S. ABINGTON TWP. — Jayden Anglin and Abington Heights’ tenacious defense declared to the rest of the opponents on the schedule that they shouldn’t let the team’s record deceive them.
On a brisk Thursday night, Anglin used his speed, power and shiftiness to gain 155 yards on 22 carries and score two touchdowns. The Comets’ defense made 12 tackles for loss, which included eight sacks.
Those efforts on both sides of the ball resulted in a gritty 21-7 win for the ninth-ranked Comets over No. 7 Wallenpaupack in a Lackawanna Football Conference Division I game at the Abington Heights High Athletic Complex.
Abington Heights, which had been shut out in its last two games, improved to 3-4 overall and 2-2 in the division, leading to a celebratory fireworks display on Homecoming.
“We had a really hard stretch of games, so we had to bounce back,” Anglin said. “We needed this win. We were really excited. We took this week as if we were 0-0. We had to forget the past and focus on this one.”
Abington Heights did not score in losses to North Pocono and Scranton Prep.
It took only one possession to end that streak.
Fueled by Anglin’s running and a physical offensive line, the Comets marched 80 yards in eight plays. Noah Kayal finished the drive by connecting with Rodman Azar for a 24-yard touchdown with 8:10 remaining in the first quarter.
Wallenpaupack (5-2 overall, 3-1 in Division I) came in on a five-game winning streak. The Buckhorns answered right back. Edward Kiesendahl cut back, then made a quick move, freezing a defensive back before sprinting in for a 33-yard touchdown to tie the game at 7.
That was Wallenpaupacl’s one spotlight series. Kiesendahl, the second-leading rusher to Anglin in Division I, finished with 89 yards on 14 carries.
Overall, the Buckhorns managed 73 rushing yards on 30 carries. Jake Rafferty had 14 carries for minus-17 yards, as Abington Heights unleashed a relentless pass rush. Thomas Reese led the attack with three sacks for minus-20 yards.
“Coming off last week, I don’t think that was a good reflection of who we are as a defense,” Reese said. “We had a really bad taste in our mouths with that score (against Scranton Prep). We used that all week. We changed the way that we practice and hit it really hard on the defensive side of the ball.
“We used last week’s loss to fuel this week.”
Abington Heights grabbed the lead after a 53-yard punt by Jack Hartshorn pinned Wallenpaupack deep in its territory. Unable to push forward, Wallenpaupack punted and Scott Weiland returned the kick 24 yards, setting the Comets up at the 15.
Three plays later, Anglin scored on a bruising 8-yard run for a 14-7 advantage with 5:15 in the half.
Abington Heights also turned away the Buckhorns from a scoring opportunity. After a turnover, Wallenpaupack advanced to the 8-yard line. But the Comets stymied the drive in the final 10 seconds of the second quarter.
“We knew coming into this game that we needed to have a tempo change, and that happened at practice all week,” Abington Heights linebacker Max Gordon said. “I can’t thank our coaches enough for getting us ready and emphasizing that we had to come here and play hard.”
Abington Heights pushed the lead to 21-7 when Anglin scored his second 8-yard touchdown. He set up the score by darting through a massive chasm in the Wallenpaupack defense on a third-and-18. He gained 40 yards on the draw play, ripping the spirit from the Buckhorns, who had yielded eight points in the last three weeks.
“Whenever we have to fight through adversity, and my team needs me, I know that I have to step up,” Anglin said.
Wallenpaupack never threatened the end zone again.
With Reese, Chris Bohn and Cooper Manning dominating the line of scrimmage, the defense had four tackles for loss in the game’s final 9 minutes.
“I was at defensive end last week, and they moved me inside this week,” Reese said. “I just tried to make a couple of quick moves. I worked very hard to do what I could for us to get this win.”