Kaleb Pagnotti, Scranton Prep (SUBMITTED)
After a heavy dose of adversity early in the season and some frustrations late, overcoming a deficit in the state playoffs never phased the players at Scranton Prep.
Kaleb Pagnotti and his teammates, relying on their past successes and experience in important games, turned in an overwhelming defensive performance in the second half against District 4 champion Mifflinburg.
Their efforts resulted in a comeback win that vaulted the Cavaliers to the PIAA Class 3A quarterfinals for a third consecutive season. Scranton Prep (8-5) plays District 11 champion Northwestern Lehigh (13-0), a nemesis, at Northern Lehigh’s Bulldog Stadium on Friday at 7 p.m.
“Starting this season, things weren’t going how we wanted them to or how we were used to them going,” Pagnotti said. “Losing was something that nobody on this team really experienced that much. We focused on keeping everybody focused on the goals and doing what we needed to do to achieve them.”
Pagnotti, a 6-foot-1, 215-pound guard and linebacker, developed into a leader, especially during the rough first three weeks of the season.
While the Cavaliers stayed patient awaiting the return of all-stater Will McPartland, who was still recovering from a torn ACL suffered in last season’s PIAA loss to Northwestern Lehigh, they were also building chemistry with the newcomers, especially along the offensive and defensive lines, where three All-Region players graduated.
As a captain, Pagnotti stepped to the forefront.
Scranton Prep lost a close battle with rival Valley View in Week 1. Then, dropped back-to-back games against nonconference opponents — Loyola Blakefield from Maryland, and Canisius from Buffalo, New York — to fall to 0-3.
Things finally began to turn around in Week 4.
Early in the third quarter, Scranton Prep fell behind Delaware Valley, 31-7, and was in danger of falling to 0-4. Something clicked, and the Cavaliers recovered for a wild 49-44 win.
That lit a spark, and it strengthened in wins over Scranton and Wallenpaupack. However, the Cavaliers stumbled in a 17-15 loss to Abington Heights in Week 7, followed by wins over Mid Valley and Jersey Shore, before losing in Week 10 against North Pocono, the Division I and eventual District 2 Class 4A champion.
“We lost some games early, then got back on track, and then we lost a few at the end,” Pagnotti said. “The losses late reminded everybody that we had to put the losses behind us, and we weren’t going to get down. We felt that we could compete with anybody that we played. We made some mental mistakes and errors that we continue to work on correcting, but most importantly, we stayed together.”
Once Scranton Prep shifted the focus to the postseason, the athletes in the trenches took over and paved the way to the District 2 Class 3A championship.
The Cavaliers shut out No. 2-seeded Wyoming Area, 42-0, in the semifinals. Pagnotti and the defense limited the Warriors to 178 total yards, with a lot of that being compiled after the outcome had been determined.
Scranton Prep dominated top-seeded and previously undefeated Berwick, 42-0, in the district final. The Cavaliers contained Berwick’s dynamic running back Ty’Meere Wilkerson, holding him to almost 100 yards below his season per game average of 246 yards.
On offense, the Cavaliers ran for 145 yards and McPartland threw for 227 in an impressive victory.
From there, it was on to states.
In last week’s first round, Mifflinburg built a quick 14-0 lead after the first quarter, and held a 21-14 advantage at halftime. Scranton Prep buckled down and shut down the offense and finished the game, giving up 24 yards on 17 rushes in a 28-21 win.
“For us, the postseason was when we knew it was time to be a dominant offensive line and for our defense to shut down the running back from Berwick,” Pagnotti said. “Taking control of the line of scrimmage and dominating on defense can win you any football game.”
Pagnotti is a force on both sides of the ball. He credits his commitment to the weight room and spending hours watching film for his success. He’s helped Scranton Prep rush for 2,708 yards and average 6.2 yards per carry this season. He is also the team’s leader with 90 tackles with nine for loss and 3.5 sacks.
“I spent a lot of time watching film, because I feel like the more prepared you are the better you play,” Pagnotti said. “I worked hard on my techniques and my assignments.”
Scranton Prep’s veteran players are familiar with Northwestern Lehigh. The Tigers are the defending PIAA Class 3A champions and eliminated Scranton Prep in each of the last two postseasons with a 27-6 win in 2023 and a 34-0 win last season.
This season’s team is averaging 432.5 total yards per game, which includes 253 yards rushing. The defense yields 105.7 yards rushing per game and had shutouts against Lehighton, Pottsville and Palmerton in the regular season.
Last week, Northwestern Lehigh defeated Notre Dame Green Pond, 35-13.
Returning starter Shane Leh has 2,096 yards passing and 23 touchdowns. Running back Braxton Lakatosh has 1,184 yards rushing and 13 touchdowns and wide receivers Mason Bollinger and Michael Lagowy each have 35 receptions.
“We know they have a lot of good guys returning from last year’s team,” Pagnotti said. “They are going to be a challenge. They play that 3-3-stack defense and send a lot of pressure. We are going to have to do a good job of picking up their blitzes and focus on our techniques on offense to move the ball and score some points.”
PIAA CLASS 3A QUARTERFINAL
11-1 Northwestern Lehigh (13-0) vs. 2-1 Scranton Prep (8-5)
When: Friday, 7 p.m.
Where: Berwick’s Crispin Field.