It is the marquee rivalry in Lackawanna League boys tennis.
On Monday, Scranton Prep plays at Abington Heights with first place in the standings on the line at 4 p.m. The two power programs are undefeated heading into the annual showdown.
Abington Heights (5-0) dominated league competition since the spring sports shutdown because of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The Comets won 44 straight matches in the league and have a record of 54-1. That one loss came against Scranton Prep, 3-2, in 2021.
The Comets have 11 straight District 2 Class 3A championships.
Scranton Prep (6-0) has a league record of 50-6 and won a title in 2021. The Cavaliers are the defending District 2 Class 2A champions.
The team matchup will feature the top singles players going head-to-head.
Abington Heights’ group includes Praneel Mallaiah, William Arp and Domenic Peters. All three were All-Region selections last season and are unbeaten this spring.
Mallaiah has a career record of 61-6 at No. 1 singles and is the defending Times-Tribune Player of the Year.
Arp is 19-3 overall in his first two seasons, and Peters is 17-1 in the last two years.
Scranton Prep counters with Akhilesh Velaga, a three-time All-Region selection who has a career record of 51-7.
Tony Nguyen and Matthew Cohen have played at No. 2 and No. 3 singles and each has a record of 6-0.
Abington Heights is also a deep team with a No. 1 doubles pairing of Brady Comstock and Liam Farrell that reached the District 2 Class 3A final last season.
Scranton Prep has doubles teams of Jackson Keating and Kyle O’Malley and Nathan Woelkers and Kyle Costello.
Abington Heights also leads the District 2 Class 3A power rating standings, ahead of Crestwood. Wyoming Seminary leads Scranton Prep in the District 2 Class 2A power ratings.
District 2 schedule
Mike Ognosky, the District 2 boys tennis tournament director, released the postseason schedule.
The team tournament starts May 2 with quarterfinal matches at the site of the higher-seeded teams. Semifinals and finals are May 6. The Class 3A semifinals are at 11:30 a.m., and the Class 2A semifinals are at 1 p.m. with the finals to follow at Kirby Park.
The PIAA Team Championships start with first-round matches May 12. Teams that advance will play May 16-17 at Hershey Racquet Club.
Seeding for the District 2 Singles Championships will be held May 6 at 7 p.m. at Dunmore High School.
The first three rounds of the championships are May 8, starting at 9 a.m. The Class 3A matches are at Wilkes University, and the Class 2A competition will be at Kirby Park. The semifinals and finals are May 9, starting at 1 p.m. at Kirby Park.
The District 2 Doubles Championships are May 14, starting at 9 a.m. with Class 3A at Wilkes University and Class 2A at Kirby Park. The semifinals and finals are May 15 at 1 p.m. at Kirby Park.
The PIAA Championships are May 23-24 at the Hershey Racquet Club.
Times-Tribune Top 5 teams
1. Abington Heights (5-0)
2. Scranton Prep (6-0)
3. Holy Cross (4-1)
4. North Pocono (3-2)
5. Honesdale (4-2)
Times-Tribune Top 8 singles
1. Praneel Mallaiah, Abington Heights (5-0)
2. Akhilesh Velaga, Scranton Prep (5-0)
3. William Arp, Abington Heights (5-0)
4. Domenic Peters, Abington Heights (5-0)
5, Alex Harrison, Holy Cross (4-1)
6. Alex Mullen, Delaware Valley (2-2)
7. Tony Nguyen, Scranton Prep (6-0)
8. Matthew Cohen, Scranton Prep (6-0)
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