YATESVILLE – Pittston Area forced a break on the opening kickoff, but all that fumble recovery did was give the Berwick defense its first chance to demonstrate the level of its dominance.
The Bulldogs held the Patriots to a field goal attempt and were never threatened again on the way to a 46-0 romp Friday night in a Wyoming Valley Conference Class 4A Division football game at Charlie Trippi Stadium.
Bryheem Patterson and D.J. Darbenzio made the tackle on the kickoff and Ed Murdock recovered the resulting fumble on the Berwick 20.
“We came out and made a big play on the kickoff,” Pittston Area coach Nick Barbieri said. “We had a chance to get up early.”
Two incomplete passes, both under heavy pressure, were sandwiched around a three-yard run and a 34-yard field goal hooked just left.
Less than a minute into the game, Berwick already had the ball back, working on the first of five straight scoring drives that produced a 33-0 halftime lead.
“We did nothing with it,” Barbieri said. “That’s been two weeks in a row when we get in the Red Zone and we can’t do anything with it.
“It’s going to haunt us if we don’t get that fixed.”
Berwick’s defense never allowed a Pittston Area run of more than seven yards. The Patriots did manage 11 pass completions, but the quarterbacks faced constant pressure from the Bulldogs linemen and linebackers.
“Look at them,” Barbieri said. “Their skill kids are bigger than our linemen … and they’re mighty fast. Then, you put (East Carolina recruit) Teagan Wilk in the middle of that and he’s cleaning up whatever gets past.”
Ryan Laubach passed for 146 yards and two touchdowns while running for another score to lead the Berwick offense. He also had two sacks, two other tackles and a pass rush on defense.
Aiden Mason ran for 134 yards and a touchdown.
Pittston Area was led by Mike Nocito, who went 10-for-21 for 144 yards passing.
Brennan Higgins had six tackles, including a forced fumble, and three assists. Alex Hoban made seven tackles and assisted on another.
