FOOTBALL: CB South shuts down North Penn to win matchup of SOL National unbeatens
WARRINGTON – The defensive pieces have come together for the Central Bucks South football team, creating a unit stifling opponents and placing the Titans alone atop the Suburban One League National Conference.
"We got a hell of a defense," said South's Nick Micewski, a senior offensive lineman and defensive end. "We're locked in on every position. We have, I can't even put into words what we've been doing in the past couple of weeks. Everyone's just doing their 1-11, that's what we say, everyone has one puzzle piece and we all fit it into one spot."
North Penn came into Friday night's matchup of 6-0 sides averaging 34.5 points per contest but were held to just a pair of Ryan Bocklet field goals. The Titans, meanwhile, found the end zone on runs by Owen Pinkerton and Braylen Cape then held off the Knights' late to secure a 14-6 victory.
"If I'm being realistic before the game and I'm thinking to myself we need to score at least three touchdowns, that's what I was sort of thinking," CB South coach Tom Hetrick said. "That's what my head was, cause they've been averaging almost 35 points a game, cause they have some players. The quarterback is a good player, their scheme is so sound in what they do and they know what they want to do and they get it done.
"So for us to come out and hold them to two field goals, it was a heck of a defensive effort."
CB South (7-0, 4-0) locked down on the Knights' rushing attack, allowing a total of three yards on 28 carries as the Titans focused on preventing NP quarterback Matt Bucksar from hurting them with his legs. Bucksar's lone run for positive yards came when he picked up four on the contest's final drive.
"We had to keep the quarterback controlled," CB South senior linebacker Jim Wade said. "He's always scrambling, making big plays, we had to keep him in control and I think we did a good job on that."
Bucksar threw for 108 yards but North Penn (6-1, 3-1) never found much rhythm with its passing game. The junior QB was 4-of-7 passing in the first half but was 3-of-11 with an interception after halftime as the Knights were held to single digits for the first time since getting shut out 28-0 by Central Bucks West last season in Week 5.
"Our offensive line, we didn't play well and that's on me," North Penn coach Dick Beck said. "I got to prepare these guys better, I'm a little disappointed that way. I thought the defense really fought, played pretty valiantly especially when the offense wasn't moving the ball much."
Central Bucks South's defense has now held teams to seven or few points five times in 2024, which the Titans began by shutting out Archbishop Wood 35-0.
South is now allowing 8.3 points per game as it reached 7-0 for the second consecutive season. The Titans won their first eight last year before falling at Central Bucks West. South did not lose again until the PIAA-6A semifinals, claiming the District 1-6A title and finishing 13-2.
"We know every week we got to go out there and do our thing, we're just trying to carry on the legacy," Wade said. "Our seniors last year set a great example and we're trying to carry it on."
Cape paced the Titans with 65 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries. Kaden Kube collected 55 yards on 15 carries while Pinkerton completed just 1-of-6 passes – a 52-yarder to Danny Gies in the first quarter – but ran 18 times for 45 yards and a score.
After Cape's five-yard touchdown run put CB South up 14-6 with 11:14 in the fourth, North Penn had four possessions to mount a comeback try but only the last series got the ball into the Titans' half of the field.
The Knights' first series after going down eight ended in a three-and-out. South had a drop on a throw down the field and on the next play fumbled, North Penn recovering at its own 43. But the Knights picked up just three yards and on 4th-and-7, Wade came off the right edge for a sack.
"We got a bunch of dogs on our team," Wade said. "We just had to get after him and we did a good job with that, make him feel uncomfortable in the pocket and think we succeeded in that."
The Titans, however, turned the ball over on downs when Kube was a yard short on 4th-and-3 after a shoestring tackle by Matt Pownall.
A South penalty kept North Penn's ensuing drive alive after an incompletion on 4th-and-17 at the Knights' 23. A Bucksar scramble was negated when North Penn was called for holding and on 4th-and-22, the Titans' pressure blew up the play and South took over at the five.
On a 4th-and-Goal from the five, Pinkerton was ruled to have fumbled the ball out of the end zone and North Penn had one last chance with 54.6 seconds remaining.
Bucksar hit Jackson Schurmann for a 13-yard completion to the Knights' 42 while a pass interference penalty on South put North Penn at the Titans' 43 with 13.3 seconds. However, Eddie Bowen and Kube combined on a sack that forced a fumble scooped up by Micewski, who headed toward the end zone but was caught and fumbled – North Penn recovering with time running out.
"I thought I had that," Micewski said. "I thought I was on my horse there but I got caught."
Along with holding the top spot in the SOL National, Central Bucks South is also first in the District 1-6A rankings with North Penn third. Both teams host conference games Thursday – the Titans taking on Abington at 6:30 p.m. while the Knights face Pennsbury at 7 p.m.
South took a 7-0 lead in the second quarter. On 4th-and-4 from the Knights' nine, Pinkerton went around the left side then dove over the goal line for a touchdown at 6:34.
"I thought we had 'em and we kind of had a mental breakdown there and that really cost us," Beck said. "That really hurt us."
North Penn looked poised to pull level on the following drive after Aidan Eves' 24-yard reception on 3rd-and-4 gave the Knights a 1st-and-Goal at the Titans' five. But after two runs and an incompletion, North Penn was still at the five and settled for a 21-yard Bocklet field goal with 16.1 seconds left in the half.
"At the end of the half we got that ball at the five-yard line and the first play the guy's walking in and he slips and falls and we get a guy go the wrong way," Beck said. "That's on me, we got to score there."
North Penn cut the margin to 7-6 at 5:24 in the third when Bocklet connected on a 38-yard field goal.
CB South, however, answered on its next possession – running on all 10 plays of the 79-yard drive to go up 14-6 as Cape went up the middle for a five-yard touchdown at 11:14 in the fourth.
Central Bucks South 14, North Penn 6 North Penn 0 3 3 0 — 6 Central Bucks South 0 7 0 7 — 14 Scoring Second Quarter CBS — Owen Pinkerton 9 run (Adis Formelio kick), 6:34. NP — Ryan Bocklet 21 field goal, 0:16.1. Third Quarter NP — Bocklett 38 field goal, 5:24. Fourth Quarter CBS — Braylen Cape 5 run (Formeli kick), 11:14
irst Downs 10 12 Rushes-Yards 28-3 43-165 Passing Yards 108 89 Total Yards 111 254 Passing 8-15-0 4-10-1 Punts 3 1 Fumbles-Lost 2-1 3-3 Penalties-Yards 2-18 7-65
