Hazleton’s Jude Salko gets caught in a cradle applied by Abington Heights’ Mason Whitney in the 133-pound AAA championship bout.
Fred Adams | For Times Leader
Hazleton’s Gabe Benyo reverses Abington Heights’ Dakota Sandy in the AAA 114-pound championship bout.
Fred Adams | For Times Leader
Abington Heights claimed a pair of individual titles and finished second in the team standings in Class 3A Feb. 20 and 21 in the District 2 Individual Wrestling Championships at Wilkes-Barre Area High School.
Brady Full and Mason Whitney captured gold medals with technical falls in consecutive finals at 127 and 133 pounds.
The Comets had five finalists and six wrestlers who advanced to Northeast Regionals in Bethlehem by finishing in the top three in their weight classes.
Full stopped Ayden Blaut of Wallenpaupack 17-1 in 5:52.
Whitney defeated Jude Salko from Hazleton Area 18-1 in 4:58.
Dakota Sandy, at 114, and Lucas Drake, at 152, each came up one point short in the finals, while Chace Berry also took second at 145.
Frank Scialpi was third at 215, and three more Comets finished in the top six in their weight classes.
Wallenpaupack finished on top of the 12-team field with 186 points.
Abington Heights beat out Hazleton Area 178-175 for second place.
Full won his title with two first-period pins and two technical falls. He beat Wyoming Valley West’s Najair Gainey in 24 seconds and Crestwood’s Chase Lent in 1:08 before beating Pittston Area’s Tibor Toth 15-0 in 2:37.
Whitney had a bye into the quarterfinals, where he pinned Scranton’s Zems Thapa-Magar in 42 seconds. He defeated Pittston Area’s Jahiem Butler by technical fall 17-1 in 2:26 of the semifinals.
Sandy lost to Hazleton Area’s Gabe Benyo 3-2. He had needed just 4:35 to outscore two opponents 34-4 and post technical falls in the quarterfinals and semifinals.
Pittston Area’s Ethan Aftewicz defeated Drake 2-1 on a penalty point for stalling with 34 seconds left. Drake made it to the final with pins in 33 seconds and 1:30, then an 18-3 technical fall over Hazleton Area’s Logan Pop in 4:15.
Crestwood’s Micah Engelman defeated Berry 15-0 in 3:27 of the 145 final. Berry made it to the final with a first-period pin and major decision.
Scialpi pinned North Pocono’s Joshua Magnotta in 1:52 for third place.
Braghan Pallis lost a decision in the consolation final and took fourth at 139.
Dane Wheeler pinned Wyoming Valley West’s Jacob Mahoney in 4:38 to take fifth place at 285.
Coen Holland was sixth at 172.
