YATESVILLE – Although Pittston Area finished precisely in the middle of the Wyoming Valley Conference Division 1 boys track and field standings, the Patriots finished strong and used the final week of the regular season to show they were much closer to the top of the division than the bottom.
Pittston Area’s final week included a blowout win over the last-place team and a competitive effort in an earlier loss to the division champions.
The division’s final standings were: Hazleton Area 6-0, Wyoming Valley West 5-1, Crestwood 4-2, Pittston Area 3-3, Wilkes-Barre Area 2-4, Berwick 1-5 and Dallas 0-6.
Pittston Area 109, Dallas 40
The Patriots used individual wins from 10 different athletes and swept the three relays to win Thursday’s regular-season finale at Charley Trippi Stadium.
“I’m just happy with the whole team,” Pittston Area coach Jason Mills said. “Going into the season, the uncertainty that we had – we didn’t know number one if there was going to be a season and we didn’t know who was going to come out or stay out because of COVID – I’m just really proud.
“In the overall picture, I think we’re a young team, so I’m proud of our seniors for leading us and the younger kids for scoring a lot of points for us.”
Those young contributors have Mills looking to brighter times.
“I think in a year or two, we’re going to be a pretty strong team,” Mills said.
Behm, one of the conference’s top high jumpers, won that event and the triple jump, making him the only Patriot with two individual victories. He also ran a leg of the winning 400-meter relay.
“He was a football player for us, too, and coach (Nick) Barbieri spoke at our banquet about how far he’s come,” Mills said. “He turned a corner. He had a great senior year.
“ … He comes to work every day at practice and it’s showing.”
Lochlen Messner won the 400 and ran on the winning 1600 relay.
Allan Williams, Teagan Reboli, Kevin Lockett and Anthony Thomas each won both individually and as part of a relay while Preston Klem ran on two winning relay teams.
Hazleton Area 85, Pittston Area 65
Hazleton Area, which later secured the title outright, clinched at least a tie for the division championship with the win.
Matthew Cusatis led the Cougars, winning the long jump, triple jump and 100-meter dash.
Kevin Lockett and Preston Klem each won an individual event and a relay for the Patriots.
Lockett won the javelin with a throw of 150-5 and ran a leg on the 400 relay. Klem won the 800 and anchored the winning 1600 relay.
