With little more than a minute to play in the first half, Dan Gevirtz looked up at a ball that was clearly overthrown.
His reaction was one of the reasons North Penn beat visiting Pennsbury, 27-3, on Friday night in a District 1 Class AAAA semifinal.
Gevirtz saw the ball, found another gear, leaped toward the end zone, and made an airborne catch at the 21-yard-line for a 44-yard gain.
Every time North Penn (10-3) needed to make a play, it made one, and Gevirtz's catch was one of many that the senior made for the Knights.
Three plays after the catch, the Knights scored a touchdown, capping a three-play, 64-yard drive that lasted just 31 seconds and sent North Penn into the locker room ahead by 20-3.
North Penn will play Council Rock South in next week's district championship game.
"I knew I had to step up in this game, so I just tried to put myself in the right position and make plays," Gevirtz said. "But I think the team, as a whole, was awesome. Our offensive and defensive lines were great. It was just a complete win."
Gevirtz was the catalyst for much of his team's success Friday night. He scored the first of his three touchdowns on a 9-yard pass from Corey Ernst on the Knights' first drive, which was just three plays and spanned 69 yards.
He also put the game all but out of reach with a 63-yard punt return for a touchdown with 10 minutes, 5 seconds remaining in the third quarter to put his team up, 27-3.
Gevirtz, a wide receiver who doubles as a safety, also came up with an interception in the third quarter.
While Pennsbury (10-3) proved adept at moving the ball, it couldn't come up with enough big plays to keep pace. The Falcons played their typical "ground and pound" style. Their first score was a field goal that ended a 17-play, 88-yard drive in which the team ran the ball on every play.
Later in the quarter, a nine-play Pennsbury drive ended on fourth and 2 from the North Penn 37 when Chuck Snorweah failed to pick up the necessary yards.
On the next play, Gevirtz made his leaping grab to set up a quick score that put North Penn ahead by 20-3.
"I thought that if we got up on them early, we would be OK," North Penn coach Dick Beck said. "It's not Pennsbury's forte to come back, even though they played a great second half."
While Gevirtz provided his team's only big plays in the second half, North Penn was able to cruise.
"All in all, I just can't be happier for this team," Beck said. "They've worked so hard."
Pennsbury 0 3 0 0 - 3
North Penn 7 13 7 0 - 27
NP: Gevirtz 9 pass from Ernst (Mandes kick)
P: Hensor 19 field goal
NP: Gevirtz 23 run (Mandes kick)
NP: Ernst 8 run (kick blocked)
NP: Gevirtz 63 punt return (Mandes kick)
Contact Chris Melchiorre at rallysports@phillynews.com.
