Pittston Area running back Kayden Bailey (4) splits two Spartain defenders for a long gain at Charley Trippi Stadium.
Lucas LoPresto (1) reaches out to the goal line for a Patriot score after receiving a Paulie Ferrentino pass and getting by Spartan defender John Richards (4).
Patriot Kayden Walker (64) smothers Wyoming Valley West QB Damien Eastman (9) in the backfield for a loss.
Patriot senior Brody Spindler (0) breaks away from a host of Wyoming Valley West Spartans to score a touchdown at Charley Trippi Stadium on Friday.
Pittston Area’s Lucas LoPresto is about to receive a Paulie Ferentino pass as Steven Barnic (8) blocks the Spartans’ Malique Campbell (6).
YATESVILLE — Pittston Area was perfectly equipped to handle immediate, unexpected adversity.
Having 21 seniors on your roster will give any coach the confidence to overcome those early jitters.
Pittston Area bounced back from allowing a touchdown on the opening kickoff to defeat Wyoming Valley West 64-20 Friday night in the Wyoming Valley Conference Division 1 opener for each team.
Tied late in the opening quarter, the Patriots outscored the Spartans by a 51-7 the margin rest of the way. In the process, they set the school’s single game scoring mark, breaking the record set in a 62-16 rout of Lake-Lehman in 1973.
“When you have 21 seniors who have dealt with three coaches in three years, they come to battle and you can play a bunch of those guys,” Pittston Area coach Paul Russick said. “They’ve shown leadership; they’ve shown ability. They’ve bought in. They’re doing all the things we’re asking of them.”
Wyoming Valley West took an early six-point lead 14 seconds into the game. The Spartans’ Malique Campbell picked up a teammate’s fumble and ran 82 yards downfield for a touchdown.
“It’s not great that we open by giving up a kickoff return for a touchdown,” Russick said. “Obviously, we had some adversity through some of that stuff. The kids battled through it. They cleaned themselves up here in the second half.”
It began a first quarter in which the Spartans and Patriots went tit-for-tat, combining for five touchdowns.
Pittston Area responded to the touchdown on the kickoff with back-to-back scores. Brody Spindler scored on a 28-yard pass from Paulie Ferentino at the 7:10 mark. The Spartans made the mistake 2½ minutes later of punting to Lucas LoPresto, who returned the short kick 63 yards to take a 13-7 lead.
The Spartans (0-4) showed their capability for explosive plays. On a third-and-28, a short dump pass to Gadgidas Reisinger went 34 yards to save a seemingly lost possession. On the next play, Damien Eastman connected with John Richards on a crossing pattern for a 42-yard touchdown that squared the game at 13-13 with 2:32 left in the opening quarter.
Kayden Bailey regained the Patriots’ lead in the final minute of the quarter. Bailey punched in a long drive with a 1-yard score for the 20-13 advantage.
Pittston Area (3-1) let LoPresto showcase his skills to put away any question of a Wyoming Valley West upset. LoPresto scored consecutive long receiving touchdowns to extend the Patriots’ lead to 34-13. He went to the races on a 55-yard pass to open the second quarter. Eighty seconds later, LoPresto followed that with a 37-yard score.
In all, LoPresto scored four touchdowns — three receiving and one punt return. He caught seven passes for 188 yards.
“He’s the best athlete in District 2 – he can do it all,” Russick said. “The first three weeks, he battled through a lot of double and triple coverage. People started to notice him tonight, and he took advantage of every opportunity he was given.”
Patriots quarterback Ferentino went 11-for-16 for 290 yards with five passing touchdowns.
Bailey reached the century mark early in the fourth quarter. He had 15 carries for 109 rushing yards with a pair of touchdowns.
Richards had two of the Wyoming Valley West touchdowns. Eastman hit Richards on the fly for a 72-yard touchdown late in the second qu2arter. Richards finished the night with six catches for 121 yards.
Pittston Area got a 26-yard field goal from Cole Baldwin with two seconds left for a 37-20 lead, then scored four touchdowns in the third quarter.
Stephen Barnic scored on a 15-yard pass from Ferentino, Spindler ran for a 2-yard touchdown, the last Ferentino-to-LoPresto touchdown pass covered 37 yards and Bailey ran 29 yards for a score.
BY THE NUMBERS
Pittston Area had statistical leads of 17-12 in first downs, 165-77 in rushing yards, 290-178 in passing yards and 455-255 in total offense. … The Patriots sacked the Spartans five times for 32 yards in losses. … The teams combined for 24 penalties for 165 yards with Wyoming Valley West called 14 times for 95 yards.
UP NEXT
First place will be on the line Friday night when Pittston Area travels to Dallas. The teams won the only two games played to date in Wyoming Valley Conference Division 1. Dallas, after suffering three straight losses to strong opponents, knocked off preseason division favorite Wilkes-Barre Area, 24-21, Friday. The teams that defeated the Mountaineers are a combined 11-1 with the only loss coming when Jersey Shore fell to Shamokin 43-42 in double overtime. Dallas opened a pair of two-touchdown leads at Wilkes-Barre Area, then won on a 22-yard Brandon Miller field goal with four seconds left. Mark Saracinaj took over as the primary ballcarrier and picked up 155 yards on 30 carries. Logan Geskey caught five passes for 114 yards and scored twice.
