Gavin Corwin, of Abington Heights, smokes the ball past Mario Batista, of Hazleton Area.
Abington Heights Billy Johnson gets his hands up to block the tap by Hazleton’s Gian Rodriguez.
Comets Nolan Moore zips the ball past Hazleton Area defenders Jose Saladin and Tyler Vargas.
Ben Reese, of Abington Heights, tips the ball over the net during the third set against Hazleton Area.
Billy Johnson, of Abington Heights, spikes the ball during play against Hazleton Area.
A clinical effort from second-seeded Abington Heights brought a district championship home as the Comets swept top-seeded Hazleton Area in the District 2 Class 3A finals on May 21 in the second half of a district championship doubleheader at Scranton High School.
The win over the Cougars was the capper on a strong postseason run for Abington Heights, defeating Wilkes-Barre Area in the quarterfinals and sweeping away Scranton in the semis.
Hazleton Area shook off a lethargic opening set to play the Comets much more competitively down the stretch, but Abington Heights had enough firepower to hold off the Cougars and win in the minimum three sets.
“I feel like the whole season, we’ve had some flaws here and there,” Abington Heights head coach Jesse Edwards said. “Today was the total package through all phases of the game. I’m happy we brought it all together at the right time.”
In the first set, the Comets went on a massive run to turn what was an early 3-1 lead for Hazleton Area into a 15-4 advantage for Abington Heights.
With several hitters working into the rhythm of the match, the Comets cruised to a 25-17 win in the opening set. From that early deficit, Abington Heights never trailed again across the final two sets.
Even so, Hazleton Area seemed to work its way out of that early slump to press the Comets in the second and third sets.
The second set was tied 16-16 before Abington Heights was ultimately able to pull away for a 25-19 win. In the third, the Cougars were as close as three points away before another strong Comets finish won the match with a 25-18 victory in the third set.
Abington Heights benefited from an offense that featured multiple options: four different players had at least seven kills, with an even 10 kills from Daniel Beck to lead the way.
Nolan Moore had eight kills and was also the catalyst for much of his team’s run in the first set with his serving, finishing with 14 service points.
Hazleton Area’s top hitter was Kendrick Ortiz, who finished with nine kills. He added two points and an ace in the service game.
Despite the loss, this season represented a dramatic turnaround for Hazleton Area under the direction of head coach Carmen Ramos.
The Cougars turned a 2-12 season in 2025 into a 14-2 regular season that earned them the top seed in the district tournament.
“Last time I was here was as an assistant in 2021,” Ramos said. “To be able to do it as a head coach, especially after the season we had last year … to be able to flip it around, I’m so proud of them.”
Abington Heights 3, Wilkes-Barre Area 1
Abington Heights rallied from dropping the first set 25-17 and came back to win the May 19 semifinal as part of a doubleheader at Hazleton Area.
The Comets moved in front by taking two straight 25-21 sets, then added a clinching 27-25 win in the fourth set.
Ryan Horutz led the way with 39 assists, 13 digs, 11 service points, six aces and four blocks.
Moore had a team-high 16 kills along with 10 digs. Ben Reese had 13 service points and 13 kills. Billy Johnson contributed 12 kills. Chris Cummins had 15 digs and nine points.
Abington Heights 3, Scranton 0
Moore led the way with 10 service points and nine kills as Abington Heights rolled through the quarterfinal at home May 13 by scores of 25-14, 25-16, 25-11.
Reese added seven kills and Johnson had six. Dan Beck led the team in service points (13) and blocks (three). Horutz had 23 assists and three aces. Cummins had seven digs.
