Grace Mead was selected as Honesdale's 2019 Homecoming Queen. Grace is pictured here surrounded by her court: Eva Cooley, Natalee West, Maggie Murphy, and Samantha Crum.

Honesdale’s varsity football team wins its first game of the LFC campaign

A big, raucous crowd packed the stands Friday night to see Honesdale post its first victory of the 2019 season.

The Hornets dominated this Week 8 Lackawanna Football Conference battle with Montrose right from the start, eventually cruising to a 62–19 win.

The local lads were just utterly dominant, amassing more than 400 yards of total offense, 376 of which came on the ground.

Connor Schmitt, Jimmy Ludwig, Luke Bancroft and Jacob Orrick each turned in a stellar performance against the Meteors.

“I’m so happy for the kids,” said Head Coach Mike Jurkowski. “They’ve worked really hard and they deserve it. I’ve known all along they could do it and tonight they proved it.”

With this win, Honesdale improved its overall record to 1-7 in LFC action.

The Hornets will be back on the field this week for a home game with North Pocono. Opening kick-off is set for 7 p.m. Friday night here in the Maple City.

On the Attack

It’s been a tough season for Honesdale to this point in the LFC campaign.

The Hornets had lost their first seven games of the year, but wasted no time in taking control versus a young and undermanned Montrose squad.

Honesdale exploded for 27 points in the first period and carried a 55-6 lead into the lockerroom at halftime.

“This was definitely a confidence booster for us,” Coach Jurkowski said. “We needed to get off to a fast start and we did. We were hitting on all cylinders.”

Schmitt paced the high octane offensive assault. A lightning-quick sophomore tailback, Connor powered his way to 154 yards rushing on just four carries.

Schmitt opened the scoring by breaking loose on a 47-yard touchdown run with 11:45 left in the first quarter. He added TDs of 35 and 42 yards before halftime.

“Connor is just a really talented athlete,” said Coach Jurkowski. “He’s a big strong kid who runs hard and fast. Connor is also a smart player who sees the field very well. He had a great game tonight.”

Ludwig also needed only four carries to do some serious damage. The senior running back piled up 65 yards rushing, highlighted by TD runs of one and 43.

Bancroft made his presence felt in the second quarter. The senior wideout hauled in a 39-yard scoring strike from quarterback Pete West. Luke also found his way in the Montrose endzone via a 32-yard punt return.

“Luke loves the sport,” Coach Jurkowski said with a smile. “He’s been playing football since he was about two. Luke is a smart kid and a very good athlete. He can hurt you a bunch of different ways.”

Orrick continues to impress with hard-nosed running and a knack for being in the right place at the right time.

Jacob scored on a 25-yard touchdown run with 22 seconds left in the first period. He also returned a kick-off 51 yards to The House when Montrose muffed an onside attempt.

“One of the best things about Jake is that he brings it every day at practice,” said Coach Jurkowski. “He is strong and deceptively quick. Jacob is just a tough football player and I was thrilled to see him score a couple of times tonight.”

Battling Back

Montrose fans can look back on a long tradition of solid football.

Unfortunately, the Meteors have hit on hard times lately. They’re now 0-8 on the season and been outscored by a staggering margin of 301-92.

The roster is dominated by underclassmen, several of whom are showing flashes of brilliance that bodes well for Montrose’s future.

On Friday night, Ethan Cinna paced the Meteor attack. The senior signal caller completed 18-of-32 attempts, good for 248 yards and three TDs.

Cinna’s favorite target was Dom Palmatier.

A talented junior receiver, Palmatier snagged 12 receptions for 215 yards and all three scores. He is among the LFC leaders with 36 catches, 638 yards and seven TDs.

Lance Rought chipped in with four grabs and and Kyle McGinley added three Friday night against the Hornets.

Over & Out

Honesdale’s next assignment is a Week 9 home game against North Pocono.

The Trojans will come into this one sporting a 4-4 record and fresh off a 33-25 non-league win over Tunkhannock.

Coach Jurkowski knows that the Trojans are a better team than their record indicates. However, he’s also confident his Hornets are up to this latest challenge.

“This is the kind of performance that gives the kids a little bit of confidence and I hope we can build on that,” he said.

The veteran skipper also mentioned that Jeffrey Johnson will play a key role against North Pocono.

A junior who plays both ways at defensive end and offensive guard, Johnson notched a couple of sacks Friday night.

“Jeffrey played very well,” Coach Jurkowski said. “He’s just a tough kid. I know Jeffrey is going to give it everything he has every time he steps in the field.”