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PA couldn’t convert key plays on offense, but its defense stood out against Tigers.
Pittston Area receiver Ryan Nalaschi catches a pass from quarterback Jim Castellino, and after fumbling at the 2-yard line, he recovered the ball in the end zone for a touchdown on Friday in a season-opening victory against Tunkhannock.
Don Carey/the times leader
YATESVILLE – Even a touchdown had a glitch attached Friday night.
It was that kind of game for Pittston Area despite shutting out Tunkhannock 13-0 in the Wyoming Valley Conference Division 3A football opener for both teams.
“I told them, ‘You’ve got to win ugly once in a while,’” Pittston Area coach Tony Donato said.
First the good.
Pittston Area’s defense limited Tunkhannock to 76 total yards and three first downs in posting only its second shutout since the 2003 season. The Tigers failed to cross midfield and Pittston Area’s Mike Capone and Dwight Houseman intercepted passes.
That type of performance is usually reserved for blowout situations.
Not so Friday as Pittston Area’s offense couldn’t convert on several opportunities.
“You get down there on the 5, you get a holding penalty,” Donato said. “Then you come back and get a block in the back. It’s tough, tough to make that up.”
Pittston Area made up for one error in the red zone to score its first touchdown at 8:27 of the first quarter.
Receiver Ryan Nalaschi caught a pass inside Tunkhannock’s 10-yard line, but fumbled at the 2 and the ball bounced in the end zone. Somehow, Nalaschi managed to recover the fumble in a pile of Tunkhannock players.
After that, Pittston Area moved the ball, using part of tailback Chris Price’s 161-yard performance to do so, but squandered chance after chance.
The Patriots were at the Tunkhannock 4 on their next possession, but pushed back to the 17 due to a holding penalty and missed a 29-yard field goal. They failed to convert a fourth-and-goal late midway through the second quarter, and Tunkhannock’s Kyle Custer intercepted a pass at the 1 to end another scoring threat and the first half.
Tunkhannock’s Steve Harris picked off another pass, this one at the Tigers 5, to stop the Patriots early in the fourth quarter.
“We blocked them well,” Donato said. “You go 20 to 20 (yard line), then when you get inside the 10 or 20 we have a problem.”
The drives, though, kept the ball away from Tunkhannock.
Not that it mattered too much because when the Tigers had the ball they simply couldn’t move it. They made their initial first down with 5:36 left in the first half on Mike Thomas’ 25-yard run, their longest play from scrimmage.
“It’s what I expected,” Tunkhannock coach Frank Berardelli said. “We’re so young. We started a freshman at tackle. We have sophomores and juniors all over the place. The two seniors playing up front never played a down of varsity in their life. We’ve struggled all preseason offensively with how young we are and the kids playing up front except for Owen (Houser) have no experience.”
Yet Tunkhannock was a touchdown behind late in the fourth quarter until Houseman set up a second Pittston Area score. The senior linebacker cut in front of a pass on the sideline and returned the interception 30 yards to the Tunkhannock 11.
Two plays later, quarterback Jim Castellino ran in from 5 yards out with 2:43 to play.