What’s in a name when rivals Norwin, Penn-Trafford collide?

By: Paul Schofield
Wednesday, August 21, 2024 | 6:40 PM

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Even though it’s a rivalry, the Penn-Trafford/Norwin series has no name. Does it need one?

Pitt and West Virginia have the “Backyard Brawl.” Monessen and Charleroi and Monaca and Rochester had the “Battle of the Bridge.’ Derry and Ligonier Valley have the “Riot on the Ridge.”

What should this game be called as the teams open the season at 7 p.m. Friday at Norwin?

“Maybe we could call it ‘The Route 30 Rumble’” Norwin wide receiver Jake Knight said. “That’s a good one.”

“I like the ‘Backyard Brawl,’” Penn-Trafford’s Stew Pfeil said. “We’re only about 10 minutes away.”

Penn-Trafford coach John Ruane said the game really doesn’t need a name.

“I just think everyone knows it’s a big game,” Ruane said. “Both schools get up for it. It’s actually cool to play. We used to play at the end of the season. Now it’s the beginning, and stadiums will be packed whenever we play, here or there.

“Both teams are excited, and I think we certainly bring out the best in each other, you know? We’ve seen them play at a high level against us, and we try to do the same against them. So I think it’s going to be a great game.”

Penn-Trafford and Norwin will collide for the 39th time at Norwin Knight Stadium, and it will give both coaches an opportunity to see how their teams perform under game situations.

Last year, the teams were in the WPIAL Class 5A Big East Conference, and Penn-Trafford, behind running backs Tasso Whipple (194 yards and two touchdowns) and Ben Grabowski (206 yards and four touchdowns), rolled to a 56-28 victory.

While Penn-Trafford remains in Class 5A, Norwin returns to Class 6A this season.

Norwin coach Mike Brown spent the offseason helping his team become stronger and better tacklers.

The Knights scrimmaged Franklin Regional, and Brown said he was pleased with the results.

“I think the physicality that we brought was definitely a plus on the offense,” Brown said. “Defensively, we tackled a lot better than we did last year, and that was one of the things we had to fix this offseason.

“But any time you have that quick of a scrimmage, you know you’re going to have mistakes that we need to shore up. So whether it’s just a little bit of alignment or some of the assignments, you know, we have to shore up and correct. But the kids are doing a good job of understanding their mistakes and fixing them.”

Norwin’s offense will be led by junior quarterback Tristyn Tavares, who completed 143 of 289 passes for 2,459 yards and 25 touchdowns last season. But graduation took a pair of Division I receivers: Luke Denny and Jackson Pons.

Tavares, who threw two touchdown passes and ran for another in last year’s game, will turn to Knight and running back Jackson Huss, who ran for a score last year, for support.

Brown said the offense will be slightly different.

He said he hopes his team doesn’t make too many mistakes against Penn-Trafford.

“The biggest worry I think is just the mental mistakes. The pre-snap penalties is what really is going to kind of be the difference,” Brown said. “You know the discipline of either staying onsides, being lined up and getting the snap down, things like that really can hurt a team.

“But also, you see it every Week Zero game, is kids going down with cramps, and the next kid going down. So you know, we’re going to be well conditioned, but we’re going to be well disciplined, too.”

Ruane said he sees a different Norwin team than he did last year. He knows his team faces a tougher challenge after watching their scrimmage.

“I thought they were a very physical team,” Ruane said. “I thought they did a good job at the line of scrimmage. They have some kids that can tackle.

“They look like they’ve made a concerted effort to be a better team running the football. And then you throw the quarterback in there, and we all know what he can do.”

Penn-Trafford did well in its scrimmage against Shaler, but Ruane knows the Warriors can be better.

“I thought we did a good job,” Ruane said. “You could tell we have a lot more experience than we did a year ago at the skill positions and in the back seven of our defense.

“So there was a whole lot less confusion. We lined up right, and we executed pretty well. Obviously, there are some kinks to work out, but just from a maturity standpoint and an execution standpoint, I thought we did a really good job.”

Last year, the Warriors relied on the running game. This year, quarterbacks Jonny Lovre and Derek Carr should be more involved along with a slew of receivers, notably Tyler Boss, Nick Ponko, Jack Weishaar and Jessie Lisbon.

Lovre tossed two touchdown passes in last year’s game.

So Coach Brown, how about a name for this rivalry?

“I don’t know. I’m just happy we just kept the rivalry going,” he said. “We can start the season off with a game that means something from the get go.”

Paul Schofield is a TribLive reporter covering high school and college sports and local golf. He joined the Trib in 1995 after spending 15 years at the Daily Courier in Connellsville, where he served as sports editor for 14 years. He can be reached at pschofield@triblive.com.

Tags: Norwin, Penn-Trafford