Abington Heights’ Dakota Sandy stepped on the mat with his team trailing by nine points.

The freshman needed just 1:53 to give the Comets momentum in their Lackawanna League Division I wrestling match Jan. 7 against West Scranton.

His first-period pin of Santino Aniska — a District 2 Class 3A champion last season — cut the deficit to three. From there, Abington Heights won eight of the next 10 bouts to top the Invaders, 54-18.

Sandy, Lucas Drake and Brady Full are freshmen who have the Comets contending for a Division I title.

“Our freshmen are doing very well this year,” Abington Heights coach Gregory Theony said after Wednesday’s win over West Scranton. “They’re coming in with high expectations. They’re on themselves and the team has high expectations for them, and they’ve melded right into the team perfectly.”

Ranked 14th in the state at 114 pounds, according to PA Power Wrestling, Sandy is 24-8 with 14 pins and seven technical falls. He also captured a Lackawanna League Tournament title, and placed seventh at the highly competitive Mid-Winter Mayhem on Saturday at the Kovalchick Convention Complex at Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

Full is 17-4 with four pins and five technical falls and ranks 10th in the state at 127. He placed second at the Darren Klingerman Invitational.

Drake is 23-7 with six pins and six technical falls. He placed second at the Darren Klingerman Invitational and Lackawanna League Championships and secured the second-fastest pin (58 seconds) in the dual meet against West Scranton.

“I think it’s great. We’ve been preparing for this eight years before this,” Drake said of his fellow freshmen. “We’ve just been looking up to kids who were in high school before us, and we’re just ready.”

Two-time state medalist and junior Mason Whitney is one of the veterans the team looks up to. Ranked fifth in the state at 133, Whitney is 31-3 with six pins and 16 technical falls. He also earned Darren Klingerman Invitational and Lackawanna League Tournament titles, placed third at Mid-Winter Mayhem and seventh at the Powerade Tournament at Canon-McMillan High School.

The junior also provides leadership.

“There’s been a lot of things that I’ve been working on, and he’s always getting on me in the room and keeping me going,” Abington Heights junior Braghan Pallis said.

Frank Scialpi is also off to the best start of his career. The senior is 15-3 with 10 pins, ranks 19th in the state at 215 and placed third at the Darren Klingerman Invitational. He also had the fastest pin in the match against the Invaders (54 seconds).

“This team is a beautiful blend. We have some real studs and then we have kids that always show up and want to do their part,” Pallis said. “It’s really the combo of heart and talent that makes us who we are. In the room, we’re always getting on each other, whether it’s one of the better guys who’s beating on another to just keep them moving or it’s keeping each other disciplined on weight or stuff like that.”

Abington Heights will face its biggest test of the season when it visits Wallenpaupack on Wednesday at 6:45 p.m. in a match that will go a long way in determining the Division I title. The Comets, who are fourth in the District 2 Class 3A power rankings with a .623 rating behind Wilkes-Barre Area (.627), are 2-0 in the division with wins over West Scranton (54-18) and Scranton (67-0). The Buckhorns, who are second in the power ratings (.729) behind Hazleton Area (.754), are 1-0 in the division with a 43-23 win over West Scranton.

Wallenpaupack is the defending league and district champion, and built to repeat.

Ayden Blaut is 21-3 with 12 pins and five technical falls and ranks 17th in the state at 127. The senior also earned a Lackawanna League Tournament title, and placed second at the Jim Thorpe Christmas Tournament.

Tristan Braxton is 18-1 with seven pins and five tech. fall and ranks 17th in the state at 160. The Buckhorns junior also secured Lackawanna League and Jim Thorpe tournament titles.

Gabe Caufield is 22-4 with 11 pins and five tech. falls and ranks 24th in the state at 172. The Buckhorns senior also placed second at the Lackawanna League Championships and third at the Jim Thorpe Tournament.

Gio Lomonaco (133), a Times-Tribune All-Region selection last season, is 20-4 with 11 pins and one tech. fall, placed second at the Lackawanna League Championships and third at the Jim Thorpe Tournament.

Jake Rafferty (189) is also off to a strong start with a 21-6 record, including 15 pins and two tech. falls. Kyle Scartelli (139, 13-4), Sawyer Jones (152/160, 17-7), Tyler Gallo (215, 17-7) and Declan Brown (121, 14-5) also have winning percentages above 70%.

“The room is always a competition with every live group we have,” Jones, a junior, said after the Buckhorns’ win over West Scranton on Dec. 17. “I try to get with the best kids in the room every live session, so we definitely work each other hard.”

Delaware Valley (1-0), sixth in the power ratings (.517), will also try to stay in the hunt for a division title when it hosts West Scranton (0-2), seventh in the power ratings (.463), on Wednesday at 6:45 p.m.

Elsewhere in the Class 3A power ratings, Pittston Area is fifth (.592), North Pocono is eighth (.446), Crestwood is ninth (.398), Wyoming Valley West is 10th (.353) , Nanticoke Area is 11th (.292) and Scranton (0-2 Division I) is 12th (.218).

Division II

Honesdale leads the District 2 Class 2A power rankings with a .667 rating over No. 2 Hanover Area (.593). The Hornets are also 2-0 in the league as they look to secure their third straight Division II crown. Honesdale hosts Lackawanna Trail (0-2) on Friday at 6:45 p.m. and visits Valley View on Jan. 21 to wrap up the league season.

Western Wayne (1-1), 11th in the power ratings (.352), hosts Valley View (1-1), sixth in the power ratings (.439), on Wednesday at 6:45 p.m.

North Pocono (1-1) was scheduled to host Lackawanna Trail, 14th in the power ratings (.306), on Tuesday night.

Division III

Blue Ridge (2-0), ranked third in the Class 2A power ratings (.581), eyes its second straight Division III title. It visits Mountain View, 16th in the power rankings (.122), on Wednesday before hosting Scranton Prep (1-0), 10th in the power rankings (.363), on Jan. 21. Last season, the Raiders and Cavaliers entered that final match unbeaten. Scranton Prep hosts Montrose (2-1), seventh in the power rankings (.415), on Wednesday and visits Mountain View on Saturday.

Elsewhere in the Class 2A power rankings, Mid Valley is fourth (.465), Berwick is fifth (.451), Wyoming Area is eighth (.377), Tunkhannock is ninth (.371), Dallas is 12th (.342), Lake-Lehman is 13th (.334) and Elk Lake is 15th (.178).