The Abington Heights Comets will head out to challenge the Wallenpaupack Area Buckhorns at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Abington Heights will bounce into Friday's contest after beating Scranton Prep, who they had gone 1-7 against in their eight prior meetings. The Comets sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 17-15 win over the Cavaliers on Friday.
The critical scores for Abington Heights came from Jayden Anglin and Noah Kayal.
Abington Heights' defense made their presence known, laying out the QB three times. The team can thank three different players for their defensive prowess: Jocsan Muentes, Thomas Reese, and Logan Bohn, who each picked up one sack apiece.
Meanwhile, Wallenpaupack Area got their first taste of in-conference action on Friday and they started things off strong. They really took it to Scranton for the full four quarters, racking up a 35-7 victory. Considering the Buckhorns have won three games by more than 27 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Wallenpaupack Area's win came from a few key players Abington Heights will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Ed Kiesendahl, who rushed for 154 yards and four TDs on only 15 carries. He has become a key player for Wallenpaupack Area: the team is undefeated when he posts at least 80 rushing yards, but 0-4 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Logan Caruso, who rushed for 129 yards and one touchdown while picking up 7.6 yards per carry.
Wallenpaupack Area was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 289 rushing yards. They are a perfect 3-0 when they've run for more than 200 yards.
Wallenpaupack Area didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Jake Rafferty and Izael Rodriguez. Rodriguez also set a new season-high mark in total tackles with seven.
Abington Heights' record now sits at 5-2. As for Wallenpaupack Area, the win snapped their losing streak at three games and leaves them with a 3-4 record.
Friday's matchup might be decided on the ground. Abington Heights has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 171.7 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Wallenpaupack Area struggles in that department as they've been averaging 200.7 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's contest turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Everything came up roses for Abington Heights against Wallenpaupack Area when the teams last played back in October of 2024, as the squad secured a 41-0 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Comets since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
