Wyoming Area has the potential to be chasing higher goals in the postseason.

For Pittston Area, Friday night’s home game to close the regular season is much more likely to be the team’s biggest game.

Through more than 50 years, the rivalry between the two schools has often served to close the apparent gaps between the two squads, creating a series that frequently produces close contests.

While the chance to upset an unbeaten opponent is likely to be additional fuel for Pittston Area, the timing might also be right for Wyoming Area, which could really use a spirited, competitive game after a season filled with comfortable victories.

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The Warriors and Patriots meet for the 52nd straight year and the 54th time total at 7 p.m. Friday at Charley Trippi Stadium in Yatesville.

Wyoming Area went into this weekend with an 8-0 record while Pittston Area was 3-5 after losing three straight.

A closer look at how the teams compare:

OFFENSES

Wyoming Area has spread the ball around while leading all District 2 teams with more than 42 points per game.

The Warriors have gotten touchdown runs from nine players and touchdown receptions from six.

Corey Mruk can get the tough inside yards and he leads the team in rushing with 673 yards and 12 touchdowns on 77 carries.

Five teammates have added at least 100 yards rushing.

Quarterback Dominic DeLuca is the second-leading rusher with 349 yards and seven touchdowns on 46 carries while going 34-for-70 as a passer for 628 yards and 11 touchdowns with four interceptions.

Brian Williams has 16 catches for 296 yards and four touchdowns. Ten other players have combined for 25 catches.

Pittston Area’s Mike Nocito, who went over 1,000 yards last week, has hit more than half his passes. Nocito is 76-for-148 for 1,062 yards and 12 touchdowns with six interceptions.

Bryan Giambra has 27 catches for 434 yards and five touchdowns while Andrew Krawczyk has 19 catches for 313 yards and four touchdowns.

Dylan Lukachko leads the ground game with 537 yards and five touchdowns on 103 carries. Jordan O’Boyle has 379 yards and two touchdowns on 75 carries.

DEFENSES

Cameron Carr, a 6-foot-4, 205-pound senior end, has been a force for Wyoming Area up front, making plays for losses in every game.

Carr leads the team with nine sacks, 16 more tackles for losses and 11 other rushes that produced errant passes.

A unit that has allowed just two first-half touchdowns all season features Carr up front, DeLuca in the secondary and a strong linebacker crew in between.

DeLuca has five interceptions and is fifth on the team in tackles.

Linebackers F.J. Braccini and Mruk are 1-2 in total tackles.

As with everything else they do, the Warriors have many options, allowing coach Randy Spencer to mix combinations that emphasize size or speed, depending on the situation.

Pittston Area got a big boost defensively with the addition of Brennan Higgins in the secondary this season.

Higgins leads the team in tackles and, in the most recent victory against Coughlin, he made eight tackles, assisted three others, broke up two passes and recovered a fumble.

Linebacker Franny George and cornerback Billy Kyttle share the team lead in interceptions. Reily Brody is the top lineman and team leader in sacks.

The Patriots are at their best defensively when they are creating turnovers. They are susceptible at times to giving up yards on the ground

SPECIAL TEAMS

Both teams have female kickers handling extra points and potential field goals.

Wyoming Area’s Aleah Kranson, the 2017 WVC girls soccer scoring champion, has developed into one of the top kickers in the entire conference in her only season. She made her first 21 extra-point kicks to start the season, has a field goal and has shown the leg strength to try more.

Pittston Area’s Luchia Carabetta has not shown as much distance, but she has been effective on extra points.

DeLuca averages more than 37 yards per punt for Wyoming Area.

Mike Coe has a strong leg and has boomed some punts for Pittston Area, but the Patriots have had problems on punt snaps at times.

Wyoming Area averages almost 16 yards per punt return, including a touchdown return from freshman Leo Haros.

SCHEDULES

Wyoming Area’s drop in classification meant a reduction in the difficulty of the team’s schedule.

The Warriors have faced two winning and six losing teams on a schedule that has included two Class 4A, five Class 3A and one Class A opponent.

The Patriots have faced the significantly tougher schedule with five winning opponents so far. They have gone against a Class 6A team, six Class 4A teams and a Class 3A team.

PLAYOFF ASPIRATIONS

Wyoming Area should be home for at least the first two rounds of the eight-team District 2 Class 3A playoffs.

The Warriors became an instant contender when the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association’s new two-year enrollment cycle dropped them from Class 4A to 3A with a strong team coming back.

Wyoming Area stills ranks behind once-beaten Scranton Prep, which is looking for a fourth straight district title, in playoff ratings for what shapes up as the district’s most anticipated potential championship game.

After what appear to be routine quarterfinal games, some combination of two teams from Lakeland, Western Wayne and Lake-Lehman likely will create the semifinal pairings that try to wipe away the possibility of a Wyoming Area-Scranton Prep championship game.

Pittston Area is likely to end up near the bottom end of the eight playoff qualifiers from a pool of 14 District 2 teams in Class 4A.

A seed of sixth or lower means a quarterfinal game on the road at either Valley View, Dallas or Berwick, three times with combined 22-2 records and the only losses coming against each other, going into this, the ninth weekend, of the season.

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By Tom Robinson

For Sunday Dispatch

Reach the Sunday Dispatch newsroom at 570-655-1418 or by email at sd@psdispatch.com.