Haynes hauls in 2 TDs, North Penn rolls past Quakertown

QUAKERTOWN >> North Penn’s Yazeed Haynes was left perplexed how not once but twice the Quakertown defense let him get behind them to easily stroll into the end zone on a pair of throws from quarterback Ryan Zeltt.

“I’m thinking I don’t know what they’re doing,” he said. “I’m just as confused as them.”

While the standout senior wide receiver getting so wide open downfield was certainly puzzling, the rest of Friday night at Alumni Field was relatively easier to figure out – the Knights’ offense was just too much for the host Panthers.

North Penn amassed 531 yards, scored touchdowns on all seven of its possessions and rebounded from a season-opening loss to roll past Quakertown 49-7.

“Everyone knew the La Salle game, that left a really bad taste in our mouth and we had to come out and show what we’re about,” Zeltt said. “And I thought we did a really good job of that.”

The Knights posted just seven points in the second half in last week’s 37-28 defeat to La Salle. Friday in its first meeting with the Panthers since 2013, North Penn took a 28-7 lead into the break and pulled away with two big scoring plays in the third quarter. 

Zeltt connected with Haynes for a 51-yard TD at 6:35 while Michai Cuffie broke away for a 61-yard touchdown just 1:55 later to put the Knights up 35.

“It’s good to bounce back,” North Penn coach Dick Beck said. “It’s always good to get a win. I’m not saying we played great tonight but we played good and obviously we’re explosive and we get our guys in the open field definitely.”

Zeltt completed his first seven passes and finished 12-of-14 for 263 yards, the senior QB hooking up with Haynes, a Georgia verbal commit, five times for 177 yards and two scores.

“One was a go, the safety came down, left me wide open,” said Haynes of his touchdown catches. “The other was a post, the safety also came down, left me open again.”

North Penn (1-1) added another 268 yards on the ground, paced by Cuffie’s 81 yards and a touchdown on five carries. Chris Scruggs had 77 yards and a TD on 13 carries – all on the Knights’ final drive in the fourth – while Dave Dawes scored two rushing touchdowns in the first half.

“It was good to run the ball a little bit on the ground the second half,” Beck said. “When you got a guy like Cuffie, Michai Cuffie, you saw how explosive he is, I think we can be a very balanced team. We can run the ball, I think we can pass the ball, we can do a lot of different, good things.”

Quarterback Vincent Micucci threw for 138 yards on 8-of-20 passing with one touchdown and one interception for the Panthers (1-1), who were held to single digits for the first time since falling to Central Bucks West 35-7 on Sept 6, 2019.

Both teams have Suburban One League nonconference matchups Friday – North Penn hosts Upper Dublin while Quakertown visits CB West.

“I thought we moved the ball pretty well tonight, I really do,” Panthers coach George Banas said. “Vince made some really good decisions, pulled it down a couple of times and ran the ball really well for us. So there’s definitely some positives to look at here but like I told the kids we’ll look at this tomorrow, we’ll think about it tomorrow and then come midnight tomorrow night, man, it’s over. We’re moving on and we’re looking at West.”

Quakertown opened the matchup between defending SOL conference champs recovering an onside kick at the North Penn 46 but proceeded to punt after a three-and-out. The Knights, meanwhile, found the end zone twice on runs by Dawes to take a 14-0 lead after a quarter.

The Panthers cut their deficit to 14-7 when Micucci hit Max Morris for a 13-yard touchdown at 11:14 in the second. Quakertown tried another onside kickoff but North Penn collected it at midfield. The next play Zeltt went deep to an uncovered Haynes for a 50-yard TD strike at 11:05.

“He’s blazing fast, you know he’s going to get open,” Zeltt said. “And my eyes do get big when he runs a deep route, for sure.”

After a Quakertown punt, the Knights took a 28-7 lead with a 13-play, 80-yard drive capped by James Mangine’s four-yard touchdown run with 1:29 left in the half.

The Panthers had a chance to pull closer just before the break as Micucci’s 40-yard pass to Aiden Burgy put Quakertown at the Knights’ 17. But back-to-back incompletions then an interception by Mangine in the end zone maintained the visitors’ 21-points advantage.

“I thought we made some mistakes, probably if everything goes right for us it’s a seven-point game at half,” Banas said. “We don’t stall out on the one drive and we don’t blow coverage like I said it’s a seven (point game) but you got to make those plays.

“And that’s on us, we got to be better as coaches and make sure that our kids aren’t making mistakes and we’ll correct stuff and we’ll get better as the season goes on. And we got (Central Bucks) West next week.”

The Panthers’ first drive of the second half ended with a punt after it stalled at the Knights’ 45. Five plays later, Zeltt aired it out to an open Haynes again for a 51-yard touchdown at 6:35 in the third quarter.

“First came up here, we started working out in the spring, getting a connection going,” said Haynes, who transferred to North Penn after earning All-Philadelphia Catholic League Blue Division honors at Neumann-Goretti last season. “He’s a really great quarterback, glad I get him for my senior year so I get some more touchdowns. Just overall been a great relationship with me and him.”

North Penn’s defense forced a Quakertown three-and-out and the opening play of the Knights’ ensuing series, Cuffie cut through the line then, got to the left sideline and raced away for a 61-yard TD at 4:40 to enact the 35-point running clock.

“They got a really, really good team this year,” said Banas of North Penn. “They’re going to be hard to beat the rest of the year in our league and they’d be my pick for district champs. Just from what I see. They’re solid across the board.

“It’s not just the Georgia commit 23 (Haynes) but he’s dynamic. But if you try to double him they still got 24 (Dawes), they got 2 (Rashad McNeill), they got 7 (Jay Ford-King), there’s a barrage and the quarterback is damned good for a four-year starter. They’re loaded up for bear this year.”

The Knights made it 49-7 with 2:36 remaining in the fourth on Scruggs’ five-yard touchdown run.

Zeltt connected with Haynes for a 45-yard completion on North Penn’s first offensive snap with Dawes finishing the six-play, 91-yard drive with his four-yard TD run at 8:36 in the first quarter.

Quakertown had a 2nd-and-1 from the Knights’ 38 on its next possession but two penalties pushed the Panthers back to their own 42 and ended up punting.

The Knights took a 14-0 lead with an eight-play, 86-yard drive – Dawes collecting his second TD at 2:34 in the first on a run from four yards out.

North Penn 49, Quakertown 7

North Penn (1-1) 14 14 14 7 – 49

Quakertown (1-1) 0 7 7 0 – 7

First Quarter

NP – Dave Dawes 6 run (Ryan Bocklet kick) 8:36.

NP – Dawes 4 run (Bocklet kick), 2:34.

Second Quarter

Q – Vincent Micucci 13 pass to Max Morris (David Hammond kick), 11:14.

NP – Ryan Zeltt 50 pass to Yazeed Haynes (Bocklet kick), 11:05.

NP – James Mangine 4 run (Bocklet kick), 1:29.

Third Quarter

NP- Zeltt 51 pass to Haynes (Grace Macnamara kick), 6:35.

NP – Michai Cuffie 61 run (Macnamara kick) 4:40.

Fourth Quarter

NP – Chris Scruggs 5 run (Macnamara kick), 2:36.

 

NP Q

First Downs 21 9

Rushes-yards 36-268 25-72

Passing 12-14-0 8-20-1

Passing yards 263 138

Totals yards 531 210

Punts 0 6

Penalties-yards 3-15 2-20

Fumbles-lost 1-0 0-0

Rushing

North Penn: Michai Cuffie 5-81, TD; Chris Scruggs 13-77, TD; Amir Major 8-38; Yazeed Haynes 2-28; Dave Dawes 3-10, 2 TD;  Ryan Zeltt 1-17; Zach Duld 3-13; James Mangine 1-4, TD; Xavier Bryan 0-0.

Quakertown: Cody Jefferson 11-23; Vincent Micucci 6-22; Banagher Huber 2-14; Brett Hileman 4-8; Declan Palmer 2-5.

Passing

North Penn: Ryan Zeltt 18-26-1, 264.

Quakertown: Vincent Micucci 8-20-1, 138, TD.

Receiving:

North Penn: Yazeed Haynes 5-177, 2 TD; Rashad McNeill 4-44; Michai Cuffie 2-37; Mario Sgro 1-5.

Quakertown: Max Morris 3- 50, TD; Aiden Burgy 1-40; Adam Streahle 2-21; Owen Jaegers 1-14; Anthony Ferrugio 1-13.

Interceptions

North Penn: James Mangine.

Quakertown: None.