Zion Knox ‘turned it around,’ saved his football career at Cardinal O’Hara, and keyed an upset of Conwell-Egan

Cardinal O’Hara senior Zion Knox isn’t normally one to sneak up on the action.

The 6-foot-2, 205-pound linebacker is a captain who takes pride in leading the charge.

Desperate times, however, called for unconventional measures Friday when Knox helped seal a 14-13 upset on homecoming by blocking an extra point and a late field goal against previously unbeaten Conwell-Egan.

“Kids played their butts off,” said coach Mike Ewing before practice this week. “Played against a really good team [that] handled us pretty [easily] last year, so to come back and play the way we did, it was great to see.”

Last year, the visiting Eagles tamed the Lions, 49-6. But on Friday night, O’Hara took a 14-7 edge into halftime.

The Eagles (5-2, 3-1), who were undefeated in Catholic League play, scored a touchdown in the third quarter that nearly knotted the game before Knox played hero for the first time.

Before practice this week, Knox said his role was to line up on the outside of the line of scrimmage, rush in, and try to block the kick.

Inspiration struck, however, when he saw his 6-6, 230-pound teammate Nate Kutufaris line up near the ball.

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“He’s so big that teams think he’s the only person they have to block for a field goal,” Knox said.

“So I knew if I lined up next to him, they would double-team him. [My blocker] thought he could just block me with one arm, so I blew right past him and blocked the kick with both hands.”

Not bad for someone who wasn’t even on the team last year and had never blocked a kick.

“I got a burst of adrenaline through my body,” Knox said. “It was a big moment.”

Knox got another chance with about six minutes left in the fourth quarter as C-E prepared for a 30-yard field goal.

The Lions offense hadn’t produced much in the second half, so falling behind could have meant disaster.

During a timeout, Knox and Ewing agreed that he would line up in the same place from where he blocked the extra point. Knox said the Eagles again tried to double-team Kutufaris.

“[The blocker] only tried to shove me,” he said. “He grabbed me a little bit, but I broke through and blocked it with my right hand.

“Honestly, I zoned out. I saw the gap I had to go through, and I just did everything I could because I knew if I didn’t block that kick, it might’ve been their game-winner. I knew we had people counting on us to block that kick.”

Later, sophomore running back Sidique Kamara added a hard-fought first down to help O’Hara (4-3, 2-2) double last year’s win total in Catholic League Blue Division play.

Ewing, now in his second season, credits this year’s team for its hard work, dedication, and “buy-in” after the Lions won just one game last season (1-9, 1-6).

“It shows that one season couldn’t dictate our entire future,” Knox said. “A lot of people are surprised. A lot of people were saying we weren’t going to win a game this year. The fact that we’re showing out each game shows that we’re not just the same team as last year. I’m just proud of all of my teammates for that.”

Perhaps in some ways the team and Knox, who transferred from a charter school in Chester as a sophomore, share something in common.

Ewing declined to share the particulars, but said a misstep Knox made as a junior kept him off the team last season.

“I’ve never seen a bigger 180 from a kid,” said Ewing, who has coached in various spots for nearly 20 years. “It’s to the point where he was voted team captain and the coaches signed off because he’s been such a great kid, a good soldier, has gone above and beyond, and never had any discipline issues in the school.”

Now, Knox is a 3.8 GPA student with Division I talent who, Ewing said, had good showings at football camps at Penn State and Villanova in the summer.

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When he first transferred to O’Hara, Knox said he wasn’t happy with the decision his parents, Richard and Antoinette, had made.

“Now,” Knox said, “I thank them every time I think about it.”

Asked what he has learned about himself along the way, Knox paused and took a breath before he answered.

“I turned it around,” he said. “I feel like at O’Hara, I found myself and I didn’t give up. I kept pushing.”