Honesdale posts wild wrestling win over Western Wayne in 2023-24 Battle for the Belt
HONESDALE — Jim Rodda was a larger-than-life figure during his 30-year career as a teacher, coach and administrator in the Wayne Highlands School District.
Over the course of those three decades, Rodda impacted countless lives both academically and athletically. Tragically, he died in 2020 at the age of 67 following a courageous battle with cancer.
On Wednesday night, Rodda’s name was on the mind of Honesdale wrestling coach Ryan Chulada, who had just guided his Hornets to an electrifying Lackawanna League victory over Western Wayne, 35-27.
“Not long before he passed, Jim told me that if you really want to keep growing the sport of wrestling, the key lies in home dual meets,” Chulada said. “I think the environment here tonight proves that he was spot on.”
It’s hard to argue with those words after witnessing an absolutely epic battle between two ancient mat rivals — a battle that wasn’t decided until the conclusion of the very last bout.
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Battle for the Belt
With a standing room only crowd providing an oftentimes deafening backdrop, Western Wayne surged to an early 18-0 lead. Much to the delight of the hometown fans, though, Honesdale mounted a furious comeback.
Led by gutsy performances from Evan Funk, Mason Avery, Joey Giannetti, Joel Landry, Levi Landry and Justin Scanlon, the Hornets rallied for an unforgettable win.
“I’m very proud of this team,” said an emotionally drained Chulada just minutes after the match ended. “Western Wayne came loaded for bear tonight and they really wrestled us tough. But, credit to our kids because they stepped up and answered the bell.”
With this win, Honesdale remains undefeated and all alone atop the Division II standings. If the Hornets hold serve the rest of the way it will mean another league title and quite probably a No. 1 seed at district duals.
The Red & Black also reclaimed possession of the Wayne County championship belt, awarded to the area’s top team each year.
Weather permitting, the Hornets will be back on the mat this weekend at the Indian Duals. Action gets underway Saturday morning at Lehighton.
Emotional rollercoaster
Honesdale and Western Wayne wrestled junior high and girls varsity contests before Wednesday’s main event.
As 7 p.m. drew steadily nearer, fans just kept streaming through the doors, ramping up the intensity level with each passing minute.
By the time line-ups were introduced for the marquee match, the stands were packed to the point that roped-off sections on the gym floor had to be set up to handle the overflow.
Finally, with electricity crackling in the air, referee Ken Decker, a man with 42 years of officiating experience, blew his whistle.
The match began at 133 pounds and Western Wayne quickly went on the offensive. Liam Farley gave the visiting Wildcats a 6-0 lead by pinning Honesdale’s Jack Hook in the first period (1:42).
Jake Leslie upped that advantage to 9-0 by muscling his way to a bruising 4-2 decision over Landon Estus at 139.
Moments later, Gavin Morcom brought Wildcat fans to their feet with another first period fall. This one came at the expense of Cole Chesna at 145 pounds (1:45).
Tyler Barletta kept Western Wayne’s early run going via a hard-fought 11-9 decision over Duke Martin at 152.
Staring at an 18-0 deficit, it was at this point in the match that Honesdale’s formidable line-up finally came alive.
Mason Avery ignited the rally at 160. The tough-as-nails junior put on a veritable takedown clinic before pinning Landon Wargo in the second period (2:25).
Joey Giannetti followed that up with a dominant effort of his own. The senior 172-pounder hammered out a 15-0 technical fall over Seth Montiho, closing the overall match deficit to 18-11.
Next up for Honesdale was Joel Landry, who quickly set the tone at 189. The battle-tested senior powered his way to an early advantage against James Jimenez, who eventually had to bow out with an injury.
With the score standing at 18-17, Hornet fans began screaming themselves hoarse at the thought of their team taking the lead — which happened just a few minutes later.
Battling back
Levi Landry gave the big partisan crowd exactly what it wanted: a pin.
Just a sophomore, Landry didn’t blink in the blinding spotlight. He took a first period lead against JJ Foote at 215, then put the clamps on in the second.
The fall came at the 2:45 mark, setting off pandemonium in the stands and giving Honesdale its first lead of the night 23-18.
“What an amazing moment!” Chulada exclaimed. “The fans were going crazy; the kids were going crazy. Levi really delivered in a big, big way.”
But while the Hornets were finally out in front, the match was far from decided. In fact, the most dramatic bout of the night was now at hand as Evan Funk squared off against Paul Borowski at 285.
No one in the gym was prepared for the epic struggle between two evenly matched wrestlers. The score stood deadlocked at 1-1 after regulation. Funk notched an escape in the first overtime, but Borowski responded with one of his own in the second extra session.
That set the stage for what’s now known as “ultimate tiebreaker,” a 30-second period in which whoever scores first wins. Funk chose the down position and wasted no time powering to his feet, posting yet another escape and winning by a score of 3-2.
“I couldn’t be happier for him,” Chulada said. “Evan has worked super hard in the room to get to this point and tonight was a huge win for him and for us.”
Sealing the deal
Western Wayne was forced to forfeit at 107, pushing the match score to 32-18. To their credit, though, the Wildcats kept battling, and put together one last rally.
When Marcelo Caminiti pinned at 114 and RJ Walton posted a 4-2 decision at 121, the margin had narrowed to just 32-27 with one bout remaining.
Victory or defeat would be determined by the outcome of a 127-pound clash between Honesdale’s Justin Scanlon and Landon Morcom of Western Wayne.
At the end of his pre-match pep talk, Chulada looked Scanlon in the eye. The veteran skipper told the young wrestler that if everything came down to his bout then he was completely confident in him.
As it turned out, that confidence was well placed. Scanlon strode out to the mat and quickly got down to business. On the strength of a couple aggressive takedowns, Scanlon delivered both an 8-3 decision and a 35-27 match victory.
“Justin puts in so much time year-round to be the best wrestler he can possibly be,” Chulada said. “He has a motor that just never quits. Justin is aggressive, he’s a pinner and he keeps coming at ya for all six minutes.”
This article originally appeared on Tri-County Independent: Honesdale notches wild win over Western Wayne in Battle for the Belt
