North Penn football remains undefeated in dominating win over Pennridge
LANSDALE — If North Penn has a weakness, nobody has found it yet and we're halfway through the regular season.
The Knights, who dispatched visiting Pennridge 31-0 in a Suburban One League National Conference game Friday night, do everything well.
Defense? The shutout over the Rams was the first of the season, but it was the third time North Penn has held an opponent to seven or fewer points.
Offense? On Friday night, it was junior quarterback Matt Bucksar again doing plenty of damage as he ran for two touchdowns and threw for two more in the win.
Special teams? Senior kicker Ryan Bocklet drilled another long field goal Friday, this one from 38 yards. He made all four extra points plus he had two touchbacks. He's just another weapon the 5-0 Knights possess.
"This is a great group of guys and it's been so much fun," said Bucksar, who booted a 49-yard field goal last week (tied for the longest in the state thus far this season) against Neshaminy.
"The senior class is really good and there are also so many younger guys stepping up and really playing well for us in every game."
Bocklet, a four-year starter and another standout in a long line of North Penn kicking standouts, now has 22 touchbacks on the season.
"He has great range on field goals and when he puts the ball in the end zone on kickoffs, which he does a lot, that makes the other team have to go 80 yards for a touchdown," North Penn head coach Dick Beck said.
"What he does for us with his kicking, and he's also a really good punter, can't be overlooked. He's going to kick somewhere in college at a pretty high level."
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Bocklet's field goal gave the Knights a 10-0 lead midway through the second quarter and came shortly after Bucksar had gone 78 yards for a score to get North Penn on the board.
"Matty saw something and decided to keep the ball and he made a really big play," Beck said. "He just keeps getting better and better."
What it means for Pennridge football
The 3-2 Rams came in riding a three-game winning streak and now need to bounce back. A strong second half of the season could put the Rams in the PIAA District One Class 6A playoffs.
What it means for North Penn football
The Knights are aiming for a high seed in the district playoffs, but still have a huge game coming up against unbeaten Central Bucks South on Oct. 4 and rival CB West on Oct. 18.
Key play
Bucksar's long touchdown run came on the possession after the Rams had driven to the North Penn 18 and had plenty of momentum before being stopped on downs.
Game balls
Mason Franek, North Penn. The junior wide receiver caught Bucksar's first touchdown pass, a 12-yard strike, with less than a minute to go before the half to give the hosts a 17-0 lead.
Matt Bucksar, North Penn. He accounted for all four touchdowns, two on the ground and two scoring passes, led all rushers with 101 yards and threw for 112.
Chase Clontz, Pennridge. The junior defensive back had a nifty interception early in third quarter that stopped the Knights' first possession.
They said it
"We did some good stuff early on, but mental mistakes hurt us," Pennridge second-year head coach Kyle Beller said. "And you can't do that against a good football team and North Penn is a really good football team."
"I really liked the way our defense played," North Penn's Beck said. "Their quarterback (junior Noah Keating) is a really good player and we were able to pressure him at times and that helped us."
3 generations of Pennridge quarterbacks: Grandfather and uncle helped Rams to victory, too
What's next for Pennridge football?
Pennridge plays at Abington on Sept. 27.
North Penn, QB Bucksar soaring: North Penn takes win over Quakertown as Bucksar makes big jump at quarterback
What's next for North Penn football?
North Penn plays at Central Bucks East on Sept. 27.
Drew Markol covers local sports for PhillyBurbs.com. Support our journalism with a subscription.
This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Bucks County high school football: North Penn takes win over Pennridge
