Zeltt, North Penn expecting big things in 2022
TOWAMENCIN >> Ryan Zeltt is bigger. And for both the standout senior quarterback and the North Penn football team, hopefully that means even better things in store for the 2022 season.
“I was pretty skinny last year,” he said “I put on like 15, 20 pounds. I’m around 210 and I’m pretty happy with that. And I’ve been working on speed and agility and stuff – I want to be able to escape and pocket and extend plays with my legs.”
Zeltt threw for 1,842 yards and 24 touchdowns in earning All-SOL National Conference first-team honors at the position last season. But Knights coach Dick Beck may be more open to having his QB use his legs to help a rushing attack after the graduation of Khalani Eaton, who ran for more than 4,000 yards in his career with NP.
“He’s 6-4, he’s got great command of the offense and maybe we’ll give him an opportunity to run the ball a little bit with his size,” said Beck of the quarterback.
Zeltt – in his fourth year starting games – is ready to do anything in his last campaign with the Knights, which last season went unbeaten in the regular season but had their run at their first District 1 title since 2016 stopped in an offensive slugfest with Ridley in the Class 6A quarterfinals.
“Being a senior it’s a weird feeling,” Zeltt said. “It’s your last season – I just had my last first two-a-day which is both good and bad. You want it more when you’re a senior, not saying I didn’t want it when I was a freshman, sophomore, junior but it’s your last year, you like ‘Oh my god it’s my last year,’ and you want everyone around you to want it just as much as you and just makes you work harder.”
Last year, North Penn averaged just shy of 40 points per game (39.7) as it claimed its first SOL conference title since 2018 and won its opening 11 games before Ridley came to Crawford Stadium and upset the Knights by earning a 56-55 overtime victory.
“You can’t score 55 in a game and lose and not feel like you should’ve won,” Beck said. “But we’re hoping that we’re going to be a little more disciplined this year and put ourselves in better shape to win.”
With Zeltt along with an experience on the line and a receiving corps boosted by transfer Yahzeed Haynes, a Georgia verbal commit, the Knights’ offense still has a potential to be just as potent. Defensively, NP is looking to improve a unit that allowed 19.1 points per contest.
“Offensively we should be able to score points,” Beck said. “We’re trying to put an emphasis on defense this year. We return a lot of linebackers and I think our secondary is as strong as it’s ever been. So I always worry about the d-front, we don’t have a lot of big guys but we’re hoping they’re athletic and quick and they can play tough.”
Bolstering the Knights’ linebackers is the return of junior Dave Dawes, who missed all of last season after an injury during NP’s preseason scrimmage.
“This year I’m going to come back, I’m going to show them how I was supposed to do last year,” Dawes said.
Playing at linebacker with Dawes will be seniors Luke Cody – an All-SOL National second-team pick at the position – and James Mangine.
“I like it cause we go to one side and we’re tackling and you go to the other side and we’re tackling,” said Dawes of the group.
Along with losing its top rusher in Eaton, the Knights’ offense also graduated its top receiver in Levi Carroll (44 receptions for 840 yards and 12 touchdowns). Zeltt, however, will not be lacking for quality targets. Junior Rashad McNeill and seniors Xavier Bryan and Nick Hoffman should factor into the passing game as well as Haynes, who Rivals.com ranks as the No. 3 recruit in the state.
Last season at Neumann-Goretti, Hayes – per easternpafootball.com’s Ed Palmer – had 25 catches for 483 yards and five touchdowns, helping the Saints win the Philadelphia Catholic League Blue Division and advance to the PIAA-3A semifinals.
“He stayed humble, he worked for his spot and we clicked,” said Zeltt of Haynes. “We’re looking good, he’s looking good on the deep balls, the short balls, intermediate balls, he’s just looking good. And he’ll be a boost and he’s a leader, too. He knows all the routes, all the formations and stuff, he learned fast. So having him is just a huge plus.”
On the offensive line, seniors Mikai Green – an all-conference second team pick – and Rymir Gray return to play the tackles. Senior Kevin Pownall – who Beck described as “probably our best offensive lineman, most versatile” – moves to guard with Beck high on center Evan Schaub after the junior worked in the offseason to drop 95 pounds to weigh in at 275.
Replacing Eaton’s rushing production will be a job done by committee with senior Michai Cuffie, junior Amir Major along with Dawes and Mangine expected to get carries out to the backfield.
“I would say what we have this year is we have depth there so we can rotate guys in and out,” Zeltt said. “Guys won’t be as tired and we don’t have to rely on one guy.”
The Knights open their season hosting PCL Red Division champion La Salle Friday, Aug. 26 in the teams’ first meeting since 2019. A week later comes a clash with defending SOL Continental champ Quakertown – North Penn’s first matchup with the Panthers since 2013.
After a home game with Upper Dublin, which finished second to Quakertown in the Continental, the Knights start SOL National play hosting Neshaminy Sept. 16.
“We got a good start to the season playing La Salle, Quakertown and Upper Dublin,” Beck said. “They should be some of the top teams in their own leagues so we’ll know after Game Three where we’re at.”
2022 Schedule
Friday, Aug. 26 vs. La Salle, 7 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 2 at Quakertown, 7 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 9 vs. Upper Dublin, 7 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 16 vs. Neshaminy, 7 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 23 vs. Central Bucks West, 7 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 30 at Central Bucks South, 7 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 7 at Central Bucks East, 7 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 14 vs. Pennsbury, 7 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 21 at Pennridge, 7 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 28 at Abington, 7 p.m.
