Honesdale varsity cross country celebrates a pair of Class AA league championships
HONESDALE — On Monday afternoon at the Daniel J. O’Neill Sports Complex, Honesdale’s varsity cross country teams turned in an electrifying and historic performance.
Hundreds of fans lined the course for the Hornets’ lone home meet of the 2022 Lackawanna League season. It was Senior Day and Coach Lindsey Pender’s runners were determined to make it memorable.
“Our cross country family has always believed in building a team and developing our runners into the best they can be,” said Coach Pender, who is celebrating her 20th season at the helm. “But, I have to tell you: Winning also feels really good!”
And win they did … in just about every way imaginable.
It's a Clean Sweep!
Honesdale’s junior high teams kicked things off with a stellar showing.
Led by Trevan Dahlgren and Katherine Legg, the young Hornets posted a perfect 6-0 record against Forest City, Mountain View and Susquehanna.
The varsity squads then put the finishing touches on a remarkable regular season. With Aidan LaTourette and Brenna Dahlgren once again leading the way, the Red & Black reeled off six wins of their own.
In so doing, both teams sealed the deal on this year’s Class AA championship. It’s the first time since 1999 that Honesdale has accomplished such a feat.
“To capture league titles, run like that in front of classmates, administration, and families … it just energizes you!” Coach Pender exclaimed. “I told the kids before the race to shine so bright you blind them, and they did. You couldn’t help but get emotional when it was all over.”
Honesdale closed out the season with some truly staggering win totals. The girls junior high team went 20-3 and the boys wound up at 16-7. The varsity boys posted a dazzling 22-1 record, while the girls ended up 20-3. That’s an eye-popping overall mark of 78-14.
“When something is this good you just don’t want it to end,” Coach Pender said.
Fortunately for local fans, the end hasn’t come quite yet. Honesdale’s junior high teams will compete at the annual league meet Saturday at Lakeland.
Then, the varsity squads close out their campaign next Wednesday at the District 2 Championships. This year’s edition of the event will be held at the Wyoming County Fairgrounds in Meshoppen.
“Our main goal is to earn as many medals as we can and hopefully get both teams to states,” Coach Pender said. “The key thing is remembering that nothing is just given. We need to go out and earn it that day.”
Red & Black Attack
When last we checked in with LaTourette, he was coming off a series of stellar performances in both Lackawanna League and invitational meets.
But last week, he took his game to the next level at Delaware Valley. Aidan set a new course record with a time of 16:09, leading the Hornets to another cluster sweep.
On Monday, he followed up that triumph with a scintillating Senior Day effort. LaTourette covered the 3.1-mile course in a winning time of 17:51.
“I got out hard and established a lead,” Aidan said. “Then, for the rest of the race I coasted home. My focus is on being as healthy and rested as possible for the district meet next Wednesday.”
All told, Honesdale placed seven runners among the first 10. Logan Novobilski finished third overall in a time of 18:41. Peter Pham (4th, 18:53); Lucas Murray (5th, 18:56); Jonah Legg (6th, 19:08); Joseph Taraschuk (7th, 19:20); and Paul Reiprich (10th, 20:11) each cracked the Top 10.
As a result, the Hornets defeated Forest City (15-50), Mountain View (15-50) and Susquehanna (15-49). Their 22-1 overall record was second only to undefeated Abington Heights (23-0) and tops among Lackawanna League AA teams.
“When I crossed the finish line and looked back, I saw practically my whole team following right behind me,” Aidan said. “It’s an extremely exciting feeling to have a team that shows up every week and performs to the best of our ability.
“This team has meant so much to me over the past six years. To end my regular season career at home, with a performance like that … I wouldn’t want to cap it off any other way.”
Lady Hornets Cruise
Honesdale’s girls varsity squad celebrated Senior Day in equally impressive fashion.
The Lady Hornets closed out their campaign with convincing victories over Forest City (19-43), Mountain View (22-37), Susquehanna (15-49).
As has been the case all year, Dahlgren was at the forefront of the Red & Black attack. Brenna was the overall girls race winner, stopping the clock at 20:40, after a fierce battle with Forest City’s Kate Korty (21:07).
“I got out hard but tried to stay reserved for the hills that were coming up in the second mile,” Brenna said. “Kate and I were pretty neck and neck up until the second mile where I definitely used the hills for an advantage and made my move.”
Dahlgren was followed home by a hard-charging group of her teammates. Megan Kretschmer finished fourth with a time of 21:39. Kira Fox (9th, 23:33); Rachael Collins (10th, 23:39.2); Olivia Pinto (11th, 23:39.8); and Emilia Williams (15th, 25:59) also cracked the Top 15.
This Senior Day performance catapulted Honesdale to fourth overall in the league standings. The Lady Hornets trailed only Abington Heights (23-0), Montrose (22-1) and Scranton (21-2).
Their 20-3 mark was tops among all of the league’s Class AA teams.
“Being league champs is a huge accomplishment for us,” Brenna said. “The AA championship was definitely something we had an eye on all season. We knew some teams were going to challenge us, but we didn’t let that stop the hard work.
“We are beyond excited and ready for what districts will hold for us. I’m so happy to be part of such an amazing team!”
This article originally appeared on Tri-County Independent: Lackawanna League cross country Hornets Class AA champions Pender
