YATESVILLE – It will be a long time before those in and around the Pittston Area football program can forget the 25-point lead that got away earlier this month on the road.
While Tunkhannock’s four fourth-quarter touchdowns stand out to others, one of the requirements of coaches is to notice all the fine points.
Pittston Area’s Nick Barbieri is quick to recall that the Patriots lost on a night when they scored as many touchdowns as their opponent, but failed when it came to executing extra points.
Friday night, the Patriots put together their own comeback, but it only succeeded because they became the more efficient team on kicks, using clutch fourth-quarter, special-team performances by Andrew Krawczyk, P.J. Pisano and Matt Soy to pull out a 28-27 victory over visiting West Scranton at Charley Trippi Stadium.
“Bad snaps cost us in the Tunkhannock game,” Barbieri said. “We had three missed extra points. That was the difference in that (35-32) game.”
Krawczyk broke through to block an extra point after West Scranton regained the lead early in the fourth quarter. That point grew in significance when Pittston Area scored with 4:56 left and Pisano made a tough catch and placement of the ball for Soy’s winning kick.
“Huge,” Barbieri said of Pisano’s work as holder. “That snap was behind him. … He made a great play on that snap and that’s the difference in 28-27; that and Andrew coming through and making the block.
“(Krawczyk) makes big plays all the time.”
Krawczyk saw an opening and went for it with the Invaders trying to add to a 27-21 lead.
“He just realized he could get through that gap,” Barbieri said. “So, he kind of went outside, then came through the gap inside to make the block.
“It was a big play at that time. It gave us a chance to go down and win the game.”
Mike Nocito made sure the chance was not wasted.
The senior quarterback was 15-for-28 for 240 yards and two touchdowns passing to help bring the Patriots back from a pair of 14-point deficits. But it was his 13-yard touchdown run on third-and-seven that combined with Soy’s kick to complete the comeback.
“We were supposed to run two routes with Andrew on the outside and Brennan (Higgins),” Nocito said. “Both D-backs turned their backs, so I knew I had a straightaway.
“I could just go.”
Nocito left the pocket and won a close race to the right flag, just getting into the end zone.
“I knew I had to get there,” Nocito said. “I just saw that green and I knew I had to score. I had to go for it. I was not stopping.
“Nothing less than a touchdown there.”
After landing, Nocito had to find the official for confirmation.
“I was looking to make sure,” Nocito said. “I thought I had it, but I just watched him to make sure I got it.”
Nocito’s scramble completed the third straight scoring drive to begin the second half after the Patriots managed just two first downs the entire first half.
“We had opportunities in the first half, but we overthrew some things and we dropped some balls,” Barbieri said. “We had a feeling that if we could connect on those, we could move the ball.
“We had a feeling what we could do.”
There were times in the first half when it felt like West Scranton was going to pull away in the non-league game between District 2 Class 4A teams that both came in with 1-4 records.
The Invaders got Kevin Williams touchdown runs of 20 and 37 yards for a 14-0 lead in the first 8:18 and ended the first quarter at the Patriots 21.
While still in front 14-0 on a later possession, the Invaders fumbled from inside the 1 on a 15-yard pass play and the Patriots recovered in the end zone.
Three plays later, Krawczyk ran by a defender while the ball was in the air and raced away with an 81-yard touchdown pass.
West Scranton answered with a 10-play, 65-yard scoring drive for a 21-7 halftime lead on a 6-yard pass from Cayden Merrifield to Ryan Bianco.
Pittston Area came up with one key play after another in the second half. The Patriots went 5-for-6 converting third downs in the first three drives of the half and made the fourth-and-five on the only time they failed on third down.
Nocito passed 3 yards to Higgins and Dylan Lukachko ran 9 yards for touchdowns in the third quarter, sending the game to the final 12 minutes tied.
