First Posted: 9/5/2014
If the Wyoming Valley Conference didn’t know who Kyle Gattuso was before Pittston Area’s game with Valley View, it does now.
The Patriot do-it-all quarterback led one of the best comebacks in recent school history on Friday night. With just over a minute to play, Gattuso connected with wideout Angelo Aita for a 20-yard score to seal a 35-34 come-from-behind win over Valley View.
The Cougars had a chance with just over a minute left, but quarterback Mitch Mchale was intercepted by freshman Dorian Ryans to seal the Pittston Area win.
Gattuso finished the game 18-for-27 with 192 yards and a pair of touchdowns. But that wasn’t all he did. The senior also ran 20 times for 171 yards and added another three touchdowns, accounting for each Pittston Area score.
“The only thing you can ask the kids to do is keep fighting for you,” first-year Pittston Area coach Jim Norris said. “We have a team that will have to overcome due to their lack of experience. I’m really proud of them.”
The Patriots found themselves down 27-7 early in the second quarter thanks to a few mistakes – a 90-yard punt return from Valley View’s Evan Carey and a 51-yard touchdown pass to open the game. That’s when Gattuso really got going, although he already had started.
The Patriots got the ball with three minutes to play in the second. On a second down from midfield, Gattuso’s pocket collapsed. He then turned on the burners, broke about five tackles and made his way to the end zone.
“Tonight they came out of their shell a little bit,” Norris said of his athletes. “We have a great kid in Gattuso, but it helps that he’s surround by really good athletes.”
On Valley View’s first drive of the third quarter, Wasilchak capped off a 15-play, 81-yard drive with a 5-yard score. The drive ate up more than eight minutes of clock. But the Patriots never wavered.
Gattuso’s 4-yard touchdown run on the next series put them right back in it to open the fourth quarter. Josh John then found Shane Flannelly for the two-point conversion. Valley View’s next drive stalled with a fourth down sack. Nine plays later, Gattuso found Aita with a leaping grab from 24 yards out.
The Cougars were forced three-and-out when Devon Biggers sacked Mchale. That set put Pittston Area’s heroics.
The drive started on Pittston Area’s own 46. Gattuso’s next six carries went for 40 yards and the Patriots faced a first down from the 20. Aita was lined up wide right. It was a crossing pattern just across the goal line. Gattuso couldn’t have made a better throw for the 20-yard touchdown, and a Patriot win.
“Kyle is just a great quarterback,” Aita said. “The line did a great job in the second half. If Kyle has time, he’ll find a way to get us the football.”
