Tristyn Tavares making impact running Norwin spread offense

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Saturday, October 28, 2023 | 11:01 AM

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Asked if he expected to find his name among the top passers in the WPIAL, Tristyn Tavares didn’t hesitate, like how he doesn’t hesitate when he runs the Norwin offense.

Same assurance. Same confidence. Move the sticks, next question.

“Yeah, I did,” the sophomore quarterback said.

Tavares was the second-leading passer in the WPIAL through nine games, throwing for 2,112 yards and 20 touchdowns against seven interceptions.

His 267 attempts led the league. In fact, he was 50 attempts ahead of the next passer.

Some offenses, like Norwin’s fast-paced spread outfit, seem to fit the quarterback running it.

“It’s the offense,” said Tavares, who was 127 of 267 with one game to play. “It’s one-dimensional and pretty simple to run. We have guys making great plays, both in man and zone coverage.”

Tavares (5-foot-9, 170 pounds) has come into his own in his first full season as a starter for the Knights (2-6), who didn’t qualify for the WPIAL Class 5A playoffs but showed a knack for competing again.

He was on pace to break former standout Jack Salopek’s Norwin single-season record for passing yards of 2,231.

Tavares has thrown for 200 or more yards six times, including 296 (23 for 35) in a loss to Penn-Trafford.

He had 292 against Franklin Regional, leading a second-half comeback in a 37-29 loss, and he had 289 yards (on 13 completions) in a 30-23 loss to Woodland Hills.

His season high of four touchdowns came in a 33-18 win over Fox Chapel, Mike Brown’s first win as coach of the Knights.

He also led a 23-point fourth quarter charge as the Knights rallied to beat Plum 30-23.

Against 6A power North Allegheny, he racked up 261 yards and three TDs.

“Last year didn’t go as well as I wanted because I hurt my ankle,” Tavares said. “I wanted to show what I could do (with a full season of health). I wanted to show I could run the ball, too.”

Big-play receivers have given Tavares confidence on his releases.

“Guys like Jackson (Pons) and Luke (Denny) just make plays,” Tavares said. “And younger guys, like Jake Knight, same thing.”

Through nine games, Denny had 36 catches for 833 yards and nine touchdowns, Pons had 26 receptions for 462 yards and six scores, and Knight had pulled in 28 for 398 yards and three TDs.

Despite his gaudy passing numbers, Brown thinks Tavares’ toughness and ability to extend plays are what make him most effective.

Tavares isn’t a dink-and-dunk passer. If the pocket closes, he has the ability to make throws on the run, or take off running.

With rushing yards in short supply at Norwin — a multi-year trend in the program due to inconsistency, depth and size issues up front — Tavares gives the Knights a shot in the arm, with his legs.

“It’s his toughness,” Brown said. “He gets hit, and I mean he has really gotten hit, and just goes.

“We know we can give it to him to run. He extends plays with his scrambling.”

Tavares had six rushing touchdowns.

The comfort in running the ball comes from familiarity at the youth level when Tavares was a running back.

“It’s the mindset to run people over,” he said, again without flinching. “I was a running back for two years and moved back to quarterback in middle school.”

Tavares also is a strong-armed shortstop in baseball.

It’s that arm that could put his name in multiple spots in the record book.

Salopek, who plays at Western Michigan, is the all-time leading passer in Westmoreland County with 6,010 yards.

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

Tags: Norwin