Norwin blanks Connellsville in nonconference clash

By: Jason Black
Friday, September 10, 2021 | 10:24 PM

Connellsville couldn’t have asked for a better start to Friday’s nonconference home game against Norwin. Unfortunately for the Falcons, the start was about the only thing that went their way as the Knights recovered from an early mistake and rolled to a 37-0 victory at Connellsville Stadium.

On the first play from scrimmage, Connellsville’s Jason McBride intercepted a pass and returned it deep into Norwin territory. The Falcons were set up to take an early lead, but the drive stalled and ended with a botched field goal attempt.

“We got off to a great start,” Connellsville coach Bill Maczko said. “We got a turnover and were driving, but then had the botched field goal and it seemed like we lost momentum.”

Momentum clearly shifted as the Knights followed by putting up 16 points in the first quarter and took a 30-0 lead into halftime.

“I was pleased with how our defense responded with our backs against the wall,” Norwin coach Dave Brozeski said. “We got a stop (on the first Connellsville drive), and I like how our defense executed.”

The Falcons thwarted Norwin’s next possession when Michael Lancaster recovered a fumble, but then the Knights intercepted a pass and finally got on the board when Nathaniel Kadosh-Harris scored on a 7-yard run.

Norwin then tacked on a safety after the Falcons (0-3) mishandled a punt before recovering in the endzone to make it 9-0. The Knights (2-1) finished the quarter with a Dominic Barca 26-yard scoring run.

In the second quarter, Norwin added two more scores as Jackson Pons pulled down a 15-yard touchdown strike from Luke Levendosky.

Levendosky completed 9-of-17 passes for 114 yards, two picks and one touchdown. The Knights also rushed for 192 yards.

“Offensively, it took a little time to get going, but we got the running game going and I was also pleased with our special teams tonight,” Brozeski said.

Christian Beck scored on a 6-yard run to help the Knights grab a 30-point lead heading into the half.

In the second half, both teams came up with some big defensive stops before the Knights put the last points of the game on the board late in the third quarter. Barca capped his night by scoring his second touchdown of the game, a 7-yard run . Barca finished as the game’s leading rusher, racking up 67 yards on 10 carries.

For the Falcons, Anthony Piasecki completed 7-of-20 passes for 100 yards and an interception.

Connellsville hurt themselves with several costly penalties, which helped to extend Norwin drives.

“We’re walking that gray area and we’re crossing the line too much,” Maczko said. “We just have to keep getting after it.”

Connellsville will look for its first win of the season when it travels to Kiski for a non-conference game next week. Norwin will try to make it two wins in a row when it plays Pittsburgh Central Catholic in the Section 1 (6A) opener at Carnegie Mellon University.

Listen to an archived broadcast of this game on Trib HSSN.

Tags: Connellsville, Norwin