The Penn football team closed out an undefeated regular season by winning the NIC title with a 38-6 victory at previously unbeaten Saint Joe Friday.
SOUTH BEND ― Winning the Northern Indiana Conference championship IS still important to the Penn High School football program.
The smiles on the faces of the Kingsmen seniors Friday, Oct. 17, after receiving the league trophy was proof positive that this title is meaningful to the school with a huge trophy case crammed full of championship hardware that includes five state title trophies.
A workmanlike effort, precisely Penn, carried the Class 6A No. 5 Kingsmen past Class 4A No. 6 South Bend Saint Joseph 38-6 on Father Bly Field in Leighton Stadium at Saint Joseph Friday night.
The Kingsmen rode a huge first half passing performance by junior quarterback Landon Hall and a momentum changing interception return for a score by senior John White to claim the victory in the NIC and regular-season finale among the pair of previous undefeated teams.
Penn, which did not win the NIC title a year ago, improved to 9-0 and finished 7-0 in league play. The Kingsmen outscored their seven NIC foes 331-45.
The Huskies, who had allowed a total of just 45 points in their first six NIC games, dropped to 8-1 overall and 6-1 in the NIC.
Second year Kingsmen coach Pete Riordan got to celebrate his first NIC crown as a head coach with his squad.
"Our goal at Penn is to win championships, and any championship is important," said Riordan, now 17-3 in charge of the Kingsmen. "I'm very happy for our seniors. The NIC is the only championship you can win in the regular season, and it is important. We did not win it last year and our guys were hungry for it this year. They put in a lot of work in the offseason to accomplish this."
Penn, which has now outscored St. Joe 167-9 in their last five meetings, set the tone early. The Kingsmen marched 80 yards on the opening drive of the game. Hall, who hit junior Brayson Hurley with a key pass play for 46 yards on the drive, capped it with a seven-yard strike to sophomore Mason Biernacki.
The Kingsmen defense then forced a three and out series by the Huskies. Penn's offense followed that by going 70 yards in just three plays, with senior Blake Ewald going in from a yard out to make it 14-0 with 5:04 still left in the opening period. Hall hit Biernacki with a 51-yard pass play to start the drive.
"I thought (Hall) was sharp early, and we were very well prepared," said Riordan, who was a Penn assistant coach for two decades before replacing Cory Yeoman in 2024. "Our guys were ready. St. Joe has a great defense, and part of our gameplan was to get the ball out quick to guys in space and Landon did that."
White, a 5-11, 220-pound defensive tackle, made sure momentum stayed on the Penn side. He grabbed a tipped pass and raced his way 43 yards to the end zone with just 2:50 to go before halftime to make it 21-0. Penn added a 32-yard field goal by senior Harris Stipp on the final play of the half for a 24-0 lead.
"Our defense has been great all year," noted Riordan, whose team was allowing just nine points per game prior to Friday night. "Our coaches, including defensive coordinator Gary Yeoman, have done a phenomenal job. We get input from our players on defense and make adjustments.
"We work on returning a tipped ball like that in our defensive drills in practice so that everyone knows what to do and who to block. I loved the smile on his (John's) face after that play. That sucks the momentum out of the other team."
Saint Joe coach Ben Downey, who was a teammate of Riordan's on St. Joe's 1995 state championship squad, pointed to the pick six as a big play in the contest.
"That was definitely momentum changing," Downey said. "We were putting together some good plays at that point, and the guy makes a play. They have a very good defense, and they make you pay for mistakes."
St. Joe got its lone score just over a minute into the second half. Senior Colin Penn swiped a Hall pass attempt and raced 48 yards for the score to make it 24-6. The interception was just Hall's second of the season, while he has thrown 18 touchdown passes.
The Kingsmen put the game away with a pair of short touchdown runs, one by senior Jaedon Parker in the third period and the final one by senior Colden Hernandez midway through the final stanza for the 38-6 final.
Downey, whose team is beat up with top rusher Franco Biffle and quarterback Anthony Gubi (who was splitting time with Sam Scicchitano) both sidelined for the season due to injuries, is ready to move on to the postseason.
"The hype for this game was good for our players, but we need to get rid of this one immediately," Downey said. "I'm proud of the job our coaching staff has done with the injuries we've had. But for me, my mind is always much more focused on the playoffs. We need to learn from this that our preparation is good, but it needs to be as great as our effort is."
Hall finished 13-17 passing for 226 yards to lead the Penn offense. Hernandez had 14 carries for 71 yards.
Penn will be idle until playing at Portage (0-9) in a Class 6A sectional semifinal game Oct. 31. Portage closed the regular season with a 35-22 loss at LaPorte Friday night.
St. Joe returns home next Friday night, Oct. 24, to play South Bend Riley (4-5) in a Class 4A first-round sectional contest. Riley defeated Mishawaka Marian 25-17 Friday night. The Huskies beat Riley 21-6 at St. Joe in their NIC matchup back on Oct. 3.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Penn football defeats South Bend Saint Joseph in IHSAA week 9 game
Category: General Sports
