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On Friday, Cilento took the reins off the Warriors' passing game in a 33-13 victory at Springbrook.
On a night when the Blue Devils defense limited star running back Cyrus Britt to just 50 yards, Pignone (13 of 19, 212 yards, 3 touchdowns) had the best game of his young tenure.
"I've been asking coach to give me a little faith, and he finally did," said Pignone, who found six different receivers. "We are pretty much an 80-percent run team. We can usually do it with Cyrus and our line. But tonight we felt we could take advantage of some of their cover stuff."
The win clinched both a 4A West Region playoff berth and the Montgomery 4A East Division title for the Warriors.
Added Cilento: "A.J. came through in a big way. They have a great defensive coordinator over there in John Haberman, so we figured they would stop our run game. We really worked hard this week spreading everybody out and just reading the open guy."
The Warriors (8-1 overall, 5-0 4A East) set the tone on the opening drive of the game. They marched 65 yards on 11 plays in 6 minutes, 46 seconds, capped by a 27-yard strike from Pignone to Danny Hunt on fourth-and-13.
Following a 24-yard field goal by Andy Estrain in the second quarter, Pignone connected with Alex Denman for a 60-yard catch-and-run down the left sideline. Estrain also added a 21-yard field goal as the clock hit zero in the second quarter.
Britt found pay dirt from 2 yards out with 6:31 remaining in the third, and Pignone put the finishing touches on his night with a 21-yard scoring pass to Alex Cole midway through the fourth.
"My receivers stepped up," Pignone said. "Denman, Danny Hunt and Alex Cole all found open spots in their zone."
Senior wide receiver Mitchell Pollard accounted for both Blue Devils (6-3, 3-1) scores: 10- and 48-yard touchdown receptions from quarterback Eric Freniere.
With the victory, the Warriors remain in the mix for the No. 1 seed and home-field advantage throughout the regional playoffs. They face undefeated Quince Orchard next week.
Meanwhile, Springbrook's playoff chances come down to a titanic Northeast Consortium matchup with Paint Branch next week.
"We were really concerned about the run and we wanted them to beat us with the throw," Blue Devils head coach Rob Wendel said. "That's exactly what they did and they killed us. ... They made us coaches look silly.