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Maple City gridiron fans were treated to a rare feat Tuesday night.
Honesdale’s junior high and freshmen teams swept an LFC doubleheader from North Pocono beneath an orange moon at the HHS Athletic Complex.
Pat Hart led the Red & Black junior high squad to a 44-18 rout of the Trojans in the opener. Honesdale’s top running back piled up a season-best 133 yards on just seven carries.
“I’m pretty happy with this win,” Coach Steve Langendoerfer told TWI Sports. “The kids have been getting better all season. They played hard today and it paid off with a win.”
Drew Dirlam paced the Hornet frosh to a thrilling victory in the nightcap. A talented young tailback, Dirlam tallied both TDs in what became a 12-6 Honesdale triumph.
Even more impressively, the Red & Black defense preserved this win with a goal line stand as time ticked down in the final stanza.
“Tonight was definitely a gut-check for us,” said Coach Gordie West afterward. “Our defense came up huge there at the end of the game. They gave it all they had and I’m proud of them.”
The season is now officially over for Honesdale’s junior high squad. Coach Langendoerfer’s lads closed things out with a 2-3-2 overall record.
The Hornet frosh still have a game to play in their ‘09 slate. Coach West’s team will travel to Clarks Summit next Tuesday for a battle with Abington.
Kick-off for that Week 10 LFC contest is set for 4:30 p.m.
Running Roughshod
Honesdale struck quickly in the junior high contest.
North Pocono kicked-off to Kevin Miller, who was waiting for the ball at his own 15. The dynamic young returner hit a seam, cut to the outside and was gone. Eighty yards later, Kevin was celebrating a 6-0 lead in the Trojan endzone.
Miller scored his second TD of the evening at the end of the first quarter. This one came via a 41-yard scramble and gave the Hornets an 18-0 lead.
“Kevin has been sick the last couple of weeks and today is the first day he’s been near 100%,” said Coach Langendoerfer. “He does just about everything well.”
Hart balanced Miller’s dazzling display with an outstanding performance of his own. Pat needed only seven attempts to crest the 100-yard mark. He tallied TD runs of 25 and 40 yards.
“Pat sees the field very well,” said Coach Langendoerfer. “He has some crazy legs on him. I think Pat’s going to do well next year with the freshmen.”
Maple City gridiron fans were treated to a rare feat Tuesday night.
Honesdale’s junior high and freshmen teams swept an LFC doubleheader from North Pocono beneath an orange moon at the HHS Athletic Complex.
Pat Hart led the Red & Black junior high squad to a 44-18 rout of the Trojans in the opener. Honesdale’s top running back piled up a season-best 133 yards on just seven carries.
“I’m pretty happy with this win,” Coach Steve Langendoerfer told TWI Sports. “The kids have been getting better all season. They played hard today and it paid off with a win.”
Drew Dirlam paced the Hornet frosh to a thrilling victory in the nightcap. A talented young tailback, Dirlam tallied both TDs in what became a 12-6 Honesdale triumph.
Even more impressively, the Red & Black defense preserved this win with a goal line stand as time ticked down in the final stanza.
“Tonight was definitely a gut-check for us,” said Coach Gordie West afterward. “Our defense came up huge there at the end of the game. They gave it all they had and I’m proud of them.”
The season is now officially over for Honesdale’s junior high squad. Coach Langendoerfer’s lads closed things out with a 2-3-2 overall record.
The Hornet frosh still have a game to play in their ‘09 slate. Coach West’s team will travel to Clarks Summit next Tuesday for a battle with Abington.
Kick-off for that Week 10 LFC contest is set for 4:30 p.m.
Running Roughshod
Honesdale struck quickly in the junior high contest.
North Pocono kicked-off to Kevin Miller, who was waiting for the ball at his own 15. The dynamic young returner hit a seam, cut to the outside and was gone. Eighty yards later, Kevin was celebrating a 6-0 lead in the Trojan endzone.
Miller scored his second TD of the evening at the end of the first quarter. This one came via a 41-yard scramble and gave the Hornets an 18-0 lead.
“Kevin has been sick the last couple of weeks and today is the first day he’s been near 100%,” said Coach Langendoerfer. “He does just about everything well.”
Hart balanced Miller’s dazzling display with an outstanding performance of his own. Pat needed only seven attempts to crest the 100-yard mark. He tallied TD runs of 25 and 40 yards.
“Pat sees the field very well,” said Coach Langendoerfer. “He has some crazy legs on him. I think Pat’s going to do well next year with the freshmen.”
Nate Redick rounded out the Red & Black offensive attack, scoring on a 2-yard plunge.
Defensively, Josh Burkavage, Arcadio Kearney and Kyle McGraw led the way for Honesdale.
Burkavage applied constant pressure from his defensive end. position. Josh recorded a pair of sacks and forced two fumbles.
Kearney picked off a pass and also hauled in a 2-point conversion pass, while McGraw returned a fumble 50-yards for the game's final touchdown.
Jerry Collins and Cole McConnell contributed key plays as well. Collins closed out the third quarter with a sack and forced fumble. McConnell made four tackles on defense and caught two passes on offense.
North Pocono was paced by the trio of Mitchell Sauter, Matt Nawrocki and Matt Dominic.
Sauter intercepted a Hornet pass and returned it 50 yards for a touchdown. Dominic broke loose for a 62-yard TD run and Nawrocki fired a 35 yard TD pass to cap North Pocono’s first possession of the second half.
Score by Quarters...
HON (2-2-3) 14 12 6 12 - 44
NP (0-6-0) 0 6 6 6 - 18
Defense! Defense!
Honesdale’s freshmen squad used a balanced offensive attack and stingy defense to post a 12-6 win over North Pocono.
Peter Kelly got the Hornets moving in the right direction by returning the opening kick-off deep into Trojan territory.
Two plays later, Taylor Dux broke through the middle of the line and rumbled all the way to the North Pocono three.
Dirlam capped Honesdale’s initial drive with a one-yard TD plunge. A try for the 2-point conversion failed; but, with 6:45 left in the first quarter, the Red & Black led by a score of 6-0.
“I like the way that those two kids hit,” Coach West said of Dux and Dirlam. “They both run very hard and they’re tough to bring down. They get us a ton of yards after that first contact.”
Dirlam would finish up with 48 hard-earned yards on 18 carries. Dux chipped in with 33 yards on four attempts.
TJ Cosgrove and Kevin Miller paced a fired-up Honesdale defensive unit.
Cosgrove dominated the line of scrimmage from his spot at end. TJ terrorized the Trojan backfield, recording three sacks and recovering a fumble.
“TJ just returned from an injury and he wanted to get his starting spot back on defense,” Coach West said. “He’s worked very hard in practice to get back out there...and, tonight he did an outstanding job.”
Miller killed off two Trojan drives with interceptions.
Kevin’s first pick was an acrobatic, one-handed catch at the 40-yardline with 3:41 to go in the opening half. The second came at his own five late in the fourth quarter.
Dirlam gave the Hornets a 12-point bulge early in the second half. Drew muscled his way into the endzone from a yard out, finishing off a short drive that began when Dux recovered a North Pocono fumble.
The Trojans drew to within six when Garrett Fisher scored on a 1-yard run on 4th & goal late in the third quarter.
Fisher led North Pocono with 90 yards rushing on 11 carries.
The Trojans appeared ready to tie the game as time wound down in regulation. The visitors from Moscow attempted three straight running plays inside the 10, but were turned back on each occasion.
Finally, on 4th & goal from a foot away, a veritable swarm of Hornets engulfed North Pocono’s quarterback as he tried in vain to sneak across.
Honesdale’s surge was led by Jon Gillow, Zack Smith and TJ Cosgrove.
Score by Quarters...
HON (1-5-0) 6 0 6 0 - 12
NP (2-7-0) 0 0 6 6 - 6
