Westmoreland high school football notebook: Norwin never doubted

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Saturday, September 16, 2023 | 5:57 PM

Tristyn Tavares said there wasn’t a lot of chatter or pep talks when Norwin fell behind by 16 points early in the fourth quarter Friday night at Plum.

No, the Knights let their actions do the talking and saved their best for last.

“We just knew as a team the game wasn’t over,” the sophomore quarterback said.

Norwin heaped on 23 points in the fourth quarter on the way to a thrilling, come-from-behind 30-23 victory.

Plum took a 23-7 lead early in the fourth before the Knights (2-2, 1-0) rumbled to life and charged up the home crowd in the Big East opener.

“The thing I think we did best to get the win was never giving up,” Tavares said. “We started off slow, but after halftime we switched to another gear and played together.”

Tavares completed 11 of 23 passes for 185 yards and two touchdowns, both to Luke Denny, who hauled in three grabs for 127 yards.

His 62-yard scoring catch was the go-ahead score. Just before that, Tavares scored on a 4-yard run and Jackson Pons ran in the 2-point conversion to make it 23-15.

“The fact the team didn’t give up and kept fighting is a testament to our team,” Norwin coach Mike Brown said. “I’m just really proud of our team and to be a Norwin Knight.”

The running game also showed positive signs. Jake Sincak had a 30-yard touchdown run, and Christian Shogun ran for 47 yards.

Pons was limited to one catch, but the Miami of Ohio safety recruit had an interception. Jake Page and Adam Pham had a team-leading nine tackles, and Pons made eight stops.

Brown made a special moment out of the victory, giving the game ball to his father and assistant coach, Bill Brown, as a birthday present Saturday.

Another rally

Derry decided to go for the win. It was the only thing to do, the coach believed, in the Allegheny Conference opener.

The Trojans, who continue to show improvement under coach Mike Arone, trailed Yough, 21-14, in the fourth quarter before they rallied to win it for the home fans at Trojan Stadium.

Quarterback Mason Beeman scored on a 1-yard run to make it 21-20 with 1 minute, 43 seconds remaining.

Arone rolled the dice, going for the 2-point conversion. Beeman threw a spiral to Damauri Robinson, who made a diving catch to make it 22-21.

The defense held as the Cougars drove near midfield. Nate Barkley came up with an interception on third-and-9 with 1:15 to play, and the Trojans (2-2, 1-0) went into victory formation.

Arone said one of his assistants was asking what he wanted to do in overtime, but the head coach told the Westmoreland Sports Network there was never a thought to kick the extra point.

“I’m like, ‘Dude we’re going for two,’ ” Arone said. “It was one of our gadget plays. What a catch by Damauri.”

Ahmad Ward had a 78-yard kick return touchdown to open the game for Derry, which didn’t have a first down in the first half.

Jeannette wins again

With a 54-0 victory at Frazier, Jeannette (3-1, 1-0) equaled its win total from last season.

Payton Molter was a perfect 9 for 9 passing for 158 yards and three touchdowns, including two to tight end Jeremiah Williamson. Molter also had a 43-yard fumble recovery for a score in the Eastern Conference opener.

Jeannette has scored 110 points in its last two games against the Commodores.

The Jayhawks host Charleroi next week. The team likely will honor longtime assistant coach Arthur “Hookum” Graves, who died this week.

Graves was on the sideline for a number of memorable games, including WPIAL and PIAA finals. He was known as the team’s “get-back” coach.

“He was a great man,” second-year coach Tommy Paulone said.

Jeannette hasn’t won three games in a row since 2020.

150 and counting

Longtime Ligonier Valley coach Roger Beitel notched the 150th win of his career Friday when the Rams took down Apollo-Ridge, 34-14.

Beitel, the longest-tenured football coach in Westmoreland County, is 150-65 in 20 seasons.

Resting Tatsch

Latrobe standout running back and linebacker Alex Tatsch did not play in the second half Friday night in the Wildcats’ 41-14 loss to Thomas Jefferson.

The senior Division I commit, who had a 9-yard touchdown run early, suffered a lower-body injury and was held out for precautionary reasons.

“We have six games left, so it wasn’t something we wanted to risk,” Latrobe coach Ron Prady said. “It was better to rest him.”

To the house

There were three interceptions returned for touchdowns in local games Friday night.

• John Wetzel picked off Thomas Jefferson and took it back 95 yards in a 41-14 loss.

• Kymon’e Brown of Jeannette took a pick back 98 yards for a score in a 54-0 win over Frazier.

• Jake Gedekoh went 33 for a score in Belle Vernon’s 21-0 win over Penn-Trafford.

More highlights

Mt. Pleasant’s Jackson Hutter scored three touchdowns — a 63-yard pass from Cole Chatfield, and runs of 36 and 21 yards — in a 25-6 win over Valley. … Samir Crosby had five carries for 102 yards and a TD reception in a 31-7 loss to Washington. … John Jablunovsky of Ligonier Valley scored four touchdowns on two runs, a reception and an 88-yard kick return.

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

Tags: Belle Vernon, Derry Area, Jeannette, Latrobe, Ligonier Valley, Mt. Pleasant, Norwin