DOYLESTOWN – Behind a five-touchdown performance from senior running back Mike Price, Central Bucks East pulled away from North Penn for a 34-12 victory on Friday Night.
Price rushed for 202 yards and four touchdowns on 20 carries, including three scores in the second half, and threw another as the Patriots strengthened their playoff positioning with a win on senior night.
“It felt great, but I couldn’t have done it without the rest of the team,” Price said. “Between the coaches, the offensive line, the wide receivers, the tight ends, and Hoey lead blocking for me. I couldn’t have done it without them.”
However, it was the Knights who drew first blood.
Following a CB East punt on the opening possession, senior quarterback London Evans connected with senior wide receiver Sal Colella for a touchdown. Junior running back Ziyon Smith set up the score with a field-flipping run to open the drive.
The Patriots blocked the extra-point attempt, and North Penn led 6-0 with 8:49 left in the first quarter.
Price quickly answered.
Less than three minutes later, Price took a toss around the edge, ran through a defender and barreled into the end zone for a touchdown. Senior Cole Wojnicki converted the extra point to put CB East ahead 7-6.
On North Penn’s ensuing possession, junior defensive back Yaroslav Yevlantyev intercepted a pass, giving the Patriots the ball right back. It was the first of five takeaways for the CB East defense.
Junior quarterback Hunter Pulford capitalized on the turnover, connecting with Wojnicki for a 58-yard gain on the first play of the drive.
A few plays later, Price lined up in the wildcat formation and found junior tight end Owen Grotz on a jump pass for a touchdown with 51 seconds left in the opening quarter.
The Knights, however, weren’t going away quietly.
Facing fourth-and-long, Evans connected with junior wide receiver Duke Horgan over the middle for a long gain that moved North Penn into the redzone. Two plays later, Evans found senior fullback Jacob Garrett in the flat for a touchdown.
North Penn’s 2-point conversion attempt failed, leaving CB East ahead 14-12 with 8:15 remaining in the second quarter.
The Knights threatened again before halftime, but the Patriots defense stood tall.
On fourth-and-inches at the CB East 20-yard line, North Penn was turned away with just over a minute remaining, allowing the Patriots to preserve their lead heading into the break.
The Patriots defense picked up where it left off in the second half.
With North Penn at the CB East 12-yard line, they muffed the snap, and senior defensive end Owen Metzger recovered the loose ball.
Price made sure the turnover didn’t go to waste.
The senior scampered into the end zone from 12 yards out with 2:56 remaining in the third quarter, extending the Patriots lead.
Before the quarter ended, CB East’s defense delivered another momentum-shifting play.
Senior defensive lineman Lorenzo Graziosi forced a strip-sack, and Metzger recovered his second fumble of the half with nine seconds left in the third.
Once again, Price made the Knights pay.
Taking a handoff from the North Penn 18-yard line, Price raced around the edge and into the end zone for his third rushing touchdown of the night. The Patriots 2-point conversion attempt failed, leaving CB East up 27-12 with 10:20 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Still within two possessions, North Penn had time to mount a comeback, but senior linebacker Liam Hoey had other plans.
Hoey intercepted a pass on the Knights ensuing possession, setting up Price’s fourth rushing touchdown and fifth total score of the night. The senior linebacker wasn’t finished either.
With 2:28 remaining, Hoey picked it off again, putting the final touches on a huge win at home.
“I have a personal goal to be the best player on the field when I’m on the field,” Hoey said. “I think I lived up to that tonight.”
Behind five touchdowns from Price and five takeaways by its defense, CB East improved to 5-3 (3-2 SOL). North Penn dropped to 4-4 (2-3 SOL).
“You can’t look over anybody in this league,” Pulford said. “We got Abington coming up, which is another big game. Then we got the guys in yellow, our cross-town rivals and that game goes anywhere every single year. We will come prepared, but right now we just got to take things one day at a time, all the way until the playoffs.”
Next week, CB East will travel to Abington, while North Penn will visit CB South.