TOWAMENCIN — The North Penn Knights turned the tables on Neshaminy with a commanding performance, scoring on their first five possessions to secure a 35-7 victory in the PIAA District One Class 6A semifinals Friday night at Crawford Stadium.
The second-seeded Knights (11-2) relied heavily on their ground attack, rushing 52 times for 284 yards while attempting just five passes. Junior running back Rylei Gray powered in for three touchdowns on runs of 18, 16 and 2 yards, finishing with 93 yards on 15 carries. Senior Matt Pownall added 134 yards and two scores on 18 carries, including plunges of 2 and 16 yards.
North Penn never punted, converting early third downs and avoiding a fourth down entirely during their opening touchdown drive. The Knights built a 26-7 halftime lead and added a third-quarter score before sealing the win with a safety in the final minutes.
“The improvement we’ve made from the beginning of the year to now has been phenomenal,” said Knights head coach Dick Beck. “I couldn’t be prouder of this team.”
Neshaminy (9-4), the No. 11 seed, had upset North Penn 18-14 in Week 4 on Sept. 12, but managed just 153 total yards in the rematch—56 on the ground and 97 through the air. Quarterback Michael Eckart completed 15 of 23 passes for 97 yards and one touchdown, a 14-yard strike to Mike Sassano in the second quarter that briefly cut the deficit to 20-7.
“I thought we had a good week of practice and were prepared, but we came out a little bit flat,” said Neshaminy head coach Nick Felus. “I’ll take responsibility, but hats off to Coach Beck and North Penn. They were ready to play tonight and went after us a little bit.”
The Knights' defense stifled the Skins early, limiting them to one first down on their opening drive before Darin Burner’s third-down sack forced a punt. Aiden Ashley broke up a screen pass, and Sal Colella hauled in an interception after halftime. North Penn's front, like Marselis Kimber (multiple tackles & a sack) generated consistent pressure, while the secondary—highlighted by Pownall, Gray, and Colella—held firm in coverage.
Sal Colella intercepts the pass against Neshaminy. (Photo Courtesy of Michael Rice Photography)
“We were really flying to the ball (on defense),” Beck said. “They didn’t have many long runs. I thought we were pretty good in coverage, and we got pressure (on the quarterback).”
“Our emphasis on defense after losing to Pennridge (34-10 on Sept. 19),” Beck added, “was to get more speed on the field. We moved Christian Barnes, who’s just so fast, at the end, starting. Ever since he’s been starting, he’s been explosive. We put Aiden Ashley on the other end. He’s another guy, not big but super athletic. The three d-tackles we work in all can run. The linebackers all can run, but our secondary is probably the strength of our team with Pownall and Gray, and Sal Colella. They’ve just been outstanding all year for us.”
Gray credited the offensive line for the turnaround from the earlier loss. “We didn’t punt the ball,” Gray said. “Our offensive line was amazing. They did their job today. Last time we played them, we got out-physicaled, and we did not get a lot of big runs. This week I had way more opportunities and so did Matt.” “The line up front,” Pownall said. “They’ve been blocking so well all year. Me and Rylei, double combo, he’s the speedier back, I’m a little more power. Just props to the line. They’ve been doing great all year, getting control of the line and letting us run the ball.”
“The offense is all about the o-line blocking guys up front,” Beck said, “and Rylei Gray and Matt Pownall finding the holes and getting north and south. Rarely do they come down at the line of scrimmage. Rylei had one negative run where he tried to bounce it. Besides that, he was north and south all day and was just finding the holes. For us, when we’re staying in front of the sticks, we’re a much better offense in front of the sticks.”
“As a whole, we just prepared so well during the week,” Colella said. “I mean, the defense was just locked in the whole entire time. D-line, linebackers, secondary. Especially losing to them earlier in the regular season (18-14 on Sept. 12), it was very important to come back and win this one.” “That safety was just the finishing touch that we needed to end it,” Colella said of the late two-point play.
Gray returned the kickoff after Neshaminy's score to the Skins' 18-yard line, setting up his third touchdown three plays later. “I just want to get back to this (district) championship,” Gray said. “We lost (to Downingtown West) last year, so I need a win.” “It just wasn’t our night tonight, for whatever reason,” Felus said. “The effort was there and we played hard. ... What a ride these seniors have had.”
“One game doesn’t define our season, whether you win or lose,” Felus added. “It’s supposed to hurt. It’s going to hurt. We expected a better performance. I’ll take responsibility being the head coach. I felt like we had a good week of practice, but for whatever reason we didn’t put our best foot forward and that’s on me as the leader of the program. I’ll evaluate some things that we did well and some things that we didn’t do well, most importantly, but the effort was there. The kids, they’re so gritty. They’re so tough. We faced so much adversity. I couldn’t even tell you the adversity that we faced this year with some different things. New coach, a lot of new coaches on the staff, whole new offense, whole new defense. It’s not easy and these kids made it look easy at times. We’re thankful for everything they’ve done for the program.”
North Penn, winners of eight straight, advances to face top-seeded Pennridge (12-1) in next Friday's district championship. The Rams defeated the Knights 34-10 in Week 5 on Sept. 19.
