Abington Heights made its first foray into the PIAA state boys lacrosse tournament a success.
The Comets got off to a fast start, then added a strong finish June 2 when they went on the road and defeated District 4 champion Selinsgrove 15-6 in a Class 2A first-round game.
Abington Heights peppered Selinsgrove with more than 30 shots.
“They played fantastic,” Comets coach Eric Janiszewski said. “They had to overcome some challenges during the game. (Selinsgrove’s) goalie made a ridiculous number of saves in the game, but we overcame it and were able to score enough goals to pull off a victory.
“The kids played their hearts out.”
Christopher Bohn led the way with six goals and three assists. The sophomore attack was the team’s leading scorer on the season with 73 goals and 55 assists, which, according to records compiled by PA Lax News, ranks 10th in goals and ninth in assists in the state.
“He’s a very smart player that knows how to get to the right spots at the right time,” Janiszewski said. “He excels at the role that we put him in.
“ … He had one heckuva season. As a sophomore, that’s incredible. He’s like a quarterback on that offense. He’s smart. He knows where to be. He knows how to get to the right spot and pull defenders around. When someone’s about to leave, he’s able to capitalize on filling in where they just left from.”
The Comets took a 6-0 lead after one quarter and maintained it through halftime and the end of the third quarter. They broke away by outscoring the Seals 4-1 in the fourth quarter.
Rodman Azar scored three goals while Logan Fedor added two.
Braghan Pallis and Gavin Anders each finished with a goal and two assists. Michael Arcure had a goal and an assist, while Alec Walsh also had an assist.
The Comets gained extra possessions with Zach Magnotta and Justin Wince splitting faceoff duties, each taking 14. Magnotta won 10 of the faceoffs while Wince controlled nine.
Colton Naholnik made nine saves in goal.
The Comets finished 17-5 in their first season under Janiszewski, who served as head coach for nine seasons in two stints at Tunkhannock, where he was also an assistant for three years.
“We view it as a building block for next season,” he said. “Now, they have the experience, and we return the vast majority of our players, so now they’re looking to accomplish even more next year.”
Penncrest 18, Abington Heights 10
Penncrest ended the Abington Heights season with a quarterfinal victory June 6 at Emmaus.
Azar, who added an assist, and Christopher Bohn each scored three goals in the loss.
Fedor and Gavin Lindsay each had a goal and an assist.
Pallis and Arcure had the other goals.
Penncrest went on to play in the state championship game, where it lost to Mars 14-13.
Scranton Prep, which defeated Abington Heights in overtime in the District 2 championship game, also made the state quarterfinals. The Cavaliers used another overtime victory, 7-6 over Central Dauphin, to set a matchup with Twin Valley, where they lost 11-9.
Coaches’ all-stars
Wyoming Valley Conference coaches named Naholnik Defensive Player of the Year, while Scranton Prep’s championship team took the other top honors with Will McPartland as Offensive Player of the Year and Keith Toolan as Coach of the Year.
Christopher Bohn on attack, Gavin Anders as an offensive midfielder and Logan Bohn on defense all represented Abington Heights as first-team selections on the coaches’ all-star team.
Lindsay was a second-team choice as an offensive midfielder.
Pallis and Rodman Azar on the attack, Wince as a faceoff specialist, Alec Walsh as a long stick midfielder, and Fedor as a midfielder all received honorable mention.
