{"id":101822,"date":"2026-01-31T21:02:20","date_gmt":"2026-01-31T21:02:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/101822\/"},"modified":"2026-01-31T21:02:20","modified_gmt":"2026-01-31T21:02:20","slug":"abington-heights-captures-class-3a-crown-scranton-times-tribune","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/101822\/","title":{"rendered":"Abington Heights captures Class 3A crown \u2013 Scranton Times-Tribune"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Abington<\/p>\n

Abington Heights\u2019 Lucas Kareha pushes down on Pittston Area\u2019s David Krantz in the District 2 Class 3A duals championship at Abington Heights on Saturday. (JASON ARDAN \/ STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)\n<\/p>\n

\"Abington<\/p>\n

Abington Heights\u2019 Mason Whitney looks to the official while holding down Pittston Area\u2019s Jaheim Butler during the District 2 Class 3A duals championship at Abington Heights on Saturday. (JASON ARDAN \/ STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)\n<\/p>\n

\"Abington<\/p>\n

Abington Heights\u2019 Chace Berry, left, wrestles Pittston Area\u2019s Chase Baron in the District 2 Class 3A duals championship at Abington Heights on Saturday. (JASON ARDAN \/ STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)\n<\/p>\n

\"Pittston<\/p>\n

Pittston Area\u2019s Ethan Aftewicz and Abington Heights\u2019 Lucas Drake tumble in the District 2 Class 3A duals championship at Abington Heights on Saturday. (JASON ARDAN \/ STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)\n<\/p>\n

\"Abington<\/p>\n

Abington Heights\u2019 Ayden Kane pins Pittston Area\u2019s Anthony Marx-Alaimo in the District 2 Class 3A duals championship at Abington Heights on Saturday. (JASON ARDAN \/ STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)\n<\/p>\n

\"Abington<\/p>\n

Abington Heights\u2019 Jack Kotchick, left, holds down Pittston Area\u2019s Johanzel Mendez in the District 2 Class 3A duals championship at Abington Heights on Saturday. (JASON ARDAN \/ STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)\n<\/p>\n

\"Pittston<\/p>\n

Pittston Area\u2019s Chase Baron, right, and Abington Heights\u2019 Chace Berry wrestle in the District 2 Class 3A duals championship at Abington Heights on Saturday. (JASON ARDAN \/ STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)\n<\/p>\n

\"Pittston<\/p>\n

Pittston Area\u2019s Noah Gruber picks up Abington Heights\u2019 Dane Wheeler during the District 2 Class 3A duals championship at Abington Heights on Saturday. (JASON ARDAN \/ STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)\n<\/p>\n

\"Abington<\/p>\n

Abington Heights\u2019 Mason Whitney holds Pittston Area\u2019s Jaheim Butler\u2019s arm in the District 2 Class 3A duals championship at Abington Heights on Saturday. (JASON ARDAN \/ STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)\n<\/p>\n

\"Pittston<\/p>\n

Pittston Area\u2019s Chase Baron, left, and Abington Heights\u2019 Chace Berry tumble in the District 2 Class 3A duals championship at Abington Heights on Saturday. (JASON ARDAN \/ STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)\n<\/p>\n

\"Pittston<\/p>\n

Pittston Area\u2019s Noah Gruber, left, wrestles with Abington Heights\u2019 Dane Wheeler in the District 2 Class 3A duals championship at Abington Heights on Saturday. (JASON ARDAN \/ STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)\n<\/p>\n

\"Pittston<\/p>\n

Pittston Area\u2019s David Krantz, left, wrestles Abington Heights\u2019 Lucas Kareha in the District 2 Class 3A duals championship at Abington Heights on Saturday. (JASON ARDAN \/ STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)\n<\/p>\n

\"Pittston<\/p>\n

Pittston Area\u2019s David Krantz, left, lunges into Abington Heights\u2019 Lucas Kareha in the District 2 Class 3A duals championship at Abington Heights on Saturday. (JASON ARDAN \/ STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)\n<\/p>\n

\"Pittston<\/p>\n

Pittston Area\u2019s Tibor Toth, left, pins Abington Heights\u2019 J.J. Beck in the District 2 Class 3A duals championship at Abington Heights on Saturday. (JASON ARDAN \/ STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)\n<\/p>\n

\"Pittston<\/p>\n

Pittston Area\u2019s Brody Spindler, right, maneuvers around Abington Heights\u2019 Frank Scialpi in the District 2 Class 3A duals championship at Abington Heights on Saturday. (JASON ARDAN \/ STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)\n<\/p>\n

\"Abington<\/p>\n

Abington Heights\u2019 Lucas Drake, left, wrestles Pittston Area\u2019s Ethan Aftewicz in the District 2 Class 3A duals championship at Abington Heights on Saturday. (JASON ARDAN \/ STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)\n<\/p>\n

\"Abington<\/p>\n

Abington Heights celebrates after defeating Pittston Area in the District 2 Class 3A duals championship at Abington Heights on Saturday. (JASON ARDAN \/ STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)\n<\/p>\n

Show Caption<\/p>\n

1 of 17<\/p>\n

Abington Heights\u2019 Lucas Kareha pushes down on Pittston Area\u2019s David Krantz in the District 2 Class 3A duals championship at Abington Heights on Saturday. (JASON ARDAN \/ STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)\n<\/p>\n

Expand<\/a><\/p>\n

S. ABINGTON TWP. \u2014 Lucas Drake was hit with a stall call in tiebreaker one that put him behind by one point.<\/p>\n

However, the Abington Heights freshman didn\u2019t panic. He rode out Pittston Area\u2019s Ethan Aftewicz, ranked No. 24 in the state according to PA Power Wrestling, for the rest of tiebreaker one and escaped in tiebreaker two to force the ultimate tiebreaker.<\/p>\n

Drake chose down for the 30-second period, pushed the pace and as he was about to escape, Aftewicz locked hands. The technical point resulted in Drake\u2019s victory in the 152-pound match, and his teammates handled the rest as No. 3 Abington Heights defeated No. 5 Pittston Area, 44-21, to capture the District 2 Class 3A wrestling duals title Saturday at Abington Heights High School.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s awesome,\u201d Drake said. \u201cOur hard work has finally paid off. Making it to states has been a goal for us. Every night, we always talk about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Allowing a forfeit at 107 pounds and with Pittston Area stars Brody Spindler and Noah Gruber looming at 215 and 285 as the final two bouts, building a lead proved key for Abington Heights.<\/p>\n

Much like his freshman counterpart Drake, Lucas Kareha faced a swing match at 114, with the Comets trailing, 6-0.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was just trying to focus on my technique, not trying to rush anything,\u201d Kareha said.<\/p>\n

Kareha secured the first takedown, but David Krantz rallied with an escape in the first period and a reversal in the second to tie the score at 3. Then, Kareha got a technical point on locked hands, added an escape in the third and didn\u2019t allow the winning takedown for a 5-3 decision.<\/p>\n

\u201cReally what started us off was the match that we didn\u2019t actually have us winning, and Lucas Kareha right off the bat wrestled his heart out, wrestled really tough, stayed in good position and pulled out a victory in that first match and that just set the course,\u201d Abington Heights coach Gregory Theony said.<\/p>\n

Dakota Sandy (121) needed just 38 seconds for a pin, and Brady Full (127) won by forfeit to give Abington Heights a 15-6 lead.<\/p>\n

Tibor Toth (133) cut the deficit to 15-12 with a pin in 1:13 seconds, but Mason Whitney (139) answered with an 18-1 tech. fall to push the lead to 20-12.<\/p>\n

Abington Heights\u2019 Chace Berry (145) battled through almost getting pinned in the second period, to rolling through and almost pinning Chase Baron in a scramble. He tacked on a takedown in the third period for a 17-6 major decision and a 24-12 lead for the Comets.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s when Drake (152) put Abington Heights over the top. The freshman faced Aftewicz three times in eight days, winning in the ultimate tiebreaker Jan. 23 and losing, 4-1, on Jan. 24 at the Coal Cracker Invitational. They traded escapes in the second and third periods and went scoreless in overtime to force the tiebreaker. In tiebreaker one, the official ruled Drake for a second stall call.<\/p>\n

\u201cI stayed calm,\u201d Drake said. \u201cI knew I had another opportunity to get my point back and make up for it. It was just down to me to work to make up for it.\u201d<\/p>\n

In tiebreaker two, Drake flipped forward and escaped Aftewicz to push the match to the ultimate tiebreaker. Because Drake scored first in the match, he had the choice. He nodded and confidently pointed down. Once again, Drake somersaulted forward and was about to escape before Aftewicz locked hands for Drake\u2019s 3-2 decision in the ultimate tiebreaker that gave the Comets a 27-12 advantage.<\/p>\n

\u201cLucas just kept wrestling and kept moving, and (Aftewicz) made a mistake at the end,\u201d Theony said. \u201cIt was a forced mistake because Lucas put him in that position to have to do that because he knew he couldn\u2019t let him go.\u201d<\/p>\n

Abington Heights put the match away from there, as Coen Holland (160) won by forfeit, Jack Kotchick (172) rolled to a 22-6 tech. fall and Ayden Kane (189) secured the fastest pin of the day at 13 seconds to give the Comets a 44-12 lead with two bouts left.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe freshmen class has been really good coming up,\u201d Kareha said. \u201cAnd we had Chace Berry and Jack Kotchick getting big wins for us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brody Spindler (215) added a 4-1 decision, and Noah Gruber (285) tacked on a pin in 28 seconds for Pittston Area, who upset No. 4 Wilkes-Barre Area and No. 1 Hazleton Area to reach the final.<\/p>\n

\u201cOverall as coaches, I think I speak for everybody on the staff, we\u2019re super proud of this team,\u201d Pittston Area coach Dave Krantz said. \u201cThey\u2019ve been working hard all year, and I just want them to enjoy this. I know it\u2019s not the result we wanted, but I want them to enjoy it because it is a huge accomplishment for them and for the school.\u201d<\/p>\n

Abington Heights will host the first round of the PIAA Class 3A championships Tuesday at Scranton High School. The Comets will face either the District 11 runner-up or the District 1 fourth-placer, a match that also will be wrestled Tuesday at 5 p.m. at Scranton.<\/p>\n

107: Mikel Roman (PA) by forfeit; 114: Lucas Kareha (AH) dec. David Krantz, 5-3; 121: Dakota Sandy (AH) pinned Riefler, :38; 127: Full (AH) by forfeit; 133: Tibor Toth (PA) pinned J.J. Beck, 1:13; 139: Mason Whitney (AH) tech. fall Jaheim Butler (PA), 18-1; 145: Chace Berry (AH) maj. dec. Chase Baron, 17-6; 152: Lucas Drake (AH) dec. Ethan Aftewicz, 3-2 UTB; 160: Coen Holland (AH) by forfeit; 172: Jack Kotchick (AH) tech. fall Johanzel Mendez, 22-6; 189: Ayden Kane (AH) pinned Anthony Marx-Alaimo, :14; 215: Brody Spindler (PA) dec. Frank Scialpi, 4-1; 285: Noah Gruber (PA) pinned Dane Wheeler, :28.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Abington Heights\u2019 Lucas Kareha pushes down on Pittston Area\u2019s David Krantz in the District 2 Class 3A duals…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":101823,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[305,178,180,179,726],"class_list":["post-101822","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-scranton","tag-high-school-sports","tag-scranton","tag-scranton-headlines","tag-scranton-news","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/101822","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=101822"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/101822\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/101823"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=101822"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=101822"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=101822"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}