North Allegheny erased a 10-point second-half deficit and rallied for a 20-17 victory at Norwin on Friday night, securing an important win in Quad County Conference play. The victory keeps the Tigers’ unblemished record intact ahead of a Class 6A showdown with reigning WPIAL champion Central Catholic next week.

In a series that began in 1998, North Allegheny had never lost to Norwin in 15 meetings, including a WPIAL playoff win over the Knights in 2015 at Newman Stadium. Since becoming regular conference foes in Class 6A in 2018, the Tigers have earned an average margin of victory of 45-15 in a seven-game span. However, with Norwin off to a 3-1 start to the season and fielding its most talented team in years, this contest would be determined by the closest margin of victory in the history of the series.

The host Knights got off a strong start in front of their home fans by forcing the Tigers to punt on their first drive and taking the ensuing possession 76 yards on eight plays for the game’s first touchdown. Norwin tallied the icebreaker when quarterback Tristyn Tavares found Jake Knight for a 23-yard touchdown on a screen pass, giving the Knights a 7-0 lead with 3:43 remaining in the first quarter.

With North Allegheny struggling to move the ball for most of the first half, Norwin began a possession at the NA 45-yard line with 10:46 remaining in the second quarter. The eight-play drive stalled at the North Allegheny 7-yard line, forcing the Knights to settle for a 24-yard field goal by Tristin Josephic and a 10-0 lead with 8:42 left before halftime.

In need of a big play, it was the North Allegheny special teams that ignited a spark when sophomore Caden Petro blocked a Norwin punt that was scooped up by senior Nate Orlando and returned to the Knights’ 30-yard line. Three plays later, junior quarterback Brady Brinkley heaved a 31-yard touchdown pass to junior wideout Mason Brown with 1:12 left in the half, trimming the Norwin lead to 10-7.

Coming out of halftime, Norwin opened the second half with the football. As they did in the first half, the Knights utilized an up-tempo offense and culminated an eight-play, 65-yard drive with a 30-yard touchdown pass from Tavares to Zack Pawling on a wide receiver screen for a 17-7 lead with 9:03 remaining in the third period. Tavares finished the night with 108 yards passing and two touchdowns, while adding another 82 yards on the ground on 19 carries. Norwin running back Gio Rothrauff toted the football 28 times for 102 yards.

Despite 300 yards of total offense, the Knights were stymied by the Tigers’ defense for the remainder of the evening and would not score again. With Norwin held at bay, the North Allegheny offense struck for a big play when Brinkley connected with Ben Kern on a slant, and the sophomore wideout ran away from the Norwin defense for a 63-yard touchdown on the final play of the third quarter, trimming the deficit to 17-14. Brinkley was 10-for-19 through the air for 132 yards and two touchdowns.

Nearing the midway point of the fourth quarter, the NA defense forced its first and most important turnover of the night when senior safety Cam Kushner intercepted a Tavares pass off a deflection and returned the ball to the Norwin 12-yard line. Just two plays later, senior running back Luke Rohan rumbled his way into the end zone for an 8-yard touchdown run and the Tigers vaulted ahead for a 20-17 lead with 6:09 remaining in regulation. The extra point kick was no good, keeping the NA lead at three points, giving Norwin a chance to tie the game with a field goal on its final possession.

Norwin embarked on an 11-play drive, converting on two third conversions along the way, traversing to the NA 23-yard line. Faced with a 4th and 3, Norwin’s attempt to extend the drive on Rothrauff run up the middle was stonewalled by senior defensive lineman Lincoln Hoke at the 21-yard line with 2:00 left in the game, leaving the Knights just one yard short of a first down. Hoke, a University of Pittsburgh commit, totaled a game-high 11 tackles, with 10 unassisted stops, and one sack, to earn Wright Automotive Player of the Game honors.

Following the defensive stand, the NA rushing attack needed only one first down to secure the victory. Rohan was the leading rusher for the Tigers with 12 carries for 79 yards and a touchdown.

With the win, North Allegheny improves to 5-0 overall and 2-0 in the Quad County Conference. Norwin slips to 3-2 overall and 1-1 in conference play. The Tigers will host Central Catholic next week, while the Knights visit North Hills for a non-conference contest.