DISTRICT 2 DUAL MEET WRESTLING: Abington Heights pounds Pittston Area for title

CLARKS SUMMIT — First-period pins by Dakota Sandy and Ayden Kane were more dominant.

The same could be said for the technical falls put up by Mason Whitney and Jack Kotchick or even the major decision by Chace Berry.

The one- and two-point decisions produced by Lucas Kareha and Lucas Drake, however, may have had more to do with the fact that Abington Heights was barely challenged by Pittston Area during a 44-21 victory Saturday in the District 2 Class 3A Dual Meet championship match.

Abington Heights won the title as the eight-team tournament’s third seed, defeating a fifth-seeded Pittston Area team that had reached the final by upsetting a pair of Wyoming Valley Conference opponents it lost to during the regular season.

There were no more upsets in line Saturday, unless you count the individual victories by freshmen Kareha and Drake over opponents who entered the match with combined records of 67-9.

Pittston Area knew it had its usual advantage in the two heaviest weights to end the match and the Patriots had a chance to build an early lead.

The Patriots received a forfeit at 107 and bumped up David Krantz, the son of coach Dave Krantz, to try to add to the lead at 114.

Instead, Kareha (16-14) used escapes late in the second period and again in the third period to defeat Krantz (31-6) in a 5-3 decision.

“We knew if we got the toss of the coin, which we did, that that was going to make us a lot more comfortable than if we hadn’t,” Abington Heights coach Greg Theony said. “What really started us off was a match that we didn’t have us (projected) winning.

“Lucas Kareha wrestled really tough and pulled out a victory in that first match.”

Sandy’s 38-second pin at 121 put the Comets ahead to stay.

Abington Heights won six straight bouts from 139 to 189 to extend a three-point lead to 44-12 and clinch the victory early. That stretch included a first-period pin, two second-period technical falls, a major decision and a victory in the day’s tightest bout.

Drake (32-10) then avenged a loss to Ethan Aftewicz in the fifth-place match a week earlier in the Coal Cracker Invitational in Lehighton.

Technically, the deciding point of Drake’s 3-2 victory at 152 was the result of a penalty on Aftewicz with 16 seconds left in the ultimate tiebreaker after three overtime periods left the two deadlocked.

In reality, Drake earned the deciding point. After extending the match on an escape in the third overtime, he was about to break free again. The only way for Aftewicz to hang on was a desperate move that involved an illegal locking of his hands.

“It was a forced mistake because Lucas put him in that position to have to do that,” Theony said. “He knew he couldn’t let him go.”

Wins by Whitney, Berry and Drake were followed by a forfeit and Kotchick’s clinching 22-6 technical fall over Johanzel Mendez that was completed at the second-period buzzer.

Kane followed with an exclamation point, a 14-second pin before the Patriots took the final two bouts.

Abington Heights 35, Wallenpaupack 31

Abington Heights reached the final three days earlier with two victories, the second of which was over Wallenpaupack, the tournament’s second seed, in the semifinals.

The Comets opened leads of 14-0 and 23-4, then forfeited the final two bouts after building an insurmountable, 35-19 lead.

Sandy and Drake had first-period pins at 121 and 152. Frank Scialpi won by injury default at 215, Kareha won a technical fall at 114 and Brady Full and Berry pulled out close decisions at 127 and 145.

Abington Heights 45, Delaware Valley 23

Abington Heights opened the tournament in the quarterfinals against Delaware Valley at Wallenpaupack.

Full (127), Whitney (133), Kotchick (160), Joseph Scialpi (172) and Frank Scialpi (215) had the pins. Frank Scialpi won in 50 seconds. Sandy (121), Berry (145) and Drake (152) all won technical falls.