Donato Stepney and Billy Maloney each accounted for three touchdowns Nov. 4 when Scranton avenged a regular-season upset loss at Abington Heights by ending the Comets’ season with a 42-7 rout in the District 2 Class 5A football semifinals at Scranton Memorial Stadium.
Stepney scored three touchdowns while Maloney passed for three to lead the top-seeded Knights, who lost to Delaware Valley in the championship game a week later.
Abington Heights had won the regular-season meeting, 14-13.
The second meeting was close until late in the third quarter.
Stepney blocked a punt, scooped it up and ran it in from the 15 to add to a 14-7 lead.
Another return accounted for the next score. Dohnavin Laybourn-Boddie returned a fumble 14 yards in the first minute of the fourth quarter.
Lamaire Saldano ran 81 yards for the final touchdown.
Maloney found Stepney for touchdown passes in the first and fourth quarters. He also hit Noah Ardestani for a 34-yard touchdown and 14-0 lead in the second quarter.
The Comets cut the lead in half before halftime on a 40-yard, Shawn Theodoro-to-Mason Fedor touchdown pass.
Theodore finished 16-for-27 for 177 yards.
Abington Heights outgained Scranton, 209-109, through the air, but that was not nearly enough to offset Scranton rushing for 320 yards while holding Abington Heights to minus-40, with the help of sacks. Jacob Martinez had four sacks for the Knights.
Maloney went 5-for-8 for 109 yards while joining Saldano and Laybourne-Boddie in each rushing for at least 79 yards.
Nico Bossi led the Abington Heights defense with five tackles and four assists. Austin Boersma had four tackles and four assists.
