Abington Heights entered the New Year with a 7-0 record in dual meet competition to go along with a pair of second-place finishes in the team standings in 16- and 26-team tournaments.
Caleb Marzolino was one of four Comets to make it through December undefeated and picked up his 100th career win on the way to the title at the Jim Thorpe Christmas Tournament Dec. 27-28.
Junior Brian Heard is 17-0 and freshman Mason Whitney is 11-0.
Marzolino is 11-0 and Austin Smith 9-0.
No opponent made it past the second period against Marzolino until a meeting of returning state qualifiers in the Jim Thorpe final when Marzolino defeated Brandon Stiehler of Pocono Mountain West, 5-1.
Marzolino had nine pins and a technical fall before the Stiehler bout, which improved his career record to 102-13, including 67 pins. He was 13-1 in the COVID-abbreviated 2020-21 season as a freshman, then went 33-4 as a sophomore. Marzolino was 45-8 last season when he won his second straight District 2 title on the way to placing eighth in the state.
Jim Thorpe Christmas Tournament
Abington Heights won four individual titles and had nine wrestlers place in the top seven in their weight classes in the 26-team field.
The Comets were also second in the Lackawanna League Tournament.
Heard won the 172-pound title with five pins, four of them in the first period, and a technical fall.
Whitney (114), Keith Yusinski (189) and Marzolino (215) were the other champions.
Luke Evans was third at 133, Mark Lynott fourth at 145, Connor Beck sixth at 107, Dillon Yusinski seventh at 145 and Colin Price seventh at 160.
Wallenpaupack won the title with 213½ points, 8½ ahead of Abington Heights.
Abington Heights 53, Scranton 22
Whitney (121), Evans (139), Heard (172), Keith Yusinski (189) and Connor Beck (107) all posted first-period pins as Abington Heights won at Scranton in its Lackawanna League Division 1 opener Dec. 20.
Lynott (145) and Marzolino (215) also had pins while Smith (152) won by technical fall.
Abington Heights 51, Tamaqua 18
Abington Heights won the last four bouts to close out the non-league win over visiting Tamaqua Dec. 6.
Yusinski’s first-period pin at 189 clinched the win. Marzolino, who followed Yusinski, and Whitney, at 121, also posted first-period pins.
Lynott, Dillon Yusinski and Heard also had pins at 145, 152 and 172. Evans won by technical fall at 139 and Beck posted a major decision with a shutout at 107.
Battle of Bethlehem Duals
Abington Heights was the only team in the eight-team field to go 5-0 in the season-opening event Dec. 2 at Bethlehem Freedom.
The Comets defeated St. Joseph’s Prep (57-18), North Penn (45-27), Neshaminy (45-27), Bethlehem Freedom (36-20) and Southern Lehigh (42-26).
Heard won by four first-period pins and a technical fall that he finished in the second period.
Jackson Drake had four pins in 55 seconds or less while going 5-0 at 215.
Whitney and Smith also went 5-0.
Lackawanna Trail recap
Lackawanna Trail won 37-33 at Valley View Dec. 20 in its only dual meet, the Lackawanna League Division 2 opener.
The Lions also were sixth of seven teams in the Battle on the Delaware to open the season and eighth of 14 teams in the Frank Wadas Memorial Tournament Dec. 27-28 at Tunkhannock.
Demetrius Douglas is 7-1, including winning the team’s only title at Tunkhannock and being its only finalist at the Battle on the Delaware. Sophomore Isaac Ryon leads the team in wins at 11-5 and was third in both those events.
The Lions were also eighth at the Lackawanna League Tournament.
Scranton Prep recap
Scranton Prep is 1-0 in Lackawanna League Division 3, but just 2-6 overall.
In the division opener Dec. 20, the Cavaliers defeated Elk Lake, 45-18.
The Cavaliers finished last of nine teams in the Tony Iasiello Christmas City Tournament Dec. 29 at Bethlehem Catholic.
Max Shnipes won the 285-pound title at Bethlehem Catholic after also winning the Lackawanna League Tournament championship. He is 15-0 with 13 pins, 11 in the first period and two in the second, along with two forfeits.