Jevin Folk pictured above
By: Edward Kiesendahl
No matter the outcome, last Thursday would have been the end of the Buckhorns season, but they had no plans to leave the lake with a loss. Paupack was coming into the game finishing the regular season 3-7. While Honesdale came in 4-6 after a nail-bitter win against West Scranton. These two faced off earlier in the season where Paupack came out victorious 37-6, but the Hornets were ready for round two.
Honesdale began the game with a quick three-and-out forced by the Paupack defensive line. The Buckhorns capitalized quickly as a touchdown pass from Jake Rafferty to Ryan Vargo opened up the scoring. A good point after from C.J. Doty made the score 7-0. Honesdale came back with a score of their own early in the second quarter on a quarterback sneak set up by a thirty-yard reverse. The score remained 7-6 after a bad snap on the extra point attempt.
However, it didn’t take long for Paupack to score again with Eddie Kiesendahl returning the ensuing kickoff seventy-six yards to the house. The Hornets bounced back again, driving down the field and scoring on a twenty-five-yard touchdown pass. Another missed point kept the score 14-12. Logan Caruso scored the final touchdown of the first half for Paupack with forty-two seconds left before the break. The run was set up by a twenty-five-yard pass between Jake Rafferty and Mason Gonzalez. Caruso’s score made the score 20-12 at the half.
Wallenpaupack came out the half and drove with purpose, but a redzone interception ended their drive early. A great stand by the defense stopped the Hornets’ drive early. Paupack then drove the field and capped off their drive with a fifteen-yard touchdown run from Jake Rafferty. The momentum continued in Wallenpaupack’s favor as a fumble from Honesdale turned into a second touchdown pass to Ryan Vargo.
Hopes for a comeback continued to dwindle for Honesdale with an interception from Jake Rafferty that opened the door for a thirty-six-yard touchdown run from Logan Caruso. The ensuing drive from Honesdale ended with a huge tackle for loss from Christian Gutierez. A six-yard run from Aiden Wormuth and a forty-eight yarder from Gavin Clark set up Paupack perfectly on the goal-line. From there, O-lineman Tyler Gallo got the call and took a handoff into the end zone from two yards out. This touchdown gave Paupack a commanding 47-12 lead. The game ended with a score of 47-20, crowning the Buckhorns Eastern Conference Champions.
There was no better way to culminate hard-fought, adversity filled, season for Paupack than beating their storied rival for a championship trophy. It was a complete team effort, but there was no doubt this game was won in the trenches by the Buckhorns offensive and defensive line. The team’s seniors got to be sent off by beating their arch-rivals, in the pouring rain, to bring home a championship trophy.
