Norwin notebook: New football coach fills out staff

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Saturday, May 13, 2023 | 11:01 AM

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New Norwin football coach Mike Brown has filled out his staff for the upcoming season.

Assistants will be Conner Schultheis, Rocco Yauger, Anthony Giansante, Diandre Cooper, Joe Lauricia, Jon Lochiatto, Josh Lugai, Matt Gornall, Ray Reitz, Jackson Pruitt, Justin Hall and Bill Brown, his father.

Brown did not announce the coaches’ positions or specialization.

Lauricia, Reitz and Bill Brown coached with Brown at Hempfield.

Giansante is a former Norwin lineman, while Zugai played linebacker for the Knights and Pruitt played receiver and defensive back at Jeannette. Gornall was a lineman at Hempfield.

Yauger is a strength coach who has worked with multiple local programs.

Cooper, Hill and Lochiatto, another Norwin alum, played at Mercyhurst.

Schultheis coached receivers at Westminster.

Girls take 2nd

The Norwin girls track and field team finished second at the WPIAL Class 3A team championships May 9. The Knights defeated Canon-McMillan, 78-72, and South Fayette, 103-47, but fell to champion North Allegheny, 87-63.

The Knights won their semifinal, defeating Franklin Regional, 101-35, and Laurel Highlands, 113-17.

Shaw wins again

Norwin senior Hannah Shaw won the pole vault title at the 49th Baldwin Invitational. Her winning vault was 11 feet, 11 inches.

Shaw, a Northeastern commit, also won the Westmoreland County Coaches Association title by clearing 12-3, and was a champion at the Butler Invitational at 11-7.

She also soared to a sixth place at the prestigious New Balance Nationals in Boston (11-5.75).

Playoff bound

A number of Norwin teams were gearing up for a run in the WPIAL playoffs.

The baseball and softball teams, along with boys volleyball, boys lacrosse, and girls lacrosse, all qualified for the postseason.

College scene

Updates on Norwin graduates competing in college sports:

Women’s track & field

Waynesburg: Sophomore Megan Barry won the javelin title at the West Virginia Last Chance Meet in Morgantown, W.Va., with a throw of 33.96 meters.

Softball

Saint Vincent: The Bearcats went 1-1 in the PAC Tournament to finish the season with a record of 23-15. Junior Lead Yoder went 3 for 3 in a 7-3 win over Grove City. But Geneva clipped SVC, 5-3, despite Yoder’s 2-for-2 effort. The Bearcats made the conference tournament for the seventh time in nine years.

Baseball

Mercyhurst: The Lakers ended Seton Hill’s 26-game PSAC regular-season winning streak with a two-game sweep. Sophomore pitcher Jake Bazala picked up a win in Game 2, a 4-1 victory, as he struck out five and limited a potent lineup to three hits over five innings. Sophomore Eric Chorba had a hit and scored a run for the Lakers.

Women’s lacrosse

Saint Vincent: Junior Maggie Edwards (Norwin) made the All-PAC Second Team. Edwards had 57 goals and 10 assists, scoring at least one goal in all 18 games.

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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