Olivea Scalese and Jakob Mead led 1-2 finishes that paved the way for sweeps by Pittston Area in a season-opening Wyoming Valley Conference cross country cluster meet on the Luzerne County Rec Fields course in Forty Fort.
Scalese finished the 3.1-mile course in 19:44 for a 51-second win over teammate Bella Dessoye, who was in turn 1:41 ahead of Wyoming Area’s Hannah Stoss, the third-place finishers in the 23-runner field.
Mead edged teammate Caden Boettger by a second in 18:13. Wyoming Area’s Colby Walsh was third in 18:36.
In the opening meet of the season, teams run against their cluster partners.
Pittston Area defeated Wyoming Area, Wilkes-Barre Area and Wyoming Valley West in the boys and girls meets. Those four teams will run together every week of the regular season, but will not be scored against each other in any other meets.
Wyoming Area went 2-1 in girls meets and 1-2 in boys meets.
The Pittston Area girls won 20-41 over Wyoming Area, 15-47 over Wilkes-Barre Area and 15-49 over Wyoming Valley West. The score of 15 is the lowest possible for a full team, meaning the Lady Patriots had the first five finishers when scored against those two opponents.
Pittston Area won its boys meets, 20-38 over Wilkes-Barre Area, 18-45 over Wyoming Area and 15-50 over Wyoming Valley West.
The Lady Warriors defeated Wilkes-Barre Area, 27-29, and Wyoming Valley West, 14-22.
Wyoming Area won 19-38 over Wyoming Valley West and lost 20-38 to Wilkes-Barre Area in boys meets.
Pittston Area had Ellie Schardien in fourth place, Olivia Pantucci in sixth, Izzy Tokar in seventh and Elizabeth Howells in ninth.
Wyoming Area’s Kierstyn Orlandini was fifth, giving the two rivals the top seven girls finishers.
Pittston Area had six of the top 10 out of 29 finishers in the boys race.
Cash Radle and Jalen Moore were fifth and sixth, then Geno Canfield and Jack Scagliotti were ninth and 10th.
The Patriots had three more runners, nine total, in the top 14.
Wyoming Area’s second finisher was Shane Emsley in 17th.
