Hanover Area came calling this past weekend for one last high school football game before the 2010 campaign offically kicks off.
The Hornets, who are in their first season under the guidance of Coach Jim Ludwig, turned in a solid offen-sive performance.
“We definitely made progress,” Coach Ludwig told TWI Sports. “We came off the ball hard and got after some people. I was happy to see that from the kids.”
However, Honesdale’s defensive unit struggled to contain the Hawkeyes’ high octane rushing attack.
Hanover tailback Andrew Forgatch ran wild over an overmatched Honesdale front seven. A transfer student from Wilkes Barre Meyers, Forgatch slashed his way into the endzone on four separate occasions.
Fortunately for local fans, two of those TD runs were called back on penalties.
The Hawkeyes opened their exhibition slate with a trip to Riverside...which is interesting because Honesdale is playing in the LFC’s Division II this fall. The Hornets and Vikings will meet on October 15.
“We practiced all week for their regular offense,” said Hanover Coach Ron Hummer. “But, then they came out and threw the ball all over the place. That took us a little bit by surprise.”
In Friday’s scrimmage at Honesdale, Hanover also displayed some offensive versatility. Hawkeye quar-terback Joe Ksiazkiewicz aired the ball out, hitting wideout Josh Cabrera with a 25-yard TD strike.
“We still have things to work on,” Coach Ludwig said. “But, we should have a good week of practice...and we’re playing Paupack. “You really don’t need much more motivation than that if you play football for Honesdale.”
While Hanover had its way with the young Hornets on Friday, there were some bright spots...
•Fullback TJ Cosgrove and tailback Jesus “Manny” Rivero each broke loose for sizable gains offensively.
•Tim Hart, who will be the Opening Night starter at quarterback, looked solid against the Hawkeyes.
•Senior defensive back Chris DiLorenzo came up with a drive-killing pick early in the scrimmage.
•Sophomore nose tackle Tom Bryant made several big plays for the Hornets.
