Abington Heights’ Justin Baret, left, wrestles Delaware Valley’s Angelo Cosentino in the 121-pound match Wednesday night at Abington Heights High School. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Abington Heights’ Brady Full pins Delaware Valley’s Andrew Elliott in the 127-pound match Wednesday night at Abington Heights High School. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Abington Heights’ Lucas Drake, top, wrestles Delaware Valley’s Nick D’Ambola in the 160-pound match Wednesday night at Abington Heights High School. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Abington Heights’ Mason Whitney, top, wrestles Delaware Valley’s Brennan Snyder in the 133-pound match Wednesday night at Abington Heights High School. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Delaware Valley’s Jeremiah Segal, left, wrestles Abington Heights’ Zack Brower in the 189-pound match Wednesday night at Abington Heights High School. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Abington Heights’ Chace Berry, front, wrestles Delaware Valley’s Colton Eckert in the 152-pound match Wednesday night at Abington Heights High School. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Delaware Valley’s Michael Seltzer, right, wrestles Abington Heights’ Dane Wheeler in the 285-pound match Wednesday night at Abington Heights High School. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Abington Heights’ Ayden Kane, right, wrestles Delaware Valley’s Marley McAfee in the 172-pound match Wednesday night at Abington Heights High School. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Abington Heights’ Ayden Kane, left, wrestles Delaware Valley’s Marley McAfee in the 172-pound match Wednesday night at Abington Heights High School. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Delaware Valley’s Drew Churchill, top, wrestles Abington Heights’ Braghan Pallis in the 139-pound match Wednesday night at Abington Heights High School. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Delaware Valley’s Jeremiah Segal, front, wrestles Abington Heights’ Zack Brower in the 189-pound match Wednesday night at Abington Heights High School. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Abington Heights’ Justin Baret, left, wrestles Delaware Valley’s Angelo Cosentino in the 121-pound match Wednesday night at Abington Heights High School. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Abington Heights’ Chace Berry, right, wrestles Delaware Valley’s Colton Eckert in the 152-pound match Wednesday night at Abington Heights High School. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Abington Heights’ Brady Full, left, wrestles Delaware Valley’s Andrew Elliott in the 127-pound match Wednesday night at Abington Heights High School. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Abington Heights’ Eddie Reed, right, wrestles Delaware Valley’s Xavier Sieber in the 145-pound match Wednesday night at Abington Heights High School. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Delaware Valley’s Zion Colon, right, wrestles Abington Heights’ Lucas Kareha in the 114-pound match Wednesday night at Abington Heights High School. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
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Abington Heights’ Justin Baret, left, wrestles Delaware Valley’s Angelo Cosentino in the 121-pound match Wednesday night at Abington Heights High School. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
S. ABINGTON TWP. — Sometimes in wrestling, you just have to keep fighting — no matter how dire the situation seems.
Abington Heights’ Eddie Reed learned that Wednesday night.
With the match tied after six bouts, the Comets sophomore controlled his 145-pound match against Delaware Valley’s Xavier Sieber into the second period, building a three-point lead.
That was until he got caught.
Sieber secured the takedown, put Reed right to his back and hunted for the pin.
However, Reed never gave up, staving off the pin and eventually securing a third-period fall to give Abington Heights a six-point advantage.
From there, the Comets won four of the last six bouts to beat Delaware Valley, 40-23, and capture the Lackawanna League Division I title at Abington Heights High School.
“Honestly, I was feeling really good the whole match, and then I got caught and honestly I don’t even know how I really got out of that,” Reed said. “I was really fighting for it, and I was able to get out and really capitalize on that. Then, I was able to come and get that pin, and it was really great for the team.”
Reed secured a takedown in the first and second periods to take a 6-3 advantage after Sieber’s three escapes. However, Sieber countered Reed’s shot and got him in a headlock for a seven-point move. Sieber worked for the pin, but Reed slithered away and got a reversal. Sieber escaped and took an 11-8 lead into the third period.
Reed chose down and got an escape to cut the deficit to 11-9. Then, Reed survived a scramble, got a double-leg takedown and secured the pin with 43 seconds left in the third period to give Abington Heights a 21-15 advantage with six bouts left.
“At that point, I was just trying to get out and get that takedown so I could win,” Reed said. “But then I got that pin, which really helped out the team which I’m really proud about.”
Then the Comets (4-0) rattled off three straight wins to secure the match and their first Division I title since 2023.
Chace Berry (152) secured an escape and a takedown in the third period for an 11-1 major decision over Colton Eckert, Lucas Drake (160) pinned Nick D’Ambola in the second period and senior Ayden Kane (172) locked down the win on Abington Heights’ Senior Night with a 10-3 decision over Marley McAfee, creating an insurmountable 34-15 lead with three bouts left.
Frank Scialpi (215), the Comets’ only other senior to wrestle Wednesday, pinned Ethan Capo in 19 seconds.
“It’s something I’ve been building up to for my entire career,” Scialpi said of the league title. “I’ve started freshmen year and this is the last time to do this, so it’s pretty big.”
The Abington Heights senior is ranked 25th in the state at 215 according to PA Power Wrestling and is 17-3 on the season and 4-0 with three first-period pins and a forfeit win in league matches. Last season, Scialpi went 28-23.
“I’m a lot quicker on my feet,” Scialpi said. “I put in that work in the offseason, and I’m just a lot quicker overall.”
Delaware Valley (2-2) took an 11-0 lead after a forfeit at 107 and Zion Colon’s 19-4 technical fall over Lucas Kareha at 114.
That’s when backup Justin Baret stepped up and got the Comets’ first win of the night. The sophomore wrestled just three matches this season before Wednesday — all in the 133-pound weight class. With the outright division title at stake, his team needed him at 121.
“He really worked hard, he made weight and that was so key to the win,” Abington Heights coach Gregory Theony said. “It was a place where we didn’t have anybody tonight because we rested one of our guys.”
Baret secured three takedowns and held on for a 9-5 decision over Angelo Cosentino to cut Abington Heights’ deficit to 11-3.
“Justin stepping in the lineup and getting some early takedowns I think gave him some confidence to keep working hard,” Theony said. “And we just keep telling him keep your hips up, keep working.”
That set up Abington Heights star freshman Brady Full, ranked eighth in the state at 127, and junior Mason Whitney, ranked fourth in the state at 133, as both secured pins to give the Comets a 15-11 lead.
Drew Churchill (139) turned a 4-3 decision into an 11-3 major over Braghan Pallis with a seven-point move in the third period to tie the match at 15 before Reed’s pin.
After this weekend’s Coal Cracker Tournament at Lehighton High School, Abington Heights will look to capture its first District 2 Class 3A duals title since 2022. As of Wednesday night, the Comets were ranked third in the power ratings behind Wallenpaupack and Hazleton Area. The top eight secure a spot in the tournament, which starts Wednesday with quarterfinal and semifinal rounds and the Nos. 1 and 2 seeds hosting.
“We’ll just continue doing what we’ve been doing and continue working hard,” Scialpi said.
Jeremiah Segal (189), the Warriors’ only senior, and Michael Seltzer (285) added a tech. fall and a 1-0 decision, respectively, for Delaware Valley, which is ranked sixth in the power rankings.
“One of the things we need this crew to learn, because they’re all coming back, is team. The team mentality. Doing what’s best for the team,” Delaware Valley coach Lou DeLauro said. “Making weight in the weight class you should be at, and the little things. The little things are what matter, and again, that’s what we’re working on. We’re getting there.”
107: Kahmar (DV) by forfeit; 114: Colon (DV) tech. fall Kareha, 19-4; 121: Baret (AH) dec. Cosentino, 9-5; 127: Full (AH) pinned Elliott, 1:45; 133: Whitney (AH) pinned Snyder, 2:50; 139: Churchill (DV) maj. dec. Pallis, 11-3; 145: Reed (AH) pinned Sieber, 5:17; 152: Berry (AH) maj. dec. Eckert, 11-1; 160: Drake (AH) pinned D’Ambola, 2:35; 172: Kane (AH) dec. McAfee, 10-3; 189: Segal (DV) tech. fall Brower, 19-2; 215: Scialpi (AH) pinned Capo, :19; 285: Seltzer (DV) dec. Wheeler, 1-0.