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No. 3 Bethel Park manhandles mistake-prone Norwin

By: HSSN Staff
Friday, September 15, 2017 | 10:57 PM

Bethel Park senior Tanner Volpatti plays bigger than his size.

The 5-foot-10, 190-pound running back-safety rushed for three touchdowns and 141 yards and recovered a Norwin fumble in the end zone to help No. 3 Bethel Park to a 27-7 victory in the WPIAL Class 6A Southeastern Conference.

The victory kept the Black Hawks (3-0, 2-0) perfect for the season and ended the Knights' two-game winning streak.

First-half mistakes killed Norwin's chance at pulling off a road victory. It was something coach Dave Brozeski said earlier in the week the Knights (2-2, 1-1) couldn't do.

“It's hard enough playing against an opponent; you can't play against yourself as well,” Brozeski said. “We lost the turnover battle; we were minus-three, and we didn't capitalize on our opportunities against a quality opponent.”

Norwin's first mistake came after a 72-yard kickoff return by junior Billy Kerston to the Bethel Park 10. On fourth-and-goal from the 1, running back Jayvon Thrift, fighting for yards, lost a fumble that Volpatti recovered in the end zone.

“That seems to be our Achilles' heel,” Brozeski said. “This is four weeks in a row that we fumbled in the end zone.”

The second miscue led to a Bethel Park score. A 12-yard punt allowed Bethel Park to take over possession at the Norwin 45, and the Black Hawks scored seven plays later on a 1-yard plunge by Volpatti for a 6-0 lead.

“The defense played great,” Bethel Park coach Jeff Metheny said. “That was a big miscue on the kickoff return. We lost a lot of field position. We played well on three downs, and Volpatti made a play.”

The next mistake also turned into points for Bethel Park when linebacker Anthony Klase scooped up a lateral and raced 15 yards for a score to make it 13-0 midway through the second quarter.

“That was a big turning point in the game,” Metheny said. “We yelled at him to pick it up, and he did. It was a smart play.”

Norwin also lost yardage on a fumble and then an illegal crack-back block before halftime halted another scoring opportunity.

Volpatti's 56-yard run on the third play of the second half led to his second 1-yard score, which put Bethel Park up 20-0.

“We had chances and just didn't finish,” Brozeski said. “We gave up that big run to open the second half, and we just didn't make enough stops on defense.”

Norwin finally got on the scoreboard late in the third quarter when Thrift scored on a 2-yard run. Sophomore quarterback Jack Salopek, who completed 19 of 30 passes for 228 yards, completed passes to four receivers during the drive.

Bethel Park tacked on another score in the fourth quarter as Volpatti, who ran the ball sparingly after his 56-yard burst, scored on a 2-yard run.

“My fumble recovery stopped their momentum,” Volpatti said. “We like to run the ball up the middle and pound down a defense. It's running behind our line, they open up the holes and I trust what I see.”

Bethel Park outrushed Norwin, 235-12. Salopek was sacked four times for a minus-31 yards.

But it was Volpatti's big plays that led to the win.

Paul Schofield is a Tribune Review staff writer. Reach him at pschofield_Tribweb.com or via Twitter @Schofield_Trib.

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