North Penn downs Souderton in District One 6A football quarterfinal
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LANSDALE — Once they got things going, they really got things going.
Leading by only a field goal at the half of their PIAA District One Class 6A quarterfinal matchup against visiting Souderton, North Penn found another gear after the break and started to rock and roll.
Backed by three touchdown runs, and a receiving touchdown, by standout senior Matt Pownall, the Knights pulled away in style on the way to a 43-14 win over the Big Red, marking the 18th-straight time North Penn has beaten Souderton.
“We believe in each other and know what we can do,” Pownall said.
“We had a couple of guys go down to injuries and we wanted to play well for them and not see our season end.”
The Knights, who are seeded second in the tournament, will definitely keep going as they’ll host Neshaminy next week in the semifinals.
Neshaminy, seeded 11th, upended No. 14 Owen J. Roberts 49-21 in another quarterfinal Friday night. In the regular-season meeting, Neshaminy topped North Penn 18-14. The loss ended the season for the Big Red.
“I don’t care who we play,” Pownall said. “I’m just glad we’re going to the semifinals and we want to keep going.”
The win was the seventh-straight for the Knights, who reached the district title game a year ago. North Penn hasn’t lost since falling to top-seeded Pennridge in Week Five.
“This was a great win for our guys and I couldn’t be happier for them,” North Penn head coach Dick Beck said.
“After we lost to Pennridge we all had to look in the mirror and ask ourselves if we were working hard enough.
“And we’ve had a lot of guys step up and play better and we’ve been playing better as a team all around.”
The Knights scored on their first four possessions of the half to turn the game into a romp as Pownall had two of his touchdown runs and fellow running back Rylei Gray had a touchdown run and a touchdown pass (off a halfback option) that went to Pownall from 31 yards out.
“That throw was perfect, I didn’t have to break stride or anything,” Pownall said. “Rylei put it right there.”
What’s next for North Penn football?
The Knights will host No. 11 Neshaminy in next week’s semifinals. Neshaminy defeated Owen J. Roberts in the quarterfinals.
What’s next for Souderton football?
The loss ended the season for the Big Red.
Key play
The halfback option throw from Rylei Gray to Pownall made it 30-14 late in the third quarter and all but sealed things.
Game balls
Matt Pownall, North Penn: He rushed for 91 yards and the three touchdowns plus the touchdown catch.
Rylei Gray, North Penn: He ran for 187 yards on 15 carries, had a pair of touchdown runs and the touchdown pass to Pownall.
Michael McCormick, Souderton: The burly fullback/linebacker/punter boomed a 66-yard punt that pinned the Knights on their own 3-yard line early in the game. Unfortunately, he suffered a leg injury shortly after his punt and was unable to come back into the game and his loss was noticeable.
They said it
“They were able to wear us down and beat us up a bit in the second half and we weren’t able to respond,” Souderton head coach Ed Gallagher said.
Drew Markol covers local sports for PhillyBurbs.com. Support our journalism with a subscription.
This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: North Penn defeats Souderton in PIAA District One 6A quarterfinal
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