Abington Heights at Wallenpaupack

Recap

ABINGTON HEIGHTS 31, WALLENPAUPACK 14
Abington Heights notched their second consecutive victory, defeating Wallenpaupack 31-14 in a contest that was much closer than the score indicated. The Comets got contributions from each of their signature offensive weapons to improve their record to 6-2 and keep their hopes of sharing a conference title alive.

Wallenpaupack did not make it easy for their guests as they marched 73 yards in 8 plays on their opening drive of the evening. Standout ball-carrier Ed Kiesendahl scored the first of his two touchdowns, barreling in from 9 yards out to stake the Buckhorns to an early 7-0 advantage.

As they would throughout the first half, the Comets answered on their next drive. Quarterback Noah Kayal found sensational senior wideout Gavin Anders and the two hooked up on a 26-yard scoring toss that evened the score at 7 with 5:41 remaining in the opening quarter.

Kiesendahl, though, continued his efforts to keep Wallenpaupack in the lead as he raced 51 yards through the Comet secondary to paydirt. The point after was on the money and, once again, the Buckhorns held a 7-point advantage with 2:41 still left to play in the first period.

The second quarter, particularly its closing moments, belonged to Abington Heights. Leading rusher Jayden Anglin got his first touchdown run of the night on a 4-yard jaunt. Jack Hartshorn’s extra point knotted the score at 14 with 2:09 remaining before intermission.

A Buckhorn turnover gave the Comets another opportunity to put points on the board before the teams headed to the locker rooms. Abington Heights took advantage when Hartshorn booted a 22-yard field goal as time expired in the first half, sending the Comets off with a slim 17-14 lead.

From there, the Abington Heights defense took over, shutting out Wallenpaupack over the game’s final 24 minutes while the offense gave the Comets the breathing room they needed. After the Comets recovered a Buckhorn fumble, bruising fullback Thatcher Loss burst up the middle on a trap play and covered 10 yards to the end zone. Hartshorn was good again on the point after, making the score 24-14 with 5:15 to go in the third quarter.

Abington Heights had one more big play left in their arsenal to extend the lead late in the game. Once again, it was Anglin who was the author of the big play. The speedy back rambled 38 yards for the touchdown that made the final score 31-14 in favor of Abington Heights.

The Comets will return home next Thursday evening when they will play host to the Scranton Knights. Wallenpaupack will host WVC Division 1 champion Pittston Area in an intriguing inter-league matchup. Tonight’s loss drops the Buckhorns to 3-5.

SCORING SUMMARY

1ST QUARTER

WAL – Ed Kiesendahl 9-yd run (C.J. Doty kick) – Wallenpaupack 7-0

AH – Gavin Anders 26-yd pass from Noah Kayal (Jack Hartshorn kick) – Tied 7-7

WAL – Kiesendahl 51-yd run (Doty kick) – Wallenpaupack 14-7

2ND QUARTER

AH – Jaydin Anglin 4-yd run (Hartshorn kick) – Tied 14-14

AH – Hartshorn 22-yd field goal – Abington Heights 17-14

3RD QUARTER

AH – Thatcher Loss 10-yd run (Harshorn kick) – Abington Heights 24-14

4TH QUARTER

AH – Anglin 38-yd run (Hartshorn kick) – Abington Heights 31-14