Trace Bibber, Logan Dieterich, Zach Meagher, Finley Osborne, Charlie Propst, Jakub Randolph and Kobe White honored prior to Week 9 LFC contest.
HONESDALE — All three local teams were in action for Week 9 of the Lackawanna Football Conference campaign and all three suffered setbacks.
Honesdale hosted Dunmore in a Senior Night showdown before a big crowd at the Daniel J. O’Neill Sports Complex. And despite a valiant effort by seven players in the final home game of their varsity careers, the Hornets absorbed a 50-8 loss.
“These seniors have done a great job this year,” head coach George Howanitz said. “They’ve worked hard, shown good leadership and set a great example for our younger players.”
Meanwhile, victory also eluded Wallenpaupack Area and Western Wayne.
The Buckhorns put out the proverbial welcome mat for Pittston Area and battled the Patriots right down to the wire before falling 14-13. The Wildcats took on a red hot Mid Valley squad and became the Spartans’ latest victim via a 38-0 shutout.
Next up for our local squads is the regular season finale Oct. 24.
Honesdale (3-6) travels to West Scranton (2-7) for a battle with the Invaders, while Western Wayne (2-7) hosts Dunmore (6-3) and Paupack (2-7) takes on Valley View (4-5).
Each of these games is set for a 7 p.m. start.
Senior swan song
Honesdale came out swinging in the first quarter against Dunmore.
The Hornets took the opening kick-off and marched right down the field with a nice mixture of passes and runs. The drive's biggest play came on a perfectly executed fade from quarterback Abe Bryant to wideout Kobe White.
Sadly for the big home crowd, Dunmore ended the drive with an interception inside its own 10 yard line.
From that point on, the game turned into The Ryan Mecca Show. The lightning quick senior tailback gave the Bucks an early lead via a 6-yard touchdown run right up the pipe. He'd go on to pile up more than 100 yards rushing and three touchdowns in the first half alone.
Mecca's 34-yard scoring scamper early in the second period upped Dunmore's lead to 14-0 before the Hornets put together another long drive.
This one ended in paydirt as junior running back Gabe Duda powered his way into the endzone from 12 yards out. Moments later, the crowd was on its feet again as Bryant hit Zach Meagher with a pinpoint pass for the two point conversion.
Dunmore didn't flinch, though, as Mecca galloped 57 yards for his third TD of the contest. The Bucks held their hosts in check the rest of the way en route to a dominant 50-8 win.
Nevertheless, Howanitz had positive things to say about his squad's performance against a playoff-bound opponent.
“We're such a young team,” the first year skipper said. “We obviously make a lot of youthful mistakes, but this team has gotten better every week and I'me definitely excited for the future of Honesdale football.”
Howanitz was particularly impressed with his seniors, who were playing the last home game of their varsity careers.
Trace Bibber, Logan Dieterich, Zach Meagher, Finley Osborne, Charlie Propst, Jakub Randolph and Kobe White have meant a great deal to the program the last four years.
“I've been around for a long time and this is one of the best senior groups I've had,” Howanitz said. “These are just great kids who I think will have a ton of success in life moving forward.”
Heartbreaking loss
Paupack came into its Week 9 non-conference contest with Pittston Area fully prepared for an old-fashioned football slugfest.
Under the direction of former Honesdale coach Paul Russick, the Patriots had already locked up the WVC Division I title with a 7-1 record. They used their trademark ground game with ruthless efficiency, wearing down a stubborn Buckhorn defense.
“Our kids just battled all game long,” Russick said. “There's no quit in them. They got off the ball hard on every play. Credit to Paupack: They're a much better team than their record shows. It's nice to finally beat them after all these years.”
Running backs Lucas LoPresto and Brody Spindler did the offensive damage for Pittston Area, each powering their way to a short touchdown run.
For Paupack, explosive plays were the theme of the night. Wideout Izzy Rodriguez brought the fans to their feet with a dazzling 35-yard TD run on a reverse. Quarterback Jake Rafferty also hooked up with Mason Gonzalez on an 85-yard scoring strike.
In the end, the game was ultimately decided when Pittston Area's John Jadus blocked an extra point late in the contest.
“I'm so proud of our kids,” Paupack skipper Matt Nawrocki said. “They're tough as nails and fight so hard on every down. I love them to death and I'm heartbroken for them.”
This article originally appeared on Tri-County Independent: Honesdale football notches win on Senior Night against Dunmore
Category: General Sports
