Despite a rocky recent history, the Norwin High School football program is looking better than ever. After their 2024 campaign was derailed by injuries, the Knights have bounced back in a big way. The team holds a strong record of 5-2 with a massive point differential of +118 through their first five games, losing to WPIAL powerhouses North Allegheny and Penn Trafford in 5A.
The Knights have been absolutely dominant on both sides of the ball this season. Norwin has scored 30+ points in 5 of their 7 games this season, a feat the team has only accomplished three times in the past three seasons.
“We haven’t had much success in the past, and it’s just awesome,” said Norwin starting quarterback Tristyn Tavares. “We have a chance to play more games than we’re usually playing, and the more football we play, the more fun we have. “
The electric offense is powered by their strong rushing attack. According to MaxPreps, Norwin averages a whopping 265.3 rushing yards per game and earns an average of 6.1 yards per carry. The Knights lead WPIAL Class 6A in both categories.
“I’d credit it to our O-Line,” said junior running back Giovanni Rothruaff. “Our line’s all on the same page this year, and when they’re together, they’re really strong.”
Norwin excelled defensively as well. The Knights have only allowed 20+ points twice this season, against Hempfield Area and Penn Trafford. The team thrives by creating chaotic plays. In their first seven games, the Knights as a team have earned 6 sacks and 5 interceptions. Norwin’s secondary, led by seniors Jake Knight, Ben Markel, and Zack Pawling, has dominated its opponents.
“When our offense is struggling a little bit, our defense is making huge plays to make up for what our offense is producing,’ said Tavares. “It’s our defensive schemes and everything that we’re doing defensively that’s helping us win our games.”
The Knights’ season kicked off with a heartbreaking loss to Penn Trafford on August 22 in Week 0. Norwin kept the game close until the end, where quarterback Tristyn Tavares committed a controversial goal-line fumble. Knights players and fans argue that Tavares was down before he lost the ball, but the play was ruled a fumble, and the Knights lost 31-34.
“We knew we shot ourselves in the foot that game,” said Tavares. “If we hadn’t even given him the chance to make that call, then we would have won that game. I threw two picks and we had a couple fumbles, so if that doesn’t happen, we wouldn’t have ended up in that situation.”
Norwin bounced back strong from this defeat, rattling off three massive wins against Kiski Area, Greater Latrobe, and Seneca Valley. In these three games, the Knights outscored opponents by a combined 113 points. These dominant victories caused a massive shift in mentality for the team.
“A big change is knowing that we can do it,” said senior Bernard Spada. “A lot of years, we’d go into games half-speed, not really going out, but our coaching has changed that.”
Head coach Mike Brown has employed numerous guest speakers to speak to and motivate the Knights before their games. Some of these guest speakers include Sam Clancy, a former Pitt Basketball and NFL Player, as well as local figures such as alumni Jack Salapack and the owner of Norwin Landscaping. These speakers have had a profound effect on the morale of the team.
After experiencing almost nothing but defeat these past three years, this year’s seniors are motivated to succeed for their last run together.
”It sucks whenever you do so much for a program and then you end up going 2-8, 3-7, like 1-9,” said senior offensive lineman Patrick Schmook. “It’s hard, but we came back this year, worked harder than we ever have, and we’re doing pretty good.”
After their dominant stretch of games, the Knights’ 17-20 loss to North Allegheny brought them back down to earth. The Knights dominated the first half, but squandered the lead in the second half.
“We’re doing good blocking-wise, but there’s still mental mistakes that we’re making,” said Schmook. “The little details really matter, because if you miss one block it could blow up an entire play.
During their loss to North Allegheny, Norwin primarily struggled with special teams errors and turnovers.
“The two losses we endured were because of mistakes we made,” said Norwin football head coach Mike Brown. “The positive part is though, we can fix them and have been focusing on eliminating the self-made mistakes.”
Brown has been the head coach of the Norwin football program since January 2023. If the Knights qualify for the WPIAL playoffs this year, it will be the first playoff appearance of his coaching career at Norwin.
Norwin righted the ship and corrected their mistakes for their September 26 matchup with North Hills. Early in the game, Tristyn Tavares went down with a leg injury and did not return.
Despite the injury to Tavares, the other Knights stepped up to secure the win in North Hills. Backup quarterback Joshua Lenart threw 69 yards, one touchdown, and one interception in his season debut.
Standout performances by juniors Maxsym Fierle and Giovanni Rothruaff propelled the Knights to victory. Fierle recorded 2 sacks against the Indians’ quarterback. Rothruaff fueled the offense, earning 195 rushing yards while carrying the ball 41 times.
After being listed as questionable since the game against North Hills, Tavares returned to defeat the Hempfield Spartans 33-26 for Norwin’s Homecoming game on October 4. This victory marked Norwin’s first HOCO win in 5 years.
The Knights scored 17 unanswered points in the fourth quarter, led by breakout running back Giovanni Rothrauff. Rothruaff earned 188 yards during the game, including a 67-yard beast mode touchdown run in the fourth quarter. For this performance, he earned Westmoreland Sports Network player of the week honors.
“For me, this season was built in the weight room,” said Rothrauff. “A big part of it is just believing in myself.”
Despite their successes with the X’s and O’s, Norwin’s greatest superpower is their unity.
“This team is closer than any team I have coached. They are truly a family and love each other,” said Mike Brown. “They play for one another and have the WE not ME mentality. They work extremely hard and it’s awesome to see their hard work pay off.”
On Thursday, October 9, at 8:00 pm, the Knights face off against the Pittsburgh Central Catholic Vikings in Pittsburgh. This game will be broadcast on SportsNet Pittsburgh, as Norwin looks to earn its 6th win of the season and defeat the #1 team in the WPIAL.
