EAST ROCKHILL North Penn’s opening kickoff to the District 1-6A championship game was a high, directional kick that Pennridge caught at the 21-yard line. The returner took a step backwards and tried to find open space, but there was none. North Penn sophomore Ziyon Smith made the stop at the 20 and turned towards the sideline to fire up his teammates. The big hit was the start of a strong game by Smith and the North Penn defense that resulted in the program’s first District 1 championship since 2016. “They tell us keep contain, make the tackle and just play smart,” Smith said. “It just built the energy up. Make the first play and keep it going for the rest of the game.” “That’s what made us put him on defense,” North Penn coach Dick Beck said. “He’s doing such a great job on special teams. We wanted to reward him and he rewarded us because he played great.” Smith, a 5-foot-8 160-pound cornerback who plays running back on offense, got his defensive opportunity in the postseason after senior captain Jack Staugaitis suffered an injury. Smith joined a strong secondary featuring senior Matt Pownall and juniors Rylei Gray and Sal Colella and quickly learned from the experienced group. “In one of the playoff games one of our players got hurt and we had to make adjustments,” Smith said. “They trusted me to put me in there. From then on, I’ve just been listening to everything and playing my heart out just to get to this district championship game. “Learning from under (my teammates), I see how they play, how smart they are and everything. I just wanted to be out there with them so I can get a feel of that.” “Confidence,” Pownall said the team has in Smith. “We also have a great coaching staff. They prepared him and we knew he was ready. On this big stage, just for him to make plays, was awesome. He’s going to be one hell of a player.” Smith helped the North Penn defense put together a pair of strong performances in the final two rounds of the District 1-6A playoffs. The Knights held Neshaminy to 153 total yards in last week’s 35-7 semifinal before limiting Pennridge to 212 yards in the 21-14 final. Both teams were held to less than 100 passing yards. He made two key plays on the defensive side of the ball in the second half against Pennridge. The first came late in the third quarter, when he broke up a pass on 3rd-and-9 to force a Rams punt while the Knights led, 21-7. The second was the nail in the coffin. Smith secured the win with an interception in the final five seconds. Pennridge, needing a touchdown to tie the game, took a shot down the right sideline from midfield. Smith got under the ball and grabbed the pick the first of his career at the 15-yard line. He went down at the 10 before popping up to celebrate the program’s eighth district title since 2002. “I just saw the ball go up and I just had to go get it,” Smith said. “I did that just to celebrate with my friends and brothers and all of them. “I just looked up and it was like slow motion. My heart definitely was beating. I was definitely nervous, but I knew I had to come down with it, though.” North Penn’s senior linebacker Nate Schepian also grabbed an interception in the win. His pick in the final 20 seconds of the first half helped send the Knights to the locker room with a 14-7 advantage.
https://www.pottsmerc.com/2025/11/22/district-1-6a-football-ziyon-smith-delivers-in-new-role-for-north-penn/