It’s been an interesting week in the Lackawanna League.
The annual rivalry match between Abington Heights and Scranton Prep had a lot of intensity and some outstanding play, and, as is always the case, impacted the standings.
Abington Heights put together its second straight dramatic win, having beaten Valley View two days earlier. The Comets earned a 4-1 win to avenge a 4-1 loss to the Cavaliers from 2018 and put them in full control of the league lead in the standings as the lone unbeaten team.
Abington Heights 4, Scranton Prep 1
Singles: Rory Harris (AH) over Matt Tressler, 6-4, 6-2; Harrison Oven (SP) over Varun Iyengar, 6-4, 6-0; Sam Weis (AH) over Dan Zych, 6-4, 6-1.
Doubles: Chris Hobbie-Jake Rosenstein (AH) over Matt Tatulli-James Cavely, 6-1, 6-1; Charlie Putska-Nadov Griver (AH) over Nick Genco-Brenden Braatz, 4-6, 6-2, 10-2 (tiebreaker).
Records: AH 7-0, SP 6-2.
Quotable
“Scranton Prep is a great team and this was a hard-fought battle. We just needed to focus on playing not to lose and playing to win. That’s what carried us to victory. After last year when we lost, this year to win and still be undefeated feels pretty good.”
— Rory Harris | ABINGTON HEIGHTS
Highlights
HS TENNIS: The Rivalry – Abington Heights defeats Scranton Prep – Highlights
Posted by Joby Fawcett, The Times-Tribune on Wednesday, April 10, 2019
SCRANTON
vs.
SCRANTON PREP
In the second big match of the week, Scranton defeated Scranton Prep, the very next day following the Abington Heights-Scranton Prep matchup.
The Knights, whose only loss this season was to Abington Heights, are having an outstanding season. They have had playoff teams in the past, but had never, in the history of the program that emerged after the closing of Scranton Central and Scranton Technical High Schools in the early 1990s, defeated Scranton Prep.
That all changed.
Scranton 4, Scranton Prep 1
Singles: Harrison Oven (SP) over Camus Howie, 7-5, 6-2; Harsh Patel (SCR) over Dan Zych, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3; Mit Patel (SCR) over Brendan Braatz, 6-0, 6-0.
Doubles: Pujan Patel-Tirth Patel over Nick Genco-Matt Tatulli, 6-4, 7-5; Maulin Patel-Sneh Desai over James Cawley-Adam Kenny, 6-0, 4-6, 6-4.
Records: SCR 6-1, SP 6-3.
KNIGHTS LEADERS
2019 SEASON
Following the early-week fireworks, teams battled the elements and a tight schedule as many teams are on break for Easter. What transpired in the aftermath of the back-to-back exciting days shook up the league overall.
Quickly, just as a reminder, teams are, in addition to trying to win the Lackawanna League crown, aiming to play in the postseason.
This season, District 2 is using a Power Rating System to seed teams for the Class 2A and Class 3A playoffs. All scheduled matches count toward said overall record. So, thanks to our dear friend Mike Ognosky, the standings are posted at piaad2.org at the Fan Page.
But, just to be helpful, here are those standings:
CLASS 2A
NOTE: Teams highlighted have qualified for the District 2 playoffs. All teams that finish with a better than .500 record qualify.
CLASS 3A
NOTE: Teams highlighted have qualified for the District 2 playoffs. All teams that finish with a better than .500 record qualify.
REMEMBER
- TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP AT KIRBY PARK
Wednesday, May 2nd @ Higher Seed (First Round)
Tuesday, May 7th (Semifinals and Finals)
.
AAA Semifinals at 11:30 a.m.; AA Semifinals at 1 p.m. Finals to follow.
NOTE: First Round of the PIAA State Team Championships is Tuesday, May 14th
TOP TEAMS
The outcomes of last week certainly had an impact on this week’s polls.
First and foremost, Abington Heights solidified its spot at No. 1 in The Times-Tribune Top 5 High School Tennis Poll. Valley View, on the basis of its close loss to the Comets, have climbed all the way to No. 2.
Holy Cross, which had been No. 2, fell out of the poll after a loss to Delaware Valley on Wednesday. Scranton moved to No. 3 after its historic win over Scranton Prep, which is in at No. 4. And Delaware Valley, which won the league title in 2018, is back in the poll at No. 5.
WEEK 4 POLL
Rank |
Team |
Record |
|
1 |
Abington Heights COMETS |
10–0 |
|
2 |
Valley View COUGARS |
9–1 |
|
3 |
Scranton KNIGHTS |
8–1 |
|
4 |
Scranton Prep CAVALIERS |
8–3 |
|
5 |
Delaware Valley WARRIORS |
6–4 |
TEAMS TO WATCH: Holy Cross (7-3); Dunmore (5-5).
-
Dunmore has won three straight including a 4-1 win over Delaware Valley, however, it lost 4-1 to Holy Cross. The Bucks are 12-12 in their last 24 matches dating back to last season after going 1-13 in 2017 and 2-12 in 2016.
Dunmore |
|
Seth Reyes |
3–7 |
Max Burke |
6–4 |
David Day |
6–4 |
SEASON RESULTS
TOP PLAYERS
Delaware Valley’s Tomas Reese is storming through the league this season. He and Lenny Maiocco are the returning District 2 champions and they are anchored in at the top two spots after their three-set match two weeks ago.
On Wednesday, Reese defeated Holy Cross’ Logan Gregory, 6-2, 6-1, which gives him wins over the No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4 players in The Times-Tribune High School Tennis Singles Ranking.
Abington Heights’ Rory Harris remains at No. 5, but he has missed his last two matches.
Rank |
Player |
Record |
|
1 |
Tomas REESE DELAWARE VALLEY |
10–0 |
|
2 |
Lenny MAIOCCO WESTERN WAYNE |
6–1 |
|
3 |
Logan GREGORY HOLY CROSS |
7–2 |
|
4 |
Carlo POSSANZA VALLEY VIEW |
7–3 |
|
5 |
Rory Harris ABINGTON HEIGHTS |
5–3 |
Players to watch: Harsh Patel (Scranton); Harrison Oven (Scranton Prep); Camus Howie (Scranton); Joey Lennon (Holy Cross); Varun Iyengar (Abington Heights); Sam Weis (Abington Heights).
SINGLES RECORDS
STANDINGS
W |
L |
|
Abington Heights |
10 |
0 |
Valley View |
9 |
1 |
Scranton |
8 |
1 |
Scranton Prep |
8 |
3 |
Holy Cross |
7 |
3 |
Delaware Valley |
6 |
4 |
Dunmore |
5 |
5 |
West Scranton |
4 |
5 |
Wallenpaupack |
4 |
5 |
Honesdale |
4 |
6 |
North Pocono |
3 |
6 |
Mid Valley |
2 |
7 |
Western Wayne |
1 |
6 |
Montrose |
0 |
9 |
Riverside |
0 |
10 |
SCHEDULE
TODAY
Wallenpaupack at Montrose
Western Wayne at Mid Valley
MONDAY
Holy Cross at West Scranton
Wallenpaupack at Honesdale
Dunmore at North Pocono
Western Wayne at Montrose
Riverside at 1-Abington Heights
3-Scranton at 2-Valley View
5-Delaware Valley at Mid Valley
TUESDAY
North Pocono at Delaware Valley
West Scranton at Western Wayne
Joby Fawcett has covered high school sports — including football, girls and boys volleyball, girls and boys tennis, girls and boys swimming, boys basketball, girls and boys track and field, and girls and boys lacrosse — for 22 years. The High School Sports Blog offers deeper insights plus statistical and historical information for fans and features photos, videos and graphics along with Top 5 polls for tennis and volleyball. Contact: jbfawcett@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100 x5367; @sportsTT