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Happy birthday Brayden Patrick Nilon!

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First Catholic Slovak Ladies Association awards scholarships

<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8211; Pittston Area cut two touchdown deficits to one on three occasions during Friday night&#8217;s football game against GAR.</p><p>The Grenadiers made sure that after the third rally, the Patriots never got a shot at the tying score.</p><p>GAR ran the final 5:21 off the clock, converting a pair of third-down plays to hold off visiting Pittston Area, 26-19, in a game that was delayed 58 minutes in the first quarter because of lightning.</p><p>Walter Coles connected with Rich Wallace for three touchdown passes and Keemar Woodruff also had a productive game offensively for the Patriots, who fell to 1-4.</p><p>GAR secured its second win with the game-ending drive, getting just enough yardage twice, following a fourth-down touchdown pass from Coles to Wallace.</p><p>The Grenadiers used Mike Drozda&#8217;s run up the middle to convert third-and-three with little to spare on the first series. Then, Tashawn Qualls threw over the middle on third-and-11 and found Anthony Hoopingarner for 12 yards.</p><p>Coles, Wallace and Woodruff all went over 100 yards for the night.</p><p>Along with the three touchdowns, Coles finished 10-for-22 for 181 yards. Wallace caught four passes for 102 yards. Woodruff carried 16 times for 117 yards, including 84 in the first half.</p><p>Even though it started a few minutes before the scheduled 7 p.m. kickoff, the game did not end until 10:35. The teams warmed up before the game, after the lightning delay, then again before and after the second-half kickoff.</p><p>GAR&#8217;s Gerson Peralta suffered a serious leg injury on the kickoff and needed to be taken off the field on a stretcher, leading to a second delay of almost 20 minutes.</p><p>The Grenadiers opened a 12-0 lead in the first quarter by scoring on consecutive offensive plays. They used Peralta&#8217;s 32-yard kickoff return to score on the opening possession of the third quarter for a 20-6 lead. Then, they converted a partially blocked punt into Josh Goodwin&#8217;s second touchdown run on the next play to make it 20-12 late in the third quarter.</p><p>Pittston Area put together a response each time.</p><p>Following Goodwin&#8217;s 64-yard run for GAR&#8217;s second touchdown, Woodruff broke off a 28-yard run on the first play.</p><p>Counting the timeout it had already taken, Pittston Area had more than an hour to come up with a solution for a fourth-and-11 situation. On the first play following the lightning delay and the last play of the first quarter, Coles hit Kevin Krawczyk for 12 yards to keep the drive alive.</p><p>Coles took a hit that knocked his helmet off in order to deliver a pass to Wallace for the touchdown on third-and-goal from the 9 with 10:41 left in the half.</p><p>Each team scored on the first possession of the second half.</p><p>Coles sent a short second-and-23 pass out to Wallace near the right sideline. Wallace immediately split two defenders and was off on a footrace in which two Grenadiers came close, but neither was able to catch him on the 76-yard touchdown.</p><p>Unlike the first two rallies, Pittston Area needed two possessions to respond after Anthony Blake partially blocked a punt from the end zone to set up Goodwin&#8217;s touchdown.</p><p>The Patriots covered 61 yards in 11 plays, converting two fourth downs and a third down. Woodruff&#8217;s 33-yard run on fourth-and-three helped set up the 8-yard touchdown pass.</p><p>That, however, was the last time Pittston Area&#8217;s offense touched the ball.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Pittston Area&#8217;s Matt Mulea crashes through the banner onto the field as the Patriots take on GAR Friday night. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/web1_TTL092416fb-pittgar1-2.jpg</photo0><caption0>Pittston Area&#8217;s Matt Mulea crashes through the banner onto the field as the Patriots take on GAR Friday night. </caption0><photoCredit0>Aimee Dilger | Sunday Dispatch </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/web1_TTL092416fb-pittgar3-2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Pittston Area&#8217;s Keemar Woodruff runs the ball. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/web1_TTL092416fb-pittgar3-2.jpg</photo1><caption1>Pittston Area&#8217;s Keemar Woodruff runs the ball. </caption1><photoCredit1>Aimee Dilger | Sunday Dispatch </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/web1_TTL092416fb-pittgar4-2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Pittston Area&#8217;s Jeremy Shaughnessy avoids the tackle. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/web1_TTL092416fb-pittgar4-2.jpg</photo2><caption2>Pittston Area&#8217;s Jeremy Shaughnessy avoids the tackle. </caption2><photoCredit2>Aimee Dilger | Sunday Dispatch </photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/web1_TTL092416fb-pittgar5-2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Pittston Area quarterback Walter Coles tries to make the pass. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/web1_TTL092416fb-pittgar5-2.jpg</photo3><caption3>Pittston Area quarterback Walter Coles tries to make the pass. </caption3><photoCredit3>Aimee Dilger | Sunday Dispatch </photoCredit3></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/web1_TTL092416fb-pittgar6-2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Pittston Area&#8217;s Keemar Woodruff runs the ball. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo4>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/web1_TTL092416fb-pittgar6-2.jpg</photo4><caption4>Pittston Area&#8217;s Keemar Woodruff runs the ball. </caption4><photoCredit4>Aimee Dilger | Sunday Dispatch </photoCredit4></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/web1_TTL092416fb-pittgar7-2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Pittston Area&#8217;s Walter Coles tries to make the pass. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo5>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/web1_TTL092416fb-pittgar7-2.jpg</photo5><caption5>Pittston Area&#8217;s Walter Coles tries to make the pass. </caption5><photoCredit5>Aimee Dilger | Sunday Dispatch </photoCredit5></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/web1_TTL092416fb-pittgar8-2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Pittston Area fans play with a beach ball before the rain and lightning hit Friday night. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo6>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/web1_TTL092416fb-pittgar8-2.jpg</photo6><caption6>Pittston Area fans play with a beach ball before the rain and lightning hit Friday night. </caption6><photoCredit6>Aimee Dilger | Sunday Dispatch </photoCredit6></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Tom Robinson</p><p>For Sunday Dispatch</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach the Sunday Dispatch newsroom at 570-655-1418 or by email at sd@psdispatch.com.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

H.S. football: Pittston Area’s rally falls short in loss to GAR