Norwin notebook: Krevokuch lands football scholarship from Fairmont State

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Saturday, February 20, 2021 | 9:01 AM

Recruiting can be an odd thing. Timing can play a key part in determining where a prospect plays in college.

Sometimes the stars have to align.

Norwin senior football player Tanner Krevokuch is a prime example. After he lost a Division I scholarship offer, he began to explore other options.

Fairmont State, a Division II program in West Virginia, came into the picture late. But it was perhaps just the right time for Krevokuch.

Fairmont became an option in December when the school offered him a scholarship, basically out of the blue. He visited the campus in early January and was hooked. He committed and signed Feb. 3.

Krevokuch, who had a Division I offer from Central Michigan pulled, mulled over a preferred walk-on opportunity with Pitt but ultimately felt closer to Fairmont.

“My family has been big Pitt fans for a very long time, so getting an offer from them was definitely something I strongly considered.”

Norwin takes rematch

Norwin’s girls basketball team avenged a loss to rival Penn-Trafford and split the season series with the Lady Warriors in Section 1-6A with a 40-29 victory.

The fifth-ranked Lady Knights overcame shooting woes by playing sound defense, limiting another opponent to fewer than 30 points. Norwin had the best points-allowed average in WPIAL 6A at 34.1.

Junior Brianna Zajicek had 12 points, sophomore Savannah Schneck added 10 and senior Danielle Rosso chipped in nine in the win, which saw the Knights limit Penn-Trafford to one 3-pointer.

#TyStrong

The Norwin and Penn-Trafford girls basketball teams recognized Norwin senior two-sport athlete Ty Bilinsky before their game Feb. 11.

The teams gathered before the game around Norwin senior basketball player Ty Bilinsky, who has been battling health issues. In a circle, the players and coaches said a prayer for anyone dealing with health issues or adversity in life.

“There is too much negativity in this world,” Norwin girls coach Brian Brozeski said. “It was great to see everyone supporting each other.”

Going streaking

The legend of the Burrell wrestling team grew Saturday when the Buccaneers captured their 15th straight WPIAL championship. The title streak is the longest by a Westmoreland County program but only by two years.

Norwin girls volleyball won 13 consecutive titles from 1973-85.

Bethel Park girls swimming owns the longest WPIAL championship streak with 20 titles in a row from 1981-2000.

Playoffs ahead

The Norwin boys and girls basketball teams will enter the WPIAL playoffs. The league is having an open tournament this year where all teams are eligible to compete, a decision based on teams’ unbalanced records and number of games played because of covid shutdowns.

The playoffs are scheduled to start Feb. 26-27.

Higher-seeded teams will get home games through the semifinals, if their gyms meet WPIAL requirements.

The annual playoff pairings meeting in Green Tree was canceled because of social-distancing guidelines.

The WPIAL finals are scheduled for March 12, 13 and 15 at high school venues yet to be selected.

Teams that don’t participate in the playoffs are allowed to continue to play games after Feb. 26.

On ice

Ty Shigo scored four goals, and Sam Coll made 31 saves to pace the Norwin hockey team to a 6-4 win over North Hills to improve the Knights’ record to 7-6.

The Knights, who had scored 75 goals and allowed 74, were trying to improve their record against PIHL Class A Southeast Division teams. They were just 1-4 against divisional opponents.

Recruiting

Jordan Stein, a two-time all-section volleyball player from Norwin, will play at Waynesburg.

College scene

Freshman guard Jayla Wehner, a Norwin graduate, had played in 24 games with three starts for Marian women’s basketball, a NAIA program in Indianapolis.

She was averaging 4.2 points and had 64 assists, second on the team, which was 22-4 and won the Crossroads League regular-season title for the sixth straight time.

• Geneva men’s volleyball player Jake Williams has started all four matches this season, and the Norwin alum is fourth on the team with 27 kills and also has 23 digs in 16 sets played.

• North Dakota football player Pedro Schmidt, a redshirt sophomore out of Norwin, has entered the NCAA Transfer Portal has be looks for a new opportunity. A wide receiver, Schmidt played in eight games in 2019, mostly on special teams. He has 12 career appearances but still is looking for his first pass reception.

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

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