Penn-Trafford escapes with win over Norwin after controversial late fumble
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Friday, August 22, 2025 | 11:11 PM
Penn-Trafford’s Ben Grabowski pulls away from Norwin’s Jake Knight on the way to a first-quarter touchdown Friday.
Norwin’s Tristyn Tavares escapes down the sideline past Penn-Trafford’s Nico Casciato on Friday.
Youth football players get the Penn-Trafford football team ready to play Norwin on Friday.
Norwin’s Jake Knight pulls in a catch over Penn-Trafford’s Tyler Boss on Friday.
Penn-Trafford’s Tyler Boss takes the ball away from Norwin’s Porter Brozeski in the end zone in the first quarter Friday.
Penn-Trafford’s Nate Desmond (7) and Landyn Stikkel celebrate with Ben Grabowski after Grabowski’s first-quarter touchdown against Norwin on Friday.
Penn-Trafford’s Colton Tyburski breaks through the banner before the team’s game against Norwin on Friday.
Youth cheerleaders are introduced as they run through the Penn-Trafford cheerleaders on Friday. The cheerleaders wore shirts to honor former junior high school football coach TJ Detruf, who died suddenly last month.
Penn-Trafford’s student section cheers after a touchdown against Norwin on Friday.
Norwin’s Giovanni Rothrauff stiff-arms Penn-Trafford’s Lucah Butler on Friday.
Norwin’s Tristyn Tavares fumbles into the end zone and Penn-Trafford recovers it to end the game Friday.
Norwin was that close to another second-half comeback, but Penn-Trafford held on this time — barely.
Tristyn Tavares pushed forward on first-and-goal from th 2-yard line with 1 minute, 22 seconds left and appeared to cross the goal line. But the ball came out, and Lucah Butler recovered for the Warriors, who held on for a wild 34-31 victory on opening night.
Penn-Trafford (1-0) welcomed back Ben Grabowski, and the host Warriors forced five turnovers before holding off rival Norwin (0-1) on Friday night at Warrior Stadium in Harrison City.
Last year, Norwin scored three second-half touchdowns to win 26-14. The Knights did the same this year but could only come within a couple of controversial inches of another win.
The Knights would have sold their souls for an instant replay.
Tavares, who accounted for 336 yards, 203 rushing, nearly put the Knights in front. He and Giovanni Rothrauff, who ran for 77 of his 116 yards in the second half, bullied the cramped-up Warriors down the stretch.
“I disagree politely with what happened there,” Norwin coach Mike Brown said of the fumble. “We didn’t see it that way. Tristyn is a straight-up dog. It’s disappointing for it to end like that.”
Penn-Trafford claimed Reese Radocay knocked the ball out of Tavares’ hands on the pivotal drive.
“We’re happy as heck to come out of here with a win,” Penn-Trafford coach John Ruane said. “All the credit goes to Norwin for that comeback. We knew what kind of team they had. What a great game against an arch rival.”
Grabowski, who missed seven games last year with a foot injury, rushed for 188 yards and three touchdowns in the 40th meeting between the crosstown rivals.
His 62-yard scoring burst with 7:38 left put the Warriors ahead 34-24.
“We are a brotherhood, and we stuck together,” Grabowski said. “I felt great tonight. I just wanted to do my job. We had to grind our teeth and tough it out.”
Norwin, snowed under by injuries last season, fell into a hole at halftime and rallied late. The Knights gave away two interceptions and two fumbles to waste quality drives and drop their ninth straight game, but not before the spirited rally.
“We have that next-play mentality,” Brown said.
Tavares piled up 133 passing yards in a losing cause. His 46-yard touchdown run with 5:27 left got the Knights within 34-31.
“No. 3 is a stud,” Grabowski said of Tavares.
The Warriors built a 20-10 lead at the half.
In a busy first quarter, Penn-Trafford scored on its first possession, needing only three plays to take a 6-0 lead after a missed extra point.
Grabowski burst through a hole on the left side and raced 48 yards for a touchdown.
Lanyn Sikkel had a 33-yard run before the scoring play.
Norwin was moving the ball on the ground and reached the Warriors’ 10-yard line, but Tavares was intercepted by Tyler Boss, who jockeyed with Potter Brozeski.
Five plays later, first-year quarterback Nate Desmond dumped off a screen pass to Radocay, who went 33 yards for the score to give the Warriors a 13-0 lead.
Tavares ran for 46 yards on the ensuing drive, but the Knights settled on a 35-yard field goal by new kicker Tristan Josephic.
After a punt, Norwin cut into the lead with a scoring drive. Tavares hit Jake Knight deep for a 46-yard gain, and the quarterback eventually scored on a 10-yard rush to cut it to 13-10.
Late in the second quarter, Stikkel capped a 69-yard drive with a 7-yard run to push the Warriors’ lead to 20-10.
Tavares found Brozeski for a 60-yard gain down the near sideline, but the Knights ran into trouble again when Tavares’ pitch to Rothrauff hit the turf and Jake Briggs recovered for the Warriors late in the first half.
Ben Lenart had an interception for the Warriors just before halftime.
Norwin’s fourth turnover, a fumble on a punt return, was recovered by Radocay early in the third, and the Warriors cashed in again.
Grabowski scored on a 3-yard run to make it 27-10.
Tavares scored on a 7-yard run late in the third to trim the margin to 27-17.
After a punt, the Knights scored again.
Tavares threw an 11-yard strike to Michael DeFazio to make it 27-24 with just over 10 minutes left.
In 2023, when he was a freshman, Grabowski ran for 206 yards and four touchdowns — three in the fourth quarter — against Norwin in a wild 56-28 Warriors win. It was the most combined points in the series.
The Warriors lead the all-time series 32-8.
Jamison Yurt and Mario Robinson did not play for Penn-Trafford after suffering injuries in last week’s scrimmage against Shaler.
Radocay filled in for Yurt on defense.
Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.
Tags: Norwin, Penn-Trafford
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