Brady Kereha, Luke Sirianni and Luke Evans posted consecutive first-period pins Wednesday night to rally unbeaten Abington Heights past host Wallenpaupack, 39-30, in a Lackawanna League Division 1 wrestling match.
By getting through the second-closest of their 15 matches to date, the defending champion Comets set up the Division 1 title to again come down to their season finale against visiting Delaware Valley Jan. 25.
Delaware Valley matched Abington Heights at 3-0 in the division by beating West Scranton, 45-19, in Wednesday’s other Division 1 match.
Wednesday’s match at Wallenpaupack featured two of the top five teams in the Riverfront Sports Elite Eight Wrestling Power Rankings of District 2 teams.
No. 5 Wallenpaupack, coming off a championship in the two-day Cavalier Duals hosted by Archbishop Spalding High School in Maryland, won three straight bouts to take a 24-21 lead with four bouts remaining.
Kereha then posted a 59-second pin at 113 pounds to put top-ranked Abington Heights back in the lead.
Sirianni added to that lead by winning in 1:54 at 120, then Evans needed just 31 seconds at 126 to clinch the victory.
Sam Stevens, Brian Heard and Caleb Marzolino also had first-period pins for Abington Heights at 145, 160 and 189 as the Comets built a 21-9 lead.
Xaiden Schock and Henry Baranowski, who won in just 24 seconds, had pins for Wallenpaupack at 215 and 285 to pull the Buckhorns into a tie.
Giovanni Lomonaco followed with a decision at 106 to give the Buckhorns their last lead.
Colin Price had the other win for Abington Heights with a decision at 152.
Gunnar Myers opened the match with a first-period pin for Wallenpaupack at 138.
Jaden Colwell added a pin at 132 and Conan Kier won by decision at 172.
The Buckhorns, who suffered their other loss to Delaware Valley, dropped to 1-2 in the division.
EDITOR’S NOTE: The reporting and photography of Ben Magnotta contributed to this report.
