Seeing North Penn in a preseason ranking list of any sort is almost an annual rite of sorts – the Knights have claimed six District 1 championships since 2002 and are fresh off their second PIAA championship game appearance in school history.
Yes, North Penn did lose its share of players to graduation, but the Knights are far from hurting and have a much more solid nucleus back in terms of returning experience for 2012 than it did at the same time entering 2011.
The loss of two-year starter and record-setting field general Corey Ernst is a setback, but a pair of returning offensive linemen, George Shipp and Derek Brandt, along with 1,300-yard rusher Kyle Mayfield, should ease some of the burden. Additonally, kicker Brandon Mandes, WR/LB Eddie Posavec, OL/DL Joe Potkovac and DB Kris Akins are all back, giving the Knights some extra veteran presence.
2 Responses
Their biggest loss was their 4 year starter LB and TE. I thought last year was a rebuilding year for North Penn. I expect them to do very well this year; the question is will other teams like Pennridge, or Pennsbury etc. step up even more.
Accurate prediction, considering what they lost.
Could be 1 and 2 after first 3 games, like last year. But be the end of regular season, they’ll be in the top 5.