Abington Heights’ Connor McDonald takes control of the ball during the soccer game at Scranton Prep on Thursday, Sept. 10, 2025. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Harriton’s defense follows Abington Heights’ Wes Illian as he moves the ball during the Class 3A boys soccer semifinal at Hamburg High School in Hamburg on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Abington Heights’ Nico Bustos moves the ball down the field during the Class 3A boys soccer semifinal at Hamburg High School in Hamburg on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
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Abington Heights’ Connor McDonald takes control of the ball during the soccer game at Scranton Prep on Thursday, Sept. 10, 2025. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Abington Heights has plenty of players who light up the stat sheet.
Joey Pivirotto, a 2024 Times-Tribune All-Region selection who compiled 42 goals and 12 assists, and Nico Bustos, the reigning Times-Tribune Player of the Year who racked up 26 goals and 18 assists, are the Comets’ stars who also produced star performances in the state playoffs.
Jack Leuthe, Lucas Samala, Wes Illian and Billy Johnson orchestrated big-time moments, with Leuthe scoring two goals and dishing out two assists in Abington Heights’ PIAA first-round victory, Samala and Illian assisting Bustos’ game-winning goals in the quarterfinals and semifinals and Johnson securing 10 saves in the semifinals for his 17th clean sheet.
What makes this team great is everyone plays his role. While Connor McDonald’s name doesn’t often show up in the box score, he leaves his mark on every game.
“He’s been someone I think that’s kind of flown under the radar, especially on the stats front, but I think everybody within the team, players and coaches, understand just how valuable he is to our team and our playing style and identity and how much he contributes for sure,” Abington Heights coach Frank Dyska said.
The junior midfielder connects the offense to the defense, keeping the team together as one unit.
“I’d almost consider myself kind of like a glue guy, just doing whatever, keeping everybody calm and then just helping, talking to everybody individually and just keeping the game as calm as possible,” McDonald said.
McDonald reads the game like a chess board, anticipating the next move, putting himself in the right spot and setting up his teammates. The Comets compiled 132 goals and 102 assists this season. Only one team, Lewisburg who will play for a Class 2A state title Friday, held Abington Heights scoreless. The box score shows goals and assists, but so much more goes into those points. That’s where McDonald comes in.
“On offense, he’s somebody that’s involved in the build up a lot, getting the ball forward, switching it from side to side, finding some players in good attacking positions up the field,” Dyska said. “He’s a connecting piece in our passing game all around.”
He also makes an impact on defense, as the Comets allowed just nine goals this season and secured 17 shutouts.
“Defensively, he’s been great at kind of reading how each game is going and how teams are attacking and just putting himself in a position defensively to have the best impact on shutting down the other team,” Dyska said. “He’s all-around offensively and defensively. He has such a good knack for reading the game and adjusting game to game on what we need from him.”
McDonald has six assists this season, but he doesn’t need the recognition on the stat sheet. He enjoys his role, and only cares about the number 23 — Abington Heights’ win total.
“It doesn’t bother me at all,” McDonald said. “I love it. It builds my relationship with the team better.”
That includes his relationship with Bustos and Illian in the midfield.
“It’s great. (Nico and I) get on each other quite a bit, but I think that’s also what helps get a better connection,” McDonald said. “Also, I will shout out Wes Illian. He’s a freshman this year. He’s done a phenomenal job helping connect that third midfielder and it’s just been great in the midfield this year with Nico and Wes.”
As team captain and an all-state player, Bustos needs to put himself in the play, as McDonald and Illian adjust accordingly.
“I like to push up, I like to drop back sometimes, and I’ve told him, I’ve even told Wes Illian, to kind of sometimes just work off of me, work off of what I do because I can benefit the team attacking and defensive, so they cover me,” Bustos said. “If I need to drop back a bit more, they’ll push up the field higher and they adapt to every way that any other team plays.”
McDonald started playing soccer at an early age, joining youth leagues and playing under Dyska at Abington Youth Soccer and its travel team. Besides playing at the school, he plays for Anthracite Football Club, which is run out of Riverfront.
“I’ve been playing since probably I was able to walk,” McDonald said. “I’ve played my entire life, and I just love it.”
On Saturday, he’ll play for a state title, as District 2 champion Abington Heights will face District 3 champion Conrad Weiser at 10 a.m. at Northeastern High School in Manchester.
“It’s amazing. My freshman year, I never would have thought we’d be playing for a state final,” McDonald said. “This group of guys is just phenomenal. I love every single one of them.
“We have great individual players, but it almost feels like a family and nobody wants this season to end, so I think every time we go into a game, we might be an underdog, but I think it’s just the grit and determination that we want this season to keep going.”
He’s a big part of that family, whether he shows up in the box score or not.
“It’s hard to show what he does on a stat sheet,” Bustos said. “You have to watch him play to understand what he does, what he brings to the team, what he brings onto the field. He’s an incredible player to have in the midfield.”