North Penn, Pennsbury battle for first in SOL National
A playoff buzz will be in the air Friday night when North Penn travels to Falcon Field to take on Pennsbury in a showdown for first place in the Suburban One League National Conference.
Kickoff is at 7 p.m.
“We gotta peak at the right time,” Knights coach Dick Beck said, “and (Friday night) is gonna be the best time to peak. So that’s what we’re trying to get to.”
Both teams come into this one with perfect 4-0 records in the conference. The winner will sit atop the standings all by themselves, with two games to go.
“I can’t wait. It’s gonna be a good game,” said the Knights’ Ricky Johns, who plays both wide receiver and strong safety.
Johns, whose team put in plenty of preparation this week going against Pennsbury’s Wing-T attack, likes the progress the Knights have made during their four-game win streak.
“Our o-line has improved, our defense has improved, and our passing game has come along,” he said.
North Penn (5-2) has been having plenty of success with the passing game, triggered by quarterback Reece Udinski, and again has a versatile ground attack that features a trio of threats in Nyfease West, Justin Ostopowicz and Nick Isabella, along with yet another weapon in sturdy fullback Dontae Stewart.
Pennsbury’s Wing-T has been bowling over opponents, as the Falcons (6-1) have won five in a row behind the tough running of Dalton Hose and Chris Rupprecht. Quarterback Mike Alley scored a pair of touchdowns last week — one passing, one running — as Pennsbury held off Pennridge 38-32.
North Penn was sharp last week in a thorough victory over Bensalem, and now looks to move one step closer to another conference crown.
“It’s a huge game for us,” Beck said. “You got both teams 4-0 in the league and Friday’s the game. Whoever wins that game is gonna be in the driver’s seat.”
North Penn owns a 15-14 edge in the overall series between the two, with Pennsbury’s last victory coming in 1996, a 28-27 decision in overtime.
In the 13 plus seasons under Beck, the Knights are a perfect 9-0 against the Falcons, including postseason wins in 2011 and 2013.
“They’ve never beaten North Penn so we gotta keep that going,” Ostopowicz said. “We gotta play hard.”
