Mayhem’s Game Of The Week: North Penn @ Central Bucks South
Tagged under: District 1, Gameday Hub, News, pfn, Playoffs
Michael Pietrangelo | November 14, 2024
District 1-6A Semifinal/Opening Round of PIAA State Tournament
#4 North Penn Knights @ #1 Central Bucks South Titans
Friday, November 15, 2024
Location: Titan Stadium
1100 Folly Rd, Warrington Pa, 18976
Kickoff: 7 PM
#1 Central Bucks South (12-0, 7-0)
PFN State Ranking: 6A-4th
District Seed: 1st
Head Coach: Tom Hetrick (10th Season)
Season Record: (12-0) Overall (7-0) Suburban One-National
About the Titans: The reigning District One Champs remain undefeated and are looking to continue their success in the district and make a deep run into the State Playoffs. In round one, the Titans dispatched the Spring-Ford Rams 49-7. Last week, the Titans shut out the Plymouth Whitemarsh Colonials 35-0. Senior quarterback Owen Pinkerton led all rushers with 88 yards on 17 carries and a touchdown. Sophomore standout Braylen Cape carried the ball 12 times for 78 yards and a touchdown. He also hauled in a 60-yard touchdown pass on a fake punt. Senior Jim Wade, stepping in for injured Kaden Kube, handled the rock six times for 67 yards and a score. On the defensive side of the ball, Wade led all tacklers with six total tackles. Senior defensive end and prolific pass rusher Eddie Bowen had a double sack night, bringing his season total to ten. This Titan offense is currently averaging 32.3 points per game. The offensive attack is led by none other than senior quarterback Owen Pinkerton. The dual-threat quarterback has completed 56% of his passes for 1,178 yards and 14 touchdowns while only throwing three interceptions. He also leads the backfield with 164 carries for 1,104 yards and fourteen rushing touchdowns. Sophomore Braylen Cape (97-673-10 TDs) and Senior Kaden Kube (65-333-2 TDs) share time in the Titan backfield and round out the dominant rushing attack, though Kube has been sidelined with an injury the past three weeks. A trio of seniors leads the receiving corps: Danny Gies (27-613-8 TDs), Matt Harmon (17-324-3 TDs), and Dan McCusker (10-132-2 TDs). The defense, which only yields 6.5 points per game, is led by Junior linebacker Jack Bartolillo, who leads all tacklers with 72 total tackles. Senior defensive end Eddie Bowen is second on the team with 68 tackles and the team sack leader with ten. Senior Matt Harmon leads the secondary with four interceptions.
Interview with Owen Pinkerton
Mayhem: “The rematch vs. NP, you guys barely etched out a win last time 14-6, How pumped are you and the squad to get a Conference rival in the semifinals?”
Owen: “Last time against north penn we felt like we left some points on the board. That doesn’t matter though this a completely new game weeks later. Both teams make adjustments. Just looking forward to a great ball game.”
Mayhem: “What can the fans expect out of your squad come Friday night on both sides of the ball?”
Owen: “Both sides of the ball we are the most physical out there and most relentless out there. The past two years we have been the most physical team in the league. We don’t plan on stopping.”
Mayhem: “Do you have a pregame routine and if so what is it?”
Owen: “Pregame routine just is eat a couple bananas and talk to my guys. I don’t like listening to music either I like to relax my mind and get my head right.”
#4 North Penn (10-2, 5-2)
PFN State Ranking: 6A-NR (Not Ranked)
District Seed: 4th
Head Coach: Dick Beck (22nd Season)
Season Record: (10-2) Overall (5-2) Suburban One-National
About the Knights: Round one saw the fourth-seeded knights take care of 13th-seeded Ridley Green Raiders 24-14. Junior Matt Pownall handled the workload by carrying the ball 27 times for 207 yards. In the quarterfinals, the Knights etched out Haverford 29-21. Pownall again was the force behind the motion as he rushed 18 times for 138 yards and two scores. Pownall also caught three balls for 59 yards. On the defensive side of the ball, he also had an interception. During the regular season, the fourth-seeded Knights out of SOL-National finished 8-2. Their two losses were to conference foes CB South (14-6) and CB West (17-14) to finish third. The Knights average 29.3 points per game while yielding a respectable 12.3 points per game to opposing offenses. The Knights’ offensive attack is led by Junior quarterback Matt Bucksar, who has completed58% of his passes for 1,468 yards. Additionally, he has 418 yards on the ground. Bucksar’s favorite targets are senior TE Aiden Eves 24-387-4 TDs, Junior Mason Franek 20-308-4 TDs, and senior Jackson Schurmann 15-283-3 TDs. Junior Matt Pownall has carried the rock 133 times for 753 yards and 2 scores. He hauled in an additional 430 yards on 24 catches and 3 TDs. Senior Josiah Coleman has carried the ball 89 times for a team-high 699 yards and 7 touchdowns. On the defensive side of the ball, senior Christian Johns-Wallace leads all defenders with 85 total tackles. Senior Cole D’Ambrosio is second on the team with 80 tackles and junior Nate Schepian follows with 55.
Interview With Matthew Pownall
Mayhem: “You guys lost in the regular season 14-6 against CB South and now have a rematch to go to the district championship. How pumped are you and your team to get another crack at South?”
Matt: “Definitely very excited! The guys and the whole team have worked insanely hard this year and can’t wait to play another game against a great team. We are all pumped up and continue to focus on doing our jobs and win football games.”
Mayhem: “What can the fans expect from your team on Friday night on both sides of the ball?”
Matt: “Fans can expect an action packed game from both sides of the ball making plays! The offense being able to run the ball which will set up our strong passing game. The defense has been great all year and can expect us to get some turnovers and use the momentum to score.”
Mayhem: “Do you have a pregame routine and if so what is it?”
Matt: “My special routine before stepping onto the field before every game is talking to god. I pray before every game and thank him for the opportunity he puts in front of me every week to play football. I thank him for my athletic abilities like speed, strength, and vision as he provides for me on the field. This routine before every game helps me play the best I can and ultimately allows me to get my mind off distractions.”
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