Strong season changes conversation for Norwin football

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Wednesday, November 12, 2025 | 11:01 AM

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Norwin may not have been a prize winner this football season, but the Knights sure were good enough for a ribbon.

The Knights caught the attention of fans across the WPIAL by landing on the doorstep of their first championship game appearance.

After a strong regular season, Norwin broke through and made the WPIAL semifinals for the first time since 1999, falling 35-17 to North Allegheny to finish with a 7-4 record.

There are only four teams in the Class 6A playoffs.

Though the end result was not a WPIAL title and PIAA playoff berth, the Knights slid back into the conversation in the WPIAL’s largest classification.

Norwin had not had a winning season or made the playoffs since 2007. The seven wins were the most in the program since the ’07 team won eight.

“We had a great season and accomplished many things,” Norwin coach Mike Brown said. “Our seniors have done a great job of establishing certain standards that are now non-negotiables in this program.

“I believe the program took a huge stride to show that this program can compete at a high level if we work and dedicate ourselves.”

Having a legit chance to beat North Allegheny, a perennial power, in the semis shows how far Norwin has come.

What the Knights did was give other teams in a Class 6A conference that has always been about two teams — Central Catholic and North Allegheny — hope.

“I will remember most how hard this team worked throughout the season and offseason,” Brown said. “No matter what happened throughout the year, the players continued to work extremely hard and, most importantly, did it together.”

Norwin produced its first 1,000-yard rusher, Giovanni Rothrauff, since Derrick Kovalcin in 2001.

Rothrauff, a junior, broke the Knights’ single-season rushing record by 1 yard with 1,586. Aron Natale had the previous mark of 1,585 in 1995.

Brown said the team will continue to work toward similar goals next season. One playoff trip deserves another.

“We have to understand that it takes what most programs and teams are not willing to do to be where we want to be, and that is a 6A champion,” he said.

Dual-threat senior quarterback Tristyn Tavares, who had as much to do with Norwin’s resurfacing as anyone, appreciated his team’s resolve and belief that the Knights could play with 6A’s best.

“One of the things that will stick with me is the group of guys who never gave up,” Tavares said. “My teammates and I have gone through many tough times and had many losing seasons. Everyone still showed up and put in more and more work this past offseason, which later translated to our success on the field.

“We all trusted the process and put in all of the work. Even though we ended up losing in the playoffs, I think that we set the new standard and sent Norwin football off in the right direction, putting Norwin back on the map.”

Norwin will lose 17 seniors, including Tavares, linemen Lucas Altier and Patrick Schmook, H-backs Michael DeFazio and Josh Lenart, receivers Ben Markel, Zack Pawling and Jake Knight, punter Evan Pfiefer and kicker Tristan Josephic.

Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.

Tags: Norwin