Pittston Area quarterback Drew DeLucca (3) threw for a pair of touchdowns on Friday. Harry Pugliese (6) rushed for 79 yards.
Tony Callaio | For Sunday Dispatch
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Pittston Area pass rushers Dave Sudo (34) and John Barchi-Crich (40) put pressure on Spartans quarterback Lucas Zdancewicz (15).
Tony Callaio | For Sunday Dispatch
Pittston Area’s Kevin Lockett (2) hauls in a 31-yard touchdown from Drew DeLucca to open the scoring against Wyoming Valley West on Friday.
Tony Callaio | For Sunday Dispatch
Pittston Area’s Drew Menendez scores on a 7-yard pass from Drew DeLucca the third quarter. It was the Patriots’ first second-half score of the season and lifted the team to the win.
Tony Callaio | For Sunday Dispatch
Junior Robby Barbieri (4) hauls in a pass in the flat as Wyoming Valley West defender Erick Munoz (3) moves in for the tackle.
Tony Callaio | For Sunday Dispatch
YATESVILLE — Pittston Area took a lead into the halftime break for the second straight week.
This time, though, the Patriots would not only score in the second half, but their defense would maintain its dominance in a 22-0 shutout of Wyoming Valley West in a non-league football game between Wyoming Valley Conference members.
“For us, it was huge,” said Pittston Area coach Nick Barberi, whose team entered the game getting outscored 54-0 in the second half. “That’s been our problem the first two games, not coming out of the second half.”
Last week, Pittston Area (1-2) came into the third quarter with a 12-0 advantage over Williamsport, but quickly saw it erased as the Millionaires scored 29 unanswered points for the victory. The week prior, after trailing Hazleton Area by one score, the Patriots were outscored 25-0 in the second half.
On Friday, it only took the Patriots six plays to end their second-half woes when Drew DeLucca found Drew Menendez on a screen pass for a 7-yard touchdown.
“When we come out and put a drive together and put a score in the first drive of the second half, that’s huge for us,” Barberi said. “If we can continue to do that, I like our chances.”
The Patriots kept the pressure on the Spartans (0-3), forcing their second turnover of the game as Wyoming Valley West approached the Red Zone. Pittston Area could not add to its total as a holding penalty caused the ensuing drive to stall near midfield.
Pittston Area’s defense would come through again, forcing Wyoming Valley West into another three-and-out possession and allowing the offense to take over with excellent field position inside the Spartans’ 35.
With another six-play possession, the Patriots found their way to the end zone again with Dave Sudo punching the ball in from the 2-yard line.
After starting the season at tight end, Sudo was moved to his more natural position in the backfield and helped his team to the win with 86 rushing yards, a pass reception and a two-point conversion.
“Him in the backfield gives us another dimension,” Barbieri said.
The contest began as a defensive struggle with both teams only able to move the chains one time.
As the game headed into the second quarter, the Spartans began threatening in Patriots territory, but Pittston Area’s stalwart defense pushed Isaiah Cobb back on a fourth-and-2 run.
Sudo was quick to reverse the field for his team, rushing for 22 yards on the Patriots’ first four plays of the next drive. And DeLucca would find his rhythm, completing five passes in the quarter, leading to a 31-yard touchdown to Kevin Lockett for the game’s opening score.
Wyoming Valley West’s offense came up short afterward, failing to secure a first down and punting the ball back.
Two plays later, DeLucca found Lockett for a 37-yard pass to put the Patriots deep into Spartans territory.
With halftime approaching, Pittston Area moved the ball to the Wyoming Valley West 21, but three consecutive penalties pushed the Patriots back to the 49, keeping the score at 8-0 heading into the locker room.
BY THE NUMBERS
Drew Menendez intercepted two passes to lead a Pittston Area defense that limited Wyoming Valley West to 110 total yards. … Pittston Area gained 327 yards and had a 15-5 advantage in first downs. … The Patriots overcame nine penalties for 115 yards. … Pittston Ara’s Harry Pugliese was the game’s second-leading rusher with 79 yards on 17 carries. … Drew DeLucca finished 11-for-16 for 130 yards and two passing touchdowns for Pittston Area. … Robby Barbieri had a game-high six catches for 42 yards while Kevin Lockett led in receiving yards with 68 on his two catches.
UP NEXT
Pittston Area (1-2) plays its first game in the newly aligned Wyoming Valley Conference Division 2 when it heads to Hanover Area Friday night. The Hawkeyes are also 1-2 overall, including 0-1 in the division with a 49-14 loss to Tunkhannock. They lost again Friday night, 14-12, at Carbondale. The team’s win was in the opener when it rallied from two touchdowns down to beat Holy Cross, 35-28, on three straight Aidan Shamaski touchdown runs. Christian Torres hit Sean Dooner with passes for both touchdowns against Carbondale, giving Torres six for the season, four of them to Dooner, who is also the team’s leading receiver overall.