District gold and state silver were the primary colors for the best of the Abington Heights athletic teams and individuals in 2023.
The Comets finished second in the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association in Class 3A girls cross country and Class 3A girls soccer in historic fashion and got a second-place finish in Class 3A wrestling from 107-pounder Luke Sirianni.
Lackawanna Trail also had a state runner-up team in Class A field hockey while Scranton Prep, where Abington-area athletes figure into many of the teams, won a state team title in girls tennis to go along with its many other successes.
Abington Heights winter sports teams entered 2024 looking to continue the athletic programs recent run of success. Comets teams were a combined 7-0 in league competition and 28-2-1 in December to start the winter sports season.
The program’s teams and individuals shined from beginning to end – on the league, district and state levels – in 2023.
Abington Heights had unbeaten championship seasons in the Lackawanna League in Division 1 wrestling, boys tennis, Division 1 girls track and field, Division 1 boys golf, girls cross country and Division 1 girls soccer. The Comets also were unbeaten as champions of Wyoming Valley Conference Division 2 field hockey.
The Comets also won the Lackawanna Division 1 boys soccer title.
Abington Heights won District 2 team titles in Class 3A wrestling, Class 5A boys basketball, Class 5A softball, Class 3A girls track and field, Class 3A boys team tennis, Class 3A boys golf, Class 3A girls team tennis, Class 3A girls cross country, Class 4A boys soccer and Class 3A girls soccer.
The Comets won Class 3A district doubles in boys competition in the spring with Praneel Mallaiah and Luke Morgan and girls play in the fall with Sona Hanumali and Mary Booth.
Maggie Coleman, Kaylyn Elliott, Emma Horsley and Marygrace Sabatini won the 1600-meter relay in district track.
Individual district champions included Ethan Horutz in Class 3A diving, Alec Hamilton in Class 3A boys golf, Emma Horsley in Class 3A girls cross country, Madison Zalewski in the javelin in Class 3A track and field; Sirianni, Austin Smith, Brian Heard and Caleb Marzolino in Class 3A wrestling.
The second-place finish by the Abington Heights girls cross country team as the first in Class 3A girls on the state level by a District 2 team.
Abington Heights took a perfect record into the first state championship game appearance by a Lackawanna League girls soccer team.
Sirianni was second and teammate Marzolino, at 189 pounds, eighth in state Class 3A wrestling.
Abington Heights also tied for third in the state in Class 5A softball as a semifinal loser, finished fifth in Class 3A boys team golf and was in the top eight in boys basketball as a Class 5A quarterfinalist.
Zalewski finished sixth in the state in the Class 3A girls javelin just months after trying the event for the first time.
Lackawanna Trail
Lackawanna Trail won Lackawanna Football Conference Division 3, District 2 Class A and District 1-2 Class A Subregional titles.
The school’s wrestling team won the Lackawanna Division 2 title.
Lackawanna Trail won District 2 Class A field hockey on the way to the state runner-up appearance.
The football team made the quarterfinals as one of the top eight Class A teams in the state.
Deegan Ross, a Northeast Regional champion, finished third in the state in Class 2A wrestling at 160 pounds while teammate Max Bluhm was fourth at 152.
Gavin June finished seventh in Class 2A boys golf.
Scranton Prep
Scranton Prep was unbeaten champion of Lackawanna League girls tennis and girls swimming, Lackawanna Division 2 boys golf and Lackawanna Division 1 girls basketball.
The Cavaliers and Classics won district titles in Class 2A boys cross country, Class 4A boys basketball, Class 4A girls basketball, Class 3A football, Class 2A boys soccer, Class 2A girls tennis and Class 2A boys tennis.
In addition to the school’s state title in girls team tennis, Scranton Prep was third in the state in Class 3A boys golf.
The Cavaliers were in the top eight as a state quarterfinalist in Class 3A football.
