Delaware Valley’s JJ Segal, left, wrestles Honesdale’s Duke Martin during the Lackawanna League Championships on Saturday at Wallenpaupack. (JASON ARDAN / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Abington Heights’ Chace Berry, left, wrestles Pittston Area’s Chase Baron in the District 2 Class 3A duals championship at Abington Heights on Saturday. (JASON ARDAN / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Honesdale’s Levi Landry, left, wrestles Elk Lake’s Colby Ruark on Saturday during the Lackawanna League Championships at Wallenpaupack. (JASON ARDAN / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Abington Heights’ Ayden Kane pins Pittston Area’s Anthony Marx-Alaimo in the District 2 Class 3A duals championship at Abington Heights on Saturday. (JASON ARDAN / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Honesdale’s Bobby MacDowell, right, and Western Wayne’s Paul Borowski wrestle during the Lackawanna League Championships on Saturday at Wallenpaupack. (JASON ARDAN / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
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Delaware Valley’s JJ Segal, left, wrestles Honesdale’s Duke Martin during the Lackawanna League Championships on Saturday at Wallenpaupack. (JASON ARDAN / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
For the first time in four years, Abington Heights captured a District 2 Class 3A wrestling duals title.
Meanwhile, Honesdale stayed atop District 2 Class 2A for the fourth straight season.
Now, the District 2 squads will host their PIAA first-round matches Tuesday, with the Comets wrestling at Scranton High School because of the Pink Night girls basketball game at Abington Heights, and the Hornets getting another home match.
Abington Heights (15-4) will face the winner of the preliminary match between District 11 runner-up Bethlehem Catholic (11-2) and District 1 fourth-placer Owen J. Roberts (11-7). That match is scheduled for 5 p.m. with the first-round match with Abington Heights following at Scranton High School.
Honesdale (19-3) will host District 4 champion Montgomery (25-0) at 7 p.m.
Since last season when the Giant Center stopped hosting the team state championships, the PIAA tournaments are no longer true double-elimination. Teams that lose in the first round at regional sites are eliminated. Winners advance to Friday’s quarterfinals at 1st Summit Arena in Johnstown, which will host the rest of the tournaments into Saturday with a consolation bracket.
Abington Heights went 4-0 in Lackawanna League Division I to capture its first league crown since 2023. Then, the Comets, the No. 3 seed in districts, navigated through a deep Class 3A, defeating No. 6 Delaware Valley, 45-23; No. 2 Wallenpaupack, 35-31; and No. 5 Pittston Area, 44-21, for the title. They have seven straight dual victories. Their losses came against Northampton, ranked seventh in the state in Class 3A according to PA Power Wrestling; Council Rock South, eighth in the state in Class 3A; Berks Catholic, fourth in the state in Class 2A; and Northwestern Lehigh, with three of those losses coming at the Parkland Winter Duals.
“As a team, we have wrestled well since Parkland,” Abington Heights coach Gregory Theony said after Saturday’s title match. “We didn’t have a great Parkland outing. We had some things go wrong right away, but we managed to get through that and things just seemed to change after that. Everybody started to understand their role on the team. It isn’t the superstar that wins matches. It’s everybody.”
His team certainly showed that at district duals, with sophomore Chace Berry coming up with a big 5-3 decision in the semifinal win over Wallenpaupack and freshman Lucas Kareha setting the tone with a 5-3 decision early in the title match against Pittston Area.
The Comets will most likely face defending PIAA champion Bethlehem Catholic in the first round. The Golden Hawks are ranked third in the state with fellow District 11 teams Nazareth (first), Emmaus (second) and Notre Dame Green Pond (fourth) also ranked in the top four.
Bethlehem Catholic’s state-ranked wrestlers include Nico Emili (sixth at 121), Reef Dillard (seventh at 133), three-time state champion Keanu Dillard (first at 139), Mason Thomas (22nd at 160) and Connor Gillahan (14th at 189).
Abington Heights’ state-ranked wrestlers include Dakota Sandy (18th at 114), Brady Full (10th at 127), Mason Whitney (fourth at 133) and Frank Scialpi (28th at 215).
Honesdale rolled through Lackawanna Division II, going 4-0 and outscoring their opponents, 252-37, for its third straight league title. Over the past few years, the Hornets overwhelmed teams with their star power. However, with stud freshman Dominic Schuman injured, the team needed someone to step up late in Saturday’s title match against Hanover Area.
Enter Morgan Wilcox.
In the second to last bout, the Honesdale senior rallied from a 7-0 deficit to pin Camden Kratz and secure the title, as the Hornets won, 38-31.
On Tuesday, they’ll have a rematch with Montgomery, ranked ninth in the state. Honesdale lost to the Red Raiders, 35-28, on Dec. 13 at the Dandy Mini Mart Duals, where Brody Walsh (127) had a pin, Connor Scanlon (145), Duke Martin (189) and Levi Landry (215) had technical falls, Nathan Schuman (121) had a major decision and Bobby MacDowell (285) had a decision.
The Hornets need to figure where to swing a match or two against Montgomery, whose state-ranked wrestlers include Manny Stoltzfus (17th at 107), Gabe Oberheim (eighth at 114), Liam Seeley (20th at 121), Brandt Harer (second at 145) and Trace Furman (21st at 152).
Honesdale’s state-ranked wrestlers are Nathan Schuman (third at 107), Duke Martin (ninth at 189), Levi Landry (28th at 215) and Bobby MacDowell (19th at 285).