Council Rock North junior Will Kamp believes the Indians are playoff ready.
“The energy around the team is great,” he said.
Kamp kicked off the postseason on Tuesday night by scoring 12:12 into the game, then teammate Logan Adams added a pair of goals as CR North went on to post a 3-0 victory over Unionville in the first round of the District One Class 4A boys soccer tournament at Walt Snyder Stadium.
“I think that was one of our best performances,” Kamp said. “Everyone played a part in the win.”
Indeed, coach Joe Stackhouse said he was able to find time for 20 players to see action.
“Our depth paid off,” said Stackhouse, who has seen Unionville in the district playoffs five times in his 12 years as coach. “I don’t think they were as deep as we are.”
North, the 12th seed, improved to 14-2-2.
No. 21 Unionville finished 10-9.
Next up for North is fifth-seeded Central Bucks East, which eliminated No. 28 Souderton, on Thursday. The Patriots will host the Indians at a time to be determined.
The winner advances to the quarterfinals, with a shot at capturing one of six District One bids to the PIAA playoffs. The loser is eliminated.
“You’ve got to win the first two rounds,” Stackhouse said.
The Indians won the first round, with Kamp’s first-half goal all they needed.
“I just blasted it,” he said.
Adams, a sophomore, headed in a ball with just 1:48 remaining in the half to give North a 2-0 lead.
Then, 11:08 into the second half, Adams headed another ball into the back of the net for a 3-0 lead.
“All three goals were beautiful,” Stackhouse said. “They were some of the better ones we’ve had this season.”
That’s saying a lot, since North entered the playoffs as the Suburban One League Patriot Division champion.
Goalkeeper Calvin Hopkins, a junior who is getting looks from colleges, made five saves for the shutout.
North outshot the Longhorns – who were known as the Indians until 2021 – 16-9 and took three out of the five corner kicks.
Stackhouse likes his squad’s effort, on and off the field. Most of the players are strong students, and star senior Ari Pollack is gutting it out with a torn labrum.
As for the goal scorers, the coach heaped high praise.
“He’s got a lot of speed. He runs like a deer,” he said of Kamp. “He has a high work rate. He’s dangerous.”
Adams is talented enough to have gotten some playing time as a freshman in last year’s district playoff game against Conestoga.
“He’s very talented in the air,” Stackhouse said. “His timing is better than anyone I’ve seen at his age. He’s only a sophomore.”
North will need big efforts from Adams, Kamp, Hopkins, Pollack and others to advance past CB East (17-1-1), champion of the SOL Colonial Division.
In the regular season, East won, 2-0, in a game played on North’s grass field.
The rematch will be on East’s turf field, and Stackhouse wants his team to play the ball on the ground while containing the Patriots in the air. East scored twice on headballs, off restarts, in the regular season game.
Kamp recalls the game earlier this month as a chippy, physical matchup between two big teams. He’s looking for a different outcome.
“I think we’re motivated and ready,” he said.
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