WILKES-BARRE — Three quick singles wins delivered yet another district championship for Abington Heights, which defeated Crestwood, 3-0, in the District 2 Class 3A final June 3 at Kirby Park for its 11th straight title.
Praneel Mallaiah and Domenic Peters each won their singles matches without dropping a single game, while William Arp lost only one game as he clinched the championship with a 6-1, 6-0 win over Crestwood’s Tommy Biscotti.
“We’re a very young team, we have three freshmen who start. … It’s nice for them to compete at the highest level,” Abington Heights coach Art Comstock said. “It never gets old, every team is different, we start with a blank slate at the beginning of every year.”
While Abington Heights was able to cruise through the semifinal match with Valley View, Crestwood went right to the wire in a 3-2 victory over Delaware Valley, the only match of the day not to end in a sweep.
Mallaiah quickly rolled over Sean Rossi 6-0, 6-0.
Wins for Arp and Domenic Peters followed shortly after, and Abington Heights was handed the championship plaque for an 11th straight time.
Brady Comstock-Liam Farrell were up 6-0, 5-0 at No. 1 doubles while Mike Klamp-Dakota Kilansky were ahead 6-1, 4-0 at No. 2 doubles when their singles teammates locked up the win.
Abington Heights reached the final with a 4-0 victory over Valley View.
Peters and Comstock-Farrell won 6-0, 6-0. Mallaiah and Klamp-Kilonsky won 6-1, 6-2. Arp was in front 6-0, 5-1 when the match was stopped.
The Comets followed up an 11-0 Lackawanna League championship season with three district wins, beginning with a 5-0 sweep of West Scranton in a home quarterfinal match May 1.
DISTRICT 2 CLASS 2A
Scranton Prep defeated unbeaten Wyoming Valley Conference champion Wyoming Seminary 3-0 for the District 2 Class 2A title in another match June 3 at Kirby Park.
The semifinals and finals of both tournaments were held that day.
Akhilesh Velaga and Ved Dave, at No. 2 and 3 singles, and David Geyfman-Jackson Keating, at No. 3 doubles, won in straight sets.
Ethan Borick and Matt Cohen-Dylan Tost had leads in the No. 1 matches when the final was halted. Borick was one game from victory. Cohen-Tost had just completed a tiebreaker win in the first set.
Scranton Prep opened the tournament with a 5-0 victory over visiting Tunkhannock June 1, then beat Dallas 3-0 in the semifinals.
Dallas was ahead in both doubles matches, but Borick, Velaga and Dave combined to drop just three games in six sets.
STATE TOURNAMENT
Both District 2 champions were eliminated in the first round of the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association state tournament May 14.
Abington Heights lost to Unionville 5-0 at the Birchwood Tennis and Fitness Center in Class 3A.
Moravian Academy edged Scranton Prep 3-2 at Lehigh University.
The Cavaliers, who had only lost to Abington Heights previously, finished 14-2.
