Wallenpaupack edges Honesdale in the 30th Annual Shrine Bowl Classic
HAWLEY — A big, enthusiastic crowd gathered on the shores of The Big Lake on Friday night to witness the kick-off of the 2022 Lackawanna Football Conference season.
Longtime rivals Honesdale and Wallenpaupack Area gave the fans their money's worth in this one, which also served as the 30th Anniversary Wayne-Pike Shrine Bowl Classic. Both teams played hard-hitting, "old-school" football from start to finish, but in the end it was the Buckhorns who emerged with a razor-thin 15-13 win.
"We made a ton of mistakes, but that's to be expected in our first game," an emotionally-drained Dr. Mark Watson said of his Paupack squad. "I give Honesdale a ton of credit. They're a good football team. We just made a couple more plays than they did and came away with the win. I'm proud of our kids, though. They played their butts off."
For his part, Honesdale head coach Paul Russick was nearly inconsolable after the loss. The third-year skipper knew that victory was within the Hornets' reach ... but, youthful mistakes finally did them in.
"You're never going to win a game turning the ball over five times," he said. "Paupack played us tough, but I really thought we were the better team. Unfortunately, we just kept shooting ourselves in the foot."
A pair of battle-tested veteran players came through in the clutch for Paupack.
Senior cornerback Mason Clark intercepted a pass and returned it 51 yards for a touchdown late in the opening stanza. Clark's electrifying pick-six, coupled with a botched PAT try that turned into a two-point conversion, gave the Buckhorns an 8-0 lead.
"Mason has shown a ton of resilience," Dr. Watson said. "He had a really bad scrimmage against Crestwood. But, he didn't hang his head. Mason stepped up and made a huge play for us in a crucial spot."
SCOREBOARD:Northeast PA high school football scores for Week 1
Junior running back Dylan Podrazil also brought the home crowd to its feet with a key play. Podrazil tool a hand-off from quarterback Drew Kiesendahl and powered his way into the endzone from three yards out midway through the third quarter.
"Dylan has been battling injuries for quite some time," Dr. Watson said. "He's the kind of kid who hits the hole hard and runs north-south. Dylan showed a lot of toughness and determination out there tonight."
With this win, Paupack has now taken 16 of the past 17 games against Honesdale. The last time the Hornets came out on top in this storied series was 2018 when they eked out a 14-13 decision.
What it means
This Week 1 victory is a huge boost for Paupack, which had been picked to finish last in the always-rugged LFC Division I. The Buckhorns will use the energy generated by this big rivalry win to build momentum heading into next week and beyond.
Dr. Watson's squad admittedly has its hands full with division rivals like Delaware Valley, North Pocono, Scranton High, Abington Heights and Valley View. However, with the performance of defensive standouts like Tony Iannetta (LB), Xaiden Schock (LB) and George Rafferty (DB), challenging for a playoff berth suddenly doesn't seem that far-fetched.
"We always focus on one game at a time, one day at time," the veteran skipper said. "But, gosh after seeing these kids go out and play such intense, physical football for four full quarters ... well, let's just say I'm really liking what I saw out there tonight.
For Honesdale, Friday night's loss is a heartbreaker. Despite stellar efforts from sophomore quarterback Aiden Collins, senior wideout Kage Southerton and two-way standout Max Mickel, the Hornets are once again looking up at the rest of Division II.
"We obviously made some mistakes offensively, but we made some really big plays too," Coach Russick said. "And, I have to say that's the best I've seen our defense play in the three years that I've been here. The bottom line, though, is what the scoreboard says. We have to clean up all turnovers, penalties and self-inflicted wounds."
Key plays
In game chock-full of them, several key plays stand out for both teams.
Paupack jumped on the board first when Clark ambushed a Collins pass intended for Southerton. The Buckhorn DB never broke stride in racing 51 yards to The House with just six seconds left in the first quarter.
Honesdale struck back two possessions later thanks to unheralded running back Robert Quinn. A sophomore who's seen limited action behind the likes of Mickel and CJ Hinton, Quinn made the most of his opportunity against the Buckhorns. He took the hand-off, side-stepped a would-be tackler, stiff-armed another, cut to the home sidelines and raced 43 yards to paydirt.
Without question, though, the night's most exciting play came when Coach Russick dug deep into his bag of tricks early in the fourth quarter. Southerton handed the ball to Mickel, who looked as though he was running off-tackle. However, he pulled up short of the line and launched a deep pass downfield. The ball was perfectly placed, hitting Southerton in stride for a scintillating 36-yard touchdown.
Up next
Paupack (1-0) hosts Hazleton Area next Friday night in a non-conference clash. The Cougars kicked-off their Wyoming Valley Conference slate with a 47-15 rout of Pittston Area.
Honesdale (0-1) also eschews an LFC opponent in favor of the WVC for Week 2. The Hornets travel to AJ Sobieski Memorial Stadium for a contest with Wyoming Area. The Warriors defeated Tunkannock in a shootout by the score of 48-28.
This article originally appeared on Tri-County Independent: Wallenpaupack tops Honesdale in 30th Annual Shrine Bowl Classic
