Nice write up in the IntelI
t's rare when you see a high school football team that features a potent passing attack.
Running the ball has been a staple of the high school game forever. Only recently, with the influx of spread offenses, have teams started to try to throw the ball around a bit.
North Penn had been one of those teams that would run it, run it and run it some more (mind you, with great success over the years) and only sprinkle in a pass here and there.
And then Reece Udinski came along.
He came to North Penn before his junior year — his family moved from Doylestown to North Wales — and things changed.
Knights veteran head coach Dick Beck, seeing what he had on his hands, shifted his offensive philosophy to take advantage of what Udinski could do.
A look at the football second team and honorable mention selections.
"Quarterbacks like Reece don't come along that often," Beck said. "It would have been silly to not utilize all of his talents.
"He has just been terrific in his two seasons and is just a humble kid who understands what we're trying to do and goes out and does it."
Udinski put together a senior season for the ages, as he threw for 4,093 yards and 39 touchdowns, becoming only the second player in state history to eclipse the 4,000-yard mark in a single season.
But, as is his way, Udinski immediately deflected praise to his teammates.
"There are so many talented guys to throw to, it's unbelievable," Udinski said.
"It made what I had to do a lot easier. Guys like Ricky Johns, Justis Henley, Jake Hubler, Owen Thomas, all of them, would get open, and all I had to do was throw them the ball."
It's never that easy to do it, but, if anybody made it look that way, it was Udinski.
Go to a North Penn game and, before you knew it, the Knights would be up by a bunch of points and Udinski would have 300 yards passing in seemingly the blink of an eye, sometimes before halftime.
"If Reece played four quarters every game and we had to keep using him, what he would have done and the stats he would have put up would have been off the charts," Beck said.
Despite the numbers, good size — Udinski is 6-foot-4, 180 pounds — and mobility, he flew under the radar of Division I programs and is undecided on where he will play in college. He's considering Saint Francis (Pa.), Dartmouth, Holy Cross and Towson, among others.
"It will be exciting to get a chance to play college football," said Udinski, the rare three-sport athlete who also plays basketball and lacrosse.
"My two older brothers — I'm the youngest — played in college, and I can't wait for the opportunity. I'm going to miss North Penn and Coach Beck. Getting to know him and becoming friends with him has been awesome.
"There were so many people that have helped me over the years. I've just been very lucky."
And really good
t's rare when you see a high school football team that features a potent passing attack.
Running the ball has been a staple of the high school game forever. Only recently, with the influx of spread offenses, have teams started to try to throw the ball around a bit.
North Penn had been one of those teams that would run it, run it and run it some more (mind you, with great success over the years) and only sprinkle in a pass here and there.
And then Reece Udinski came along.
He came to North Penn before his junior year — his family moved from Doylestown to North Wales — and things changed.
Knights veteran head coach Dick Beck, seeing what he had on his hands, shifted his offensive philosophy to take advantage of what Udinski could do.
A look at the football second team and honorable mention selections.
"Quarterbacks like Reece don't come along that often," Beck said. "It would have been silly to not utilize all of his talents.
"He has just been terrific in his two seasons and is just a humble kid who understands what we're trying to do and goes out and does it."
Udinski put together a senior season for the ages, as he threw for 4,093 yards and 39 touchdowns, becoming only the second player in state history to eclipse the 4,000-yard mark in a single season.
But, as is his way, Udinski immediately deflected praise to his teammates.
"There are so many talented guys to throw to, it's unbelievable," Udinski said.
"It made what I had to do a lot easier. Guys like Ricky Johns, Justis Henley, Jake Hubler, Owen Thomas, all of them, would get open, and all I had to do was throw them the ball."
It's never that easy to do it, but, if anybody made it look that way, it was Udinski.
Go to a North Penn game and, before you knew it, the Knights would be up by a bunch of points and Udinski would have 300 yards passing in seemingly the blink of an eye, sometimes before halftime.
"If Reece played four quarters every game and we had to keep using him, what he would have done and the stats he would have put up would have been off the charts," Beck said.
Despite the numbers, good size — Udinski is 6-foot-4, 180 pounds — and mobility, he flew under the radar of Division I programs and is undecided on where he will play in college. He's considering Saint Francis (Pa.), Dartmouth, Holy Cross and Towson, among others.
"It will be exciting to get a chance to play college football," said Udinski, the rare three-sport athlete who also plays basketball and lacrosse.
"My two older brothers — I'm the youngest — played in college, and I can't wait for the opportunity. I'm going to miss North Penn and Coach Beck. Getting to know him and becoming friends with him has been awesome.
"There were so many people that have helped me over the years. I've just been very lucky."
And really good
