Abington Heights Adam Dickson collects the pin against his Scranton opponent during their Dec. 18, 2024 match.
Buck Norton-Jennings | For Abington Journal
Jason Beck of Abington Heights escapes the grab of his Scranton opponent during their Dec. 18, 2024, match.
Buck Norton-Jennings | For Abington Journal
Abington Heights Frank Scalpi powers over his oponent from Scranton during their match on Dec. 18.
Buck Norton-Jennings | For Abington Journal
Jake Schiavone of Abington Heights calculates his next move during a Dec. 18, 2024, match against Scranton.
Buck Norton-Jennings | For Abington Journal
Abington Heights Tanner Shane grapples for front control during their Dec. 18, 2024, match against Scranton.
Buck Norton-Jennings | For Abington Journal
The Abington Heights wrestling team was on an upswing entering the New Year.
The Comets finished December with a 4-3 record to rank fourth out of 12 teams trying to qualify for the District 2 Class 3A Dual Meet Tournament. They won their last dual of the month, defeating host Scranton 43-19 Dec. 18 in the Lackawanna League Division 1 opener.
Abington Heights then finished the month with the best of its three individual tournament performances, placing third out of 26 in the team standings Dec. 27-28 in the Jim Thorpe Christmas Tournament.
Sophomore Mason Whitney completed the 2024 portion of the season with a 19-0 record.
Brian Heard, the University of Pennsylvania commit who earned a fifth-place state Class 3A medal last season, is 19-1 with a team-high six technical falls. He is tied with Keith Yusinski for second in pins with 11, two behind leader Frank Scalpi.
Lackawanna League Tournament
Whitney and Heard won championships for Abington Heights in the Lackawanna League Wrestling Tournament Dec. 21 at Wallenpaupack, repeating titles with victories over wrestlers from Honesdale.
Whitney claimed the 133-pound title by technical fall over Cole Lamberton, 16-1 in 3:31.
Heard shut out Duke Martin for an 11-0 major decision at 189.
The title was the fourth for Heard, who is 143-22 in his career. He is a three-time District 2 champion.
Heard needed less than two minutes of wrestling to reach the final. He pinned West Scranton’s Nicholas Fuchylo in 37 seconds and North Pocono’s Louis Antidormi in 1:08.
Whitney, who was seventh in the state last season, produced a similar effort. He pinned Elk Lake’s Derek Learn in 1:07 and North Pocono’s Merrick Young in 51 seconds.
Lamberton and Martin were among the six finalists, half of which won individual titles, while leading Honesdale to the team championship 212½-197½ over Wallenpaupack.
Abington Heights finished fifth with 146 points.
The Comets had four wrestlers reach the consolation finals.
Jake Schiavone finished third at 121 pounds with a 7-0 decision over Blue Ridge’s Brice Woodruff.
J.J. Beck (127), Luke Evans (152) and Scalpi (215) took fourth.
Yusinki was fifth for the Comets at 172 and Dickson placed sixth at 145.
Other tournaments
Whitney also won tournament titles in the team’s season opener, the Darren Klingerman Invitational at Central Columbia and in the Jim Thorpe Christmas Tournament.
Heard made the finals of both, taking the title at Jim Thorpe.
The Comets finished with 200 points at Jim Thorpe, behind only Wallenpaupack’s 277 and Hughesville’s 220½.
Whitney started with three pins, the first two in 18 and 15 seconds, then won back-to-back technical falls by 16-0 scores in just 4:31 total wrestling time. He won the 127-pound title by putting away Tamaqua’s Aiden Schlier as the second period ended.
Heard pinned his first three 172-pound opponents in 50 seconds or less, then sandwiched two technical falls around another pin. His longest bout was 3:47 and he needed just 2:13 to post the technical fall of Wallenpaupack’s Gabriel Caulfield in the final.
Jake Schiavone also reached the final, finishing third when he lost a 7-3 decision to Wallenpaupack’s Giovanni Lomonaco at 121.
Luke Evans placed third at 145 when he posted a 10-2 major decision over Hughesville’s Kile Hartman in the consolation final.
J.J. Beck (127), Yusinski (160) and Scalpi (215) all took fifth while Chace Berry (139) was sixth.
Whitney won a Klingerman title at 133 pounds with a 9-3 decision over Bloomsburg’s Anthony Barra. He reached the final with three straight victories by technical fall.
Heard suffered his only loss of the season while taking second at 189 with a championship round loss, by pin, with Tyler Ulrich from Warrior Run in 3:19.
Evans was third at 152 with a 7-1 decision of Carlisle’s Kenny Tran in the consolation final.
Yusinski was sixth at 172 while Beck and Scalpi were eighth at 133 and 215.
The Comets placed sixth out of 24 teams with 137 points. Honesdale scored 174½ to beat out Crestwood by 11 for the title.
The Comets also competed in the Blue Raider Duals at Tamaqua, going 3-3.
