SCRANTON – The Pittston Area boys track team finished fourth and the girls team was fifth out of 11 teams in Class 3A Thursday night at the 62nd annual Jordan Relays.
The meet gave the school’s runners a chance to test themselves against Lackawanna League competition and at the site of the District 2 championships. Pittston Area and Tunkhannock were the only two Wyoming Valley Conference schools entered in the meet, which features the three relays that are contested all season plus three special medley relay events that combine legs of different distances.
The boys 3200-meter relay team of Tony Molinaro, Hunter Kraklio, Matt Havrilla and Joe Fisher had the best finish of the night for Pittston Area, taking second in 3A behind Wallenpaupack with a time of 8:46.91.
Pittston Area remained in title contention in a tightly packed boys field until the final event. The Patriots finished with 27 points. Abington Heights beat out Wallenpaupack, 36-32, for the title.
The Patriots also finished fourth in both the 400 and 1600 relays. Naseem Guillaume was on both of those teams.
Kraklio had a productive night. He ran the leadoff 800 leg on the opening distance medley team that finished fifth and was part of the closing 1600 relay team in addition to his spot on the silver medal 3200 team.
The best finish by the Lady Patriots was third in the distance medley relay. Charity McLeod ran the opening 800, Jenna Smith and Janella Wilk ran 400s and Nicole Zambetti ran the anchor 1600 to combine for a time of 10:22.35.
Pittston Area was fourth in both the 400 relay and 1200 sprint medley to reach the midway point third in the team standings. It was in contention to keep producing similar points in the 3200 relay, but was disqualified for a runner taking several strides off the track on a turn.
Anjelica Singer and Jessica Tighe were on both fourth-place relays. Wilk led off the 1200 medley by running a 400 leg.
The Lady Patriots scored 22 points, one behind fourth-place North Pocono. Abington Heights ran away with the team title, 54-32, over Wallenpaupack and Scranton.
BOYS TRACK
Paul Moska and Naseem Guillaume led Pittston Area to an 88-62 win over visiting Dallas in a WVC Division 1 dual meet Tuesday.
Moska won the triple jump and high jump. Guillaume won the 110-meter high hurdles and was part of the winning 400 and 1600 relay teams.
Hunter Kraklio won the 800 and ran on the winning 1600 relay.
The Patriots swept all 27 points in the throws where Jake Rutkowski won the discus and took second in the shot put and javelin. Pat Mitchell won the shot put and was second in the discus. Walter Coles won the javelin and was third in the discus.
Tunkhannock defeated Wyoming Area, 83-66, Tuesday.
GIRLS TRACK
Shelby Stackhouse won four events to lead Wyoming Area past Tunkhannock, 85-61, in Tuesday’s WVC Division 1 meet.
Stackhouse won the 100-meter hurdles, long jump, high jump and pole vault.
Jalen Rhodes won the 100 and 200 dashes.
BOYS TENNIS
Wyoming Seminary completed an unbeaten Wyoming Valley Conference championship season with a 5-0 victory over visiting Pittston Area Thursday.
The Patriots, however, still earned a District 2-4 Class 3A Subregional playoff berth and a home court for Monday’s quarterfinal match against Delaware Valley.
Pittston Area finished 7-3 to place second in the four-team WVC Division 1. It earned the fourth seed in the six-team subregional tournament. Delaware Valley is the fifth seed after going 9-5 in the Lackawanna League and finishing second in its Class 3A Division.
If the Patriots can get through Monday’s quarterfinals, they will advance to Tuesday’s semifinals at Kirby Park against unbeaten Lackawanna League champion Abington Heights.
Wyoming Area went 3-7 to finish fifth out of seven teams in WVC Division 2. The Warriors missed the team District 2 Class 2A playoffs.
District 2 Class 2A and District 2-4 Class 3A singles play begins Thursday at Kirby Park with three rounds of action. The semifinals and finals are set for Friday.
SOFTBALL
Pittston Area won two more games to extend its winning streak to five games since starting 0-4 in the WVC.
The Lady Patriots produced their third straight come-from-behind victory Monday with an 8-3 win at Dallas. They won again Thursday, 7-1, over visiting Coughlin.
Pittston Area has outscored opponents, 26-2, from the fifth inning on during the winning streak, including a seven-run seventh to beat Dallas.
Lexi Felinski hit a three-run homer to highlight the rally against Dallas.
Alexa McHugh pitched four scoreless innings of relief with two strikeouts to get the win and also went 2-for-4 with a double.
Nina Cencetti threw a two-hitter against Coughlin. She struck out eight and did not allow a walk or earned run.
McHugh, who drove in two runs, and Cencetti each went 3-for-4 in the win.
Madisyn Antal, who drove in three runs, and Gabby Para had two hits each.
Wyoming Area lost, 5-1, to visiting Tunkhannock Thursday.
The Lady Tigers opened the scoring with four runs in the second.
Kristi Skok and Kari Melberger had the only hits for the Lady Warriors.
BASEBALL
Winning pitcher Kyle Ralston went 3-for-3 with the game-winning hit Thursday to lead Pittston Area past host Hazleton Area, 3-2, in a WVC Division 1 game.
Ralston pitched five-plus innings, giving up two runs on three hits and four walks while striking out three. Hunter Ralston allowed just one hit in two innings for the save.
Kyle O’Fier hit a two-run homer in the fifth inning to erase a 1-0 deficit.
O’Fier, Joe DeLucca and Tyler Jackson each had two hits in the top three spots in the order.
Dallas got itself back into WVC Division 2 contention by knocking off both Pittston Area and Wyoming Area during the week.
Darren Kerdesky’s RBI single in the bottom of the sixth lifted Dallas over Pittston Area, 4-3, Tuesday and helped drop the Patriots into third place in Division 1.
O’Fier drove in two runs for Pittston Area.
Kerdesky then drove in three runs Thursday when Dallas defeated Wyoming Area, 5-2, to create a three-way tie for the Division 2 lead between the Warriors, Berwick and Tunkhannock. The Mountaineers moved within a game of the three leaders.
BOYS LACROSSE
Wyoming Area dropped two games to Division 1 contenders, but remained one game in front of Lake-Lehman for the WVC Division 2 lead with a 6-4 record.
The Warriors fell at Dallas, 8-7, Tuesday then lost, 12-4, at Delaware Valley Thursday.
Jake Urban scored three goals in the loss to Dallas. Sam Greenfield added two goals while Alex Hawk had a goal and an assist.
Greenfield scored twice against Delaware Valley.
Wyoming Area’s Friday game at Coughlin was postponed and will be played Monday.
GIRLS LACROSSE
It was a tough week for Greater Pittston teams.
Wyoming Area, which entered the week with a 4-1 record, lost three straight and dropped to .500.
Pittston Area lost its only game, 16-0, at Delaware Valley Tuesday.
The Lady Warriors lost on three straight days, 7-6 at Scranton Prep Tuesday; 15-4 at unbeaten Lake-Lehman Wednesday; and 9-6 at home against Dallas Thursday.
Caity Butchko had three goals against Lake-Lehman.
