TOWAMENCIN – After a 50-28 loss to eventual District 1-6A champion Central Bucks South and just four games remaining in the 2023 regular season, it seemed as if the playoffs were out of reach for the North Penn football team.

“We were 2-4 midway through the year and that’s not North Penn, that’s never been North Penn,” said Dylan Webb-Dennis, a senior on the Knights and an offensive and defensive player. “Since I was a kid, we’ve always been the best of the best. And we needed to get back to that.”

With little room for error, the Knights found a way to pull out wins — beating Central Bucks East 14-7 and then Pennsbury 24-21 to get back to .500. North Penn held on to a close 17-16 win over Pennridge before beating Abington 35-18 for their fourth straight win and a 6-4 record that put them 13th in the 6A postseason field.

“It was really a mess at the beginning,” North Penn coach Dick Beck said. “By the end of the year, I really felt like the team was playing as well as it could.”

And even though North Penn’s first-round surprise attempt failed – Spring-Ford scored two late touchdowns and won 42-35 – the Knights are confident they can carry the success from the end of last season into 2024.

“We’ve got a bunch of dogs back,” said NP senior Christian Johns-Wallace. “We’re putting more effort and more time into practice. And a better game plan, better players. We’ve been in the weight room every day, out on the field, out on the field, just ready to bring it.”

Johns-Wallace was selected to the All-SOL National Conference First Team as a linebacker in 2023 and is one of the returning players looking to improve the performance of a defense that allowed 25.0 points per game last year.

“Honestly, I’ve been working on alignment and assignment,” Johns-Wallace said. “I’ve been working on catching and tackling and knowing my assignments in the passing and running game.”

Senior Aiden Eves, who filled in at quarterback at times last year, was named to the All-Conference second team as a defensive end. The line also has senior Cole D’Ambrosio back from injury, while junior Jack Silvers has provided backup for the last five games.

“Our defense started playing between the two when he was moved to the D-tackle position,” Beck said of Silvers. “First, we didn’t have to use as many players in both directions and second, he played very well for us.”

The Knights can count on senior defensive back Jackson Schurmann, who returns from injury to a secondary in which junior Matthew Pownall started all season at safety. Junior Nate Schepian started the last four games at outside linebacker.

“I have a good feeling about what we’re getting back, especially defensively,” Beck said.

Junior quarterback Matt Bucksar looks to build on his sophomore season, in which he missed a few games due to a concussion but also put up some solid performances at quarterback, including throwing for 112 yards and running for another 62 yards in the first round of district play.

“I think he’s going to break out this year,” said Beck, of Bucksar. “I mean, Matt is probably the fastest kid on our team and he’s a guy who can really make a difference. Someone once said to me, ‘The music starts when he starts running.'”

The Knights’ offensive line is losing Aiden Quallet – an all-conference runner-up for both offensive line and defensive line in 2023 – but also features some experienced players, including seniors Webb-Davis and Vinnie Montmore.

“I’m very confident in our offensive line this year,” Webb-Davis said. “Last year I played left tackle and they put me at left guard. I’m very confident in my entire offensive line and I think we’re going to dominate this year.”

The running game will have to replace the performance of Amir Majors, who graduated after being named to the all-conference second team and capping his senior year with a 181-yard, four-touchdown run against Spring-Ford. Pownall, senior Josiah Coleman and sophomore Rylei Gray are expected to play.

Junior Mason Franek is part of a group of wide receivers that Beck is confident about entering the season.

“We have five good wideouts that know the offense, run good routes and have good hands that I’m comfortable with,” Beck said. “In the backfield, it’s going to be running back by committee to start with, one player starts to show his head above the others and then maybe he gets more touches.”

Veteran kicker Ryan Bocklet was selected to the All-SOL National first team last year as both a kicker and a punter.

North Penn started 2023 with a 34-3 loss to La Salle. This year, the Knights hope to get off to a better start, hosting Downingtown East, which won its first 11 games last season before losing to Downingtown West in the district semifinals.

East and North Penn last met in 2017. The host Cougars won 61-44 in Week 2.

“I think we’re a heavyweight – we’ve got the name, now we’ve got the players and we just need to get through the first game,” Johns-Wallace said. “I think we’ll get there, it’ll be a very competitive game but I think we’ll bring it home this time.”

The Knights’ non-conference schedule includes a visit to Council Rock South and then a home game against Quakertown — which beat North Penn 38-17 last season — before the SOL National begins with back-to-back home games against Neshaminy and Pennridge. The Knights are then on the road for four of the final five weeks of the regular season.

“Last year was a tough season in my opinion. We didn’t win the championship the year before either, so we haven’t been in the championship for two years,” said Beck. “So our main goal is to win the championship.”