Thursday night lights return with an important Lackawanna Football Conference Division I matchup.

Wallenpaupack (5-1) takes its five-game winning streak on the road to face Abington Heights (2-4) at Abington Heights High School Athletic Complex at 7 p.m.

After an opening week loss to Honesdale, Wallenpaupack has built confidence and posted impressive wins to tie for first in the LFC Division I with North Pocono and Scranton Prep.

Edward Kiesendahl, a senior running back/linebacker, fueled the turnaround with 823 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns. The Buckhorns’ running attack leads the division at 270.8 yards per game.

Anthony Kiesendahl ranks fourth in the division with 393 rushing yards.

Wallenpaupack quarterback Jake Rafferty is coming off a strong game against West Scranton. He had 50 rushing yards and a touchdown and completed 7 of 9 passes for 149 yards and two touchdowns.

The Buckhorns have allowed just 35 points during the winning streak. Freshman linebacker Billy Motz leads the team with 37 tackles, including 4.5 for a loss. Tyler Preston has 33 tackles and a team-high 4.5 sacks, and Edward Kiesendahl has 31 tackles. Jaxton Pouliot has three interceptions and Cade Pittenger has two.

Abington Heights is holding onto the No. 1 spot in the District 2 Class 5A playoff chase. Only two of the three – Abington Heights, Pittston Area, and Delaware Valley – will qualify for the title game.

Jayden Anglin leads Division I with 874 rushing yards, but the Comets are struggling to score with only 90 points in six games (15 points per game). North Pocono and Scranton Prep shut out Abington Heights in the last two weeks.

Quarterback Noah Kayal returned from an early season injury and has completed 15 of 35 passes for 97 yards.

Abington Heights limited North Pocono to a season-low 21 points, Allentown Central Catholic (4-2) to 10 points and shut out Trinity Prep of Florida.

Anglin, a linebacker, leads the team in tackles.

Lakeland celebration

For the second time this season, Lakeland will honor one of its best high school football teams in a halftime ceremony at its home game against Honesdale on Friday at 7 p.m.

The program will celebrate the 1976 Suburban Conference and Eastern Conference Class B championship team that finished 12-1. Captains Jerry Boyarsky, Matt Allen and Bruce Hill led that season’s Chiefs, who were the first to play at Lakeland Stadium. Lakeland played in Mayfield before the opening of the new facility.

Lakeland defeated Schuylkill Haven, 21-7, and was ranked No. 1 in the state by the United Press International in Class 2A. It was the second of three straight Eastern Conference Class B titles for the program.

Boysarsky is Lakeland’s most accomplished player. He played at the University of Pittsburgh and had a nine-year NFL career with the New Orleans Saints, Cincinnati Bengals, Buffalo Bills and Green Bay Packers.

In 1976, Boyarsky was awarded the Suburban Conference’s Lineman of the Year award after leading the team with 95 tackles. Hill was the Back of the Year after completing 47 of 75 passes for 1,179 yards and 19 touchdowns.

In addition to Boyarsky, Hill and Allen, running back Mark King, linemen Joe Pisano and John Hayley, defensive end Dave White, linebacker Ray Tassiello and defensive back Tom Pidgeon were Suburban Conference first-team all-stars.

Earlier this season, the school honored the 1980 Big 11 Conference championship team.

Injury updates

Lakeland quarterback and defensive back Jackson Pochas will miss the remainder of the season with a leg injury. He left last week’s 33-20 win over Riverside in an ambulance early in the fourth quarter.

North Pocono all-state athlete Cole West, who missed last week’s game against Wilkes-Barre Area, is expected to return against Scranton Prep on Friday.

Mid Valley’s Maicol Pacheco, who left last week’s game against Dunmore, is recovering and improving, according to coach Stan Yanoski.

Delaware Valley running back Devin Estevez and tight end James Dabney both returned to the starting lineup last week after missing games with injury and illness.

LFC leaders

Division I: Anglin leads with 874 rushing yards, and Edward Kiesendahl leads with 13 touchdowns and 78 points. West Scranton freshman quarterback Austin Sostre leads with 737 yards and seven passing touchdowns. Valley View sophomore Colin Dempsey has the top passer rating (176.1). West Scranton’s Kaz Colbert has 28 receptions for 402 yards, leading in both categories. West Scranton’s Jonye Sostre leads with four touchdown receptions. Scranton Prep’s Tyler Bianchi has 26 extra points, and North Pocono’s Shane Youngblood has four field goals. Bianchi and Youngblood are tied with 35 kicking points.

Division II: Honesdale senior Gabe Duda leads with 954 rushing yards, 17 touchdowns, and 106 total points. Lakeland’s Pochas leads with 691 passing yards. Dunmore’s Brady McCormick has 10 touchdown passes and a 242.9 passer rating. Lakeland’s Chase Rosenkrans leads with 29 receptions and 333 yards. Mid Valley’s Nick Hricenak and Lakeland’s Luke McFarland each have five receiving touchdowns. Dunmore’s Russell Toole leads with 30 extra points.

Division III: Carbondale Area’s Caedon Voglino leads with 573 rushing yards, 10 total touchdowns, and 62 total points. Holy Cross’ Chase Rutkoski leads with 648 passing yards and eight touchdowns. Lackawanna Trail’s Lucas Filipek has the top passer rating (134.6). Old Forge’s Ayden Aversa leads with 24 receptions. Holy Cross’ Luca Berardi has 402 receiving yards. Aversa, Berardi, and Susquehanna’s Mason Keyes each have four touchdown receptions. Montrose’s Gabriel De Llano Duran has 19 extra points.

7-WALLENPAUPACK
AT 9-ABINGTON HEIGHTS

When: Thursday, 7 p.m.

Where: Abington Heights HS Athletic Complex

Records: WAL 5-1, AH 2-4.

Last: Abington Heights, 31-14 (2025)

The buzz: Abington Heights leads the series, 22-4. Wallenpaupack has won five straight games after a loss to Honesdale in Week 1. Abington Heights has lost to teams with a combined 21-3 record. Wallenpaupack averages 41.2 points per game in its last five games. Abington Heights was shut out in the last two weeks against North Pocono and Scranton Prep.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

EVAN KEIPER, Abington Heights, WR: He caught three passes for 47 yards against Scranton Prep last week. He has four receptions for 52 yards this season and 18 total tackles.

JAKE RAFFERTY, Wallenpaupack, QB-DB: He ran for 50 yards and a touchdown, and completed seven passes for 149 yards and two touchdowns in a 34-0 win over West Scranton last week. He has 272 rushing yards and 460 passing yards this season.