This CR South senior is the Bucks County Defensive Player of Year
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When Council Rock South needed a big play, Nate Szydlik had a knack of delivering.
Case in point: Tied 7-7 in the third quarter of the Golden Hawks’ PIAA Class 6A District One first-round playoff game against visiting Haverford, Szydlik ran for a 75-yard touchdown to put CR South ahead for good.
Szydlik added a 30-yard interception return for a score in the fourth period, propelling the Hawks to a 27-7 victory, marking their first district win since reaching the Class 4A championship game in 2011.
“Every game comes down to a couple plays,” Szydlik said. “I always felt I needed to have one sack on third down or one TD when we needed one. I had to step up and make big-time plays and that’s what I did.”
A first-team all-state pick at linebacker as a junior, the 6-foot-2, 210-pound Szydlik is the 2025 Courier Times/Intell Defensive Player of the Year.
Despite missing 2½ games due to a shoulder injury, the hard-hitting Szydlik registered 95 tackles this season, with 13 for loss (seven sacks). The Suburban One League Continental Conference MVP, Szydlik completed his stellar career with 253 tackles, 40 of which went for loss (with 15 sacks).
After playing tight end in 2024, Szydlik was effective as a receiver/running back combo this year. He totaled 424 rushing yards on 42 carries (10.1 average) with six TDs, in addition to 18 catches for 281 yards and three more scores.
In his first game back from being injured, Szydlik had three sacks and ran 15 yards for a fourth-quarter touchdown in a 28-20 Week 4 victory over Cheltenham.
“Nate Szydlik is an excellent two-way football player,” said Souderton head coach Ed Gallagher. “You have to account for him on every play when he’s on defense, and he also gives them a spark offensively with his running, blocking and receiving.”
Szydlik and CR South finished 10-2, giving Souderton its only SOL Continental loss (14-7) en route to winning the conference with a 7-0 mark.
“Nate’s a special person and an exceptional talent,” said CR South head coach CJ Szydlik, who is Nate’s uncle. “He’s the kind of kid who embraces big moments, yet he understands when it’s someone else’s time to have theirs.”
Szydlik has Football Championship Series (FCS) offers from Maine and Stonehill, as well as Division II California (PA) and a preferred walk-on spot at Towson. The 17-year-old from Richboro expects to be a linebacker at the next level.
“He was the best player in our league this year, and I look forward to seeing him continue playing collegiately,” Gallagher said.
Tom Moore: tmoore@couriertimes.com; @TomMoorePhilly is a sports columnist for PhillyBurbs.com. Support our journalism with a subscription.
This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: High School Football CR South Nate Szydlik top defensive player
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