North Penn Knights
The win sends La Salle to the state final for the first time since 2010
La Salle wasted little time setting the tone in Saturday’s PIAA Class 6A semifinal, jumping ahead early and never letting North Penn settle.
According to a gameplay report from The Mercury, the Explorers scored three first-quarter touchdowns before the Knights could move the chains, and from there the gap only widened, sending the Knights home with a score of 49-14.
The headline return belonged to senior Jimmy Mahoney, who fumbled on his first touch back from injury but responded with a pair of highlight-reel scores — including a 72-yard burst up the sideline that pushed the lead to 28-0 and symbolized La Salle’s control of the afternoon, according to game coverage.
Quarterback Gavin Sidwar was nearly flawless, spreading the ball to multiple weapons and finishing with four touchdown passes. Mahoney made his two scoring grabs count, while Notre Dame commit Joey O’Brien led all receivers and added a second-half TD from backup Luke Gordon, according to The Mercury.
North Penn punched back after the break, finding the end zone twice behind Aidan Ashley and a late Matt Bucksar-to-Mason Franek strike, but the damage was long done: La Salle’s balance and big-play ability stretched the field in every direction, leaving little room for the Knights to counter.
The win sends La Salle to the state final for the first time since 2010 — a milestone the program, its alumni and a senior-heavy roster have been chasing for years, per The Mercury.
The Explorers will meet Pittsburgh Central Catholic for the 6A championship. North Penn’s season ends at 12-3, but the bigger picture remains bright — a District 1 title, nine straight wins to get here and a playoff run that reestablished the Knights as one of the state’s most resilient public-school contenders.
