WPIAL chooses Norwin as host for Class 5A football final

By: HSSN Staff
Monday, June 18, 2018 | 2:48 PM

On the Friday after Thanksgiving, the only long lines Norwin athletic director Brandon Rapp needs to tackle are the football fans filtering into his stadium.

Norwin will host the WPIAL Class 5A football final that day this fall, the WPIAL board decided Monday.

“There won't be any Black Friday shopping in my future, I know that,” Rapp said with a laugh.

The WPIAL also considered bids from North Allegheny and Geneva but believed Norwin would provide the best all-around experience, WPIAL executive director Tim O'Malley said. A four-person WPIAL committee visited all three sites and unanimously recommended Norwin, citing the stadium's capacity, large press box and adjacent parking.

As a result, Class 5A will be the only WPIAL football championship not played at a professional or college venue.

“What we'd asked them to do is look at all three in an open-minded way,” O'Malley said, “and decide which of those three is going to provide the best experience to the kids who are playing, for the bands that participate, for the fans that attend.”

The WPIAL needed to choose sites for Class 5A and 2A, the two football finals that won't be played at Heinz Field. Norwin will host the Class 5A final Nov. 23 at 7 p.m. The WPIAL already scheduled the Class 2A final for 1 p.m., Nov. 24 at Robert Morris.

The four other WPIAL finals — Class 6A, 4A, 3A and A — are Nov. 16 or 17 at Heinz Field.

Class 5A and 2A, the WPIAL classifications with the most teams, will have 16-team playoff brackets. Class 4A, 3A and A will have eight-team brackets. Class 6A has a six-team bracket.

The WPIAL altered its playoff and championship schedules to mesh with updated state playoff brackets. The Class 5A final was played at Heinz Field last season. However, when the WPIAL surveyed its member schools, Class 5A voters “were adamant” that maintaining a 16-team bracket was more important than championship venue, O'Malley said.

Robert Morris was host for the WPIAL Class 2A and A finals the past two seasons, but RMU's 3,000-seat stadium is not considered large enough to hold a Class 5A crowd.

Norwin seats 5,000, Rapp said.

“We're very excited and appreciative of the opportunity,” Rapp said. “We're very, very fortunate to have the facilities that we do, so it will be a nice opportunity for us to showcase that a little bit. But our goal is just that whoever the two lucky 5A teams are, that we provide a positive experience for both them and their fans.”

The WPIAL committed to Norwin for one season but is open to returning for a second year if this season goes well.

“It's a tremendous facility. They always do a good job hosting games,” said Gateway athletic director Randy Rovesti, who worked at Norwin for 29 years. “You have great parking, a workable press box, a lot of seating on both sides and a good field house.”

Gateway defeated Penn-Trafford, 21-16, in the WPIAL Class 5A championship last season at Heinz Field.

Chris Harlan is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at charlan@tribweb.com or via Twitter @CHarlan_Trib.

Tags: Norwin