Fast start helps Hempfield hold off Norwin for 2nd consecutive conference win

By: Paul Schofield
Friday, October 4, 2024 | 10:59 PM

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Hempfield jumped out to a quick lead against rival Norwin on Friday but needed to hold on for its second consecutive WPIAL Class 6A Conference victory.

Quarterback Dom Detruf rushed for 103 yards and a touchdown and completed 6 of 17 passes for 143 yards and a score to carry Hempfield to a heart-thumping, 34-28 victory at Bill Abraham Field at Spartan Stadium.

The victory improved the Spartans to 3-4 overall and 2-2 in the conference. It was the Knights’ fifth consecutive loss, and they dropped to 0-3 in the conference.

Hempfield had the homecoming fans rocking in the first quarter as it raced to a 21-0 lead.

Aidan Stinebiser, all of 5-foot-5, 155 pounds, scored the game’s first touchdown on a 17-yard run only two minutes into the game.

Detruf made it 14-0 when he raced 71 yards on the Spartans’ third possession, and Rogan Katchur capped the scoring in the opening quarter by racing 39 yards for a score.

“Fortunately for us, we ended up making more plays and won the game,” Hempfield coach Nick Keefer said. “I am excited for our kids. It’s a big weekend for them. They had a great week of practice, and it’s still a little too close for comfort. We have a lot to clean up.”

Hempfield had 13 penalties for 147 yards, which helped give Norwin life.

The Knights responded by taking great field position to trim the score to 21-14 late in the second quarter.

Quarterback Tristyn Tavares, who is nursing a knee injury, did not start the game, but he came in to score on a 1-yard run and threw a 25-yard scoring strike to Jake Knight.

Tavares completed 11 of 31 passes for 125 yards, but he was sacked four times and was under heavy pressure from the Hempfield pass rush.

“We are now known for spotting our opponents 21-0 lead,” Norwin coach Mike Brown said. “The bottom line, we expect our team to battle. Sure, we came back, but there are no moral victories. We got to win football games.

“They didn’t do anything we weren’t prepared for. They just made more plays.”

Hempfield responded after Norwin’s second score as Detruf hit Jack Kopas on consecutive throws (41 yards and 39 yards and a score) to make it 28-14.

The Spartans stretched their lead to 34-14 when Aidan Allison took a reverse and raced 24 yards for a score.

But Norwin didn’t quit. Jackson Huss raced 37 yards for a score in the third quarter, and Josh Lenart, who started at quarterback, directed a scoring drive in the fourth quarter. He connected on four consecutive passes and scored on a 1-yard plunge to trim the lead to 34-28 with 3:43 left.

Norwin recovered an onside kick at the Hempfield 43 but turned the ball over four plays later.

The Knights got the ball back with 1:37 left, but Owen Buchholz picked off a Tavares pass with 1:12 left to end the game.

“We’ll enjoy this for the next 24 hours, and we’ll watch the film and try to get better,” Keefer said. “We play big boy football in 6A. It’s hard to win football games when you play behind the sticks.

“I felt we did a great job against Tavares. We did an excellent job containing him.”

For the start, Hempfield’s defensive front made it tough for the Knights to get a running game going.

The Knights rushed for only 60 yards, and the Spartans rushed for 240 yards.

“We have to stop putting ourselves in a hole,” Brown said. “We just keep trying to climb back from all these games. We just got to get healthy.”

Hempfield now leads the all-time series 38-25-4.

Paul Schofield is a TribLive reporter covering high school and college sports and local golf. He joined the Trib in 1995 after spending 15 years at the Daily Courier in Connellsville, where he served as sports editor for 14 years. He can be reached at pschofield@triblive.com.

Tags: Hempfield, Norwin