TOWAMENCIN — For the North Penn football team, improving on its 6-6 record from last season starts with stops.
The Knights struggled keeping opponents off the scoreboard in 2022, allowing 28.2 points per game as the split of a dozen games meant North Penn did not have a winning season for the first time since head coach Dick Beck took over the program in 2002.
“Very frustrating year when it came to playing defense,” Beck said. “Cause we just couldn’t stop a nosebleed.”
Six times North Penn gave up 30 more and three times conceded 40 or more, including a 44-35 shootout loss to Central Bucks West in the District 1-6A quarterfinals.
“Every week you give it your all, try to change it up and every time something wasn’t clicking or something wasn’t going right,” Knights senior offensive/defensive lineman Aiden Quallet said.
While it ended as a .500 campaign, North Penn showed its fight and resolve late in the year, winning its final two regular-season games to make the district field then edged Suburban One League National Conference champ Pennsbury in the first round, reaching the quarters for the seventh time in the last eight seasons.
“I really thought a lot of the games that we lost we really should’ve won,” Knights senior running back Amir Major said. A lot of the games we lost were really close. We should’ve had a lot better record so this season we’re just focusing on fixing our mistakes and not letting the teams that beat us last year do the same thing.”
Looking to shore up the defense, the Knights have made adjustments but Beck also sees the year-by-year growth of the players on that side of the ball aiding in the task.
“There was a scheme issue, I think there was a youth issue where we had some inexperienced guys,” said Beck, who is 218-53 heading into his 22nd season at North Penn. “I’m hoping that we’re a little more sound this year. I think the defensive line is, with the more experience, that they’ll be more prepared.”
Quallet and senior ends Connor Adams and Dylan Hastings are apart the defensive line while at linebacker, Beck likes what he has seen from junior Aidan Eves in the preseason camp.
“The kids coming up worked really hard in the offseason, put on a lot of muscle,” Quallet said. “I think this year we’re more faster on the d-line. We may not have the size but we have the speed and the agility.”
Cornerback is a strength with a group including seniors Rashad McNeill and Marc Cobbs and junior CJ Scruggs while senior Michael Cliver is set to play at strong safety.
On offense, the Knights scored 32.9 per contest thanks to their passing attack but North Penn graduated quarterback Ryan Zeltt — a three-plus year starter now at Millersville — and wide receiver Yazeed Haynes, who is at Georgia after catching 54 passes for 1,163 yards and 12 touchdowns.
While Beck still wants balance, the Knights may lean a little more to the ground in 2023, with senior Major a key part of the running game.
“He’s shifty, he runs angry, he’s very strong. I mean, as a back, maybe the strongest we ever had,” said Beck of Majors. “The kid benches like 325 pounds, squats over 600 pounds, I mean he’s the total package with that.”
Majors looks to help be a factor in the passing game, which also returns McNeill — an All-SOL National honorable mention at receiver — and adds junior Jackson Schurmann, a transfer from La Salle.
“A lot during the offseason, I worked on running routes, working on my catching,” Major said. “I’m pretty confident in this year catching screen passes out of the backfield.”
Taking over for Zeltt at quarterback is sophomore Matt Bucksar.
“He’s had a really good camp,” said Beck of Bucksar. “He’s probably a little more of a runner than what Zeltt was but he’s got a strong arm, quick release. I expect big things from him.”
Having Quallet back is a boost as the Knights put together their offensive line.
“We lack a little size but we all come off the ball really hard,” Quallet said. “We’re all physical and we’re all just trying to move the ball.”
North Penn also has confidence in its kicking game as it returns junior Ryan Bocklet.
“We’re trying to figure some guys out and I think our focus is going to be getting the ball to Amir Major as much as possible,” Beck said. “But you can’t be a one-man team. We got to figure out how to spread the wealth around a little bit.”
North Penn starts the season against La Salle at Crawford Stadium then hosts Quakertown in Week 2 on Thursday, Aug. 31. The Knights head to Upper Dublin for a Week 3 matchup with the defending SOL American and District 1-5A champs. The Cardinals scored two late touchdowns to rally past North Penn 32-28 last season.
The Knights’ open SOL National play with back-to-back road games — at Neshaminy Sep. 14 then at Central Bucks West Sept. 22.
