By Peter Spiewak
MaxPreps.com
North Penn (3-0) used a dominating defensive effort and a strong running attack to defend its home turf and win the first "Battle of Skippack Creek" in 16 years with a 24-0 win over Souderton (2-1) Friday night.
Over 7,000 fans packed Crawford Stadium in Lansdale as the teams met for the first time since 1991.
The Knights' stingy defense, led by defensive tackle Shaun Moore and linebacker Andrew Stoll, gave the Indians' trouble from the first whistle. Souderton was only able to manage one first down in the first half of the game, and that came on a penalty. North Penn's tremendous line play gave Souderton problems, and helped the Knights shutout a Souderton offense that posted 76 points in the first two games of the season
North Penn is making a strong case for being the best Philadelphia-area team with another impressive victory Friday. The Knights were victorious over a talented St. Joe's Prep team Sept. 1,and beat Cardinal O'Hara last week.
Souderton's defense played well with its back against the wall for the entire game. The offense could not sustain drives and North Penn won the field position battle, forcing the Indians' into difficult situations. The Souderton defense could only hold up for so long.
With 40 seconds left in the first quarter, Knights quarterback Justin Davey connected with V.J. Crouse for a 41-yard pass that setup a touchdown run by fullback Mike Katch, the workhorse for the North Penn offense. Katch totaled 127 yards of total offense, which was more thanSouderton's entire team.
With Souderton only down 7-0 and hanging tough with a minute to go in the second quarter, Katch struck again. Katch took a screen pass from Davey and turned it into a 57-yard touchdown; sending the Knights into the locker room with a comfortable 14-0 lead. Souderton would never recover.
Still unable to muster any offense, and with their defense wearing down, the Indians didn't have much of a chance in the second half. After a Souderton fumble, North Penn added a field goal, and pulled away.
Knights' running back Tyler Smith complimented Katch and Davey well. The junior added a touchdown from seven yards out in the fourth quarter to finish the Indians off.
Defensive tackle Ian Eishenhart and defensive end Joe Hernandez performed well for the Indians' defense.
With the win, North Penn improves to 3-0, and looks forward to Suburban One play this week when they take on Pennridge of Perkasie. The Knights will be in the hunt for their first Suburban One title since 2004.
North Penn now holds a 38-27-3 all-time series lead over Souderton.
