yard rushing score. “We have a really good offense — really good,” Pownall said. “All props to the linemen, we did a great job of running and pounding the ball, which set up the pass game and got their defense on their toes to the point where they couldn’t really stop us.
We spread the ball out really well and have so many weapons that the offense is just really hard to stop. We’re moving the ball well and it looks really good for the future.” After an up-and-down 6-5 season in 2023 that fell short of its own lofty expectations, North Penn feels like it’s back on solid ground to open the fresh campaign.
A 28-25 home victory over Downingtown East to open the year induced confidence; Thursday night’s demolition of the Golden Hawks felt even better, though with last year’s disappointment still fresh, the team certainly isn’t taking anything for granted this early. “It’s definitely a great start,” Pownall said. “We knew we were a good team with great potential going into the season.
There are a lot of good players and athletes on this team. This 2-0 start definitely boosts our confidence.” The soft-spoken Montmore believes Thursday’s demonstrative win could have unlocked something even more special in this group, one that hasn’t come close to reaching its ceiling yet.
“It definitely sets the tone for the rest of the year, almost shutting this team out,” he said. “It shows our defense that if we keep working hard then we can keep blowing up offenses. Hopefully it goes like that for the rest of the season, or possibly even better.
I think we could definitely play a lot better, because we did have a few mistakes. If we can clean those up, we’ll be unstoppable. “It was a beautiful win that showed just how much potential we truly have.
” North Penn 34, Council Rock South 6 North Penn 10 7 10 7 — 34 CR South 0 0 0 6 — 6 Scoring First Quarter NP — Ryan Bocklet 27 FG NP — Matt Pownall 15 pass from Matt Bucksar (Bocklet kick) Second Quarter NP — Mason Franek 36 pass from Matt Bucksar (Bocklet kick) Third Quarter NP — Ryan Bocklet 41 FG NP — Aidan Eves 1 run (Bocklet kick) Fourth Quarter NP — Josiah Coleman 4 run (Bocklet kick) CRS — Brody Walker 9 pass from Marley Emerson (kick failed) TEAM STATISTICS NP CRS First Downs 21 10 Rushes-Yards 29-213 32-137 Passing Yards 165 47 Total Offense 378 184 Passing 10-15-2-0 10-16-1-0 Punts-Avg 0-0.0 5-26.8 Penalties-Yards 5-45 5-35 Fumbles-Lost 1-0 1-1 Turnovers 0 1 INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS PASSING NP: Matt Bucksar: 10-15, 165 yards, 2TD CRS: Marley Emerson: 10-16, 47 yards, TD RUSHING NP: Pownall 13-95; Josiah Coleman 6-56, TD; Bucksar 5-34; Cameron Mainor 3-21; Aidan Eves 2-7, TD CRS: Shane Myers 19-94; Nate Szydlik 7-42; Pat Malone 3-12; Emerson 3-(minus 12) RECEIVING NP: Pownall 3-59, TD; Mason Franek 3-46, TD; Eves 2-35; Aiden Ashley 1-11; Jackson Schurmann 1-14 CRS: Szydlik 6-24; Brody Walker 1-15, TD; Malone 1-1; Myers 1-7 SACKS NP: Christian Johns-Wallace CRS: Szydlik, Loi Nguyen FUMBLE RECOVERIES NP: Vinnie Montmore.
