Wyoming Area track and field coach Joe Pizano saw hope for the Warriors even after they won just one boys meet in the last two Wyoming Valley Conference seasons.
The move from Division 1 to Division 2 was a big part of Pizano’s optimism, but a lot still had to go right for the Warriors to make the most of that opportunity.
It did.
The reinforcements from the lacrosse team continued to thrive as throwers despite limited time in the sport.
Given a chance to perform on the varsity level, a group of talented freshmen developed quickly.
The distance group gave the team a strength in an area that had often been a shortcoming.
The veterans in the lineup have come through producing a series of personal records to make sure the assistance they have received elsewhere has not gone to waste.
It all adds up to Wyoming Area being on the brink of a perfect regular season after building a dual meet team that has been too strong for Division 2.
Wyoming Area clinched at least a tie for the division title when it won at GAR, 117-31, Tuesday.
The Warriors are 6-0 with one meet left Monday at home against Northwest (1-5).
“There have been a ton of surprises,” Pizano said.
That was evident in Tuesday’s only three-event winner.
Sophomore Michael Branley won the 1600- and 3200-meter runs after anchoring the 3200 relay win to start the day.
Branley was the top runner on a cross country team that improved from 5-13 to 14-4 in its first season under coach Kristen Lombardo, despite being led by three sophomores and a freshman.
Lombardo started working with the runners as an assistant track coach last spring and has remained in that position.
“Our distance team has made a complete turnaround,” Pizano said. “We haven’t had that in the past couple years.
“Coach Lombardo transitioned into our distance coach last year. She had these kids running in cross country, through indoor track. All of them are at their own personal records. We did not expect to be so strong in those events.”
The Warriors overwhelmed the Grenadiers, 23-0, in the distance events – the 800, 1600 and 3200 runs and the 3200 relay.
Nicholas Katulka led off the 3200 relay, won the 800 and finished second in the 3200.
Kyle Emsley was part of the 3200 relay win, finished second in the 1600 and was third in the 3200.
Jacob Katulka ran the other leg of the 3200 relay.
The unbeaten regular season has included many strong throwing efforts by Dominic DeLuca and F.J. Braccini, two of the leaders of a contending lacrosse team. When they were unavailable Tuesday because of lacrosse, freshman Blaise Sokach-Minnick stepped in and won both the discus and javelin.
Nasir Condry won the shot put.
Sokach-Minnick was not the only freshman to shine.
Rocco Pizano, the coach’s son, won the triple jump and ran a leg of the 400 relay win. Usama Alansari won the 110 high hurdles while Nico Sciandra won the 300 hurdles, Dustin Reese the 400 and Nick Ross the long jump.
“Our freshmen have stepped up their game completely,” Pizano said. “They’re competing; they’ve bought into everything and they don’t take short cuts.”
The veterans have delivered as well.
Vincenzo Scott-Diluzio won the 200 and ran on the 400 relay win against GAR.
Wyoming Area’s other individual win came from Jacob Busch in the pole vault. Jevani Sancho and Zajquay Williamson ran legs on the 400 relay win.”
“We’re doing things in PR-ing that we kind of knew we had the potential to do,” Pizano said. “But we didn’t know for sure that we were going to get to that level.”
