Revamped Honesdale Elementary Wrestling League continues rich tradition of success
HONESDALE — The Wayne Highlands School District has a long and storied history of success on the wrestling mat.
The first varsity team at Honesdale was organized in 1967. And less than 12 months later, during the winter of 1968, the Hornets notched their initial dual meet win at Blue Ridge.
Ever since that exciting moment up in New Milford, the Red & Black have piled up the victories. To date, the program has captured multiple league and district titles while also crowning one individual state champion.
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Two local legends were at the forefront of the drive to establish wrestling at Honesdale. The late great Jim Clift and George Stanton served as coaches for a tiny team that held its first awards banquet in a living room on West Street.
Despite these humble beginnings, the entity Clift and Stanton founded continues to grow with each passing year.
The latest addition to this legacy is a newly revamped elementary program that just recently concluded its inaugural season.
“We have a proud tradition of wrestling excellence here at Honesdale,” said current varsity skipper Ryan Chulada. “Hopefully, the restructuring of our youth program only continues to grow that culture.”
A new beginning
While Honesdale’s elementary wrestling program was popular in the past, Coach Chulada had become increasingly concerned that its format needed a serious overhaul.
“Honestly, I just didn’t think it was as good as it could be,” he said. “I really thought there was too much travel involved and that it was too time intensive.”
With that in mind, a radical new approach was developed. Instead of traveling to different schools, Honesdale would form its own locally-based youth league.
“In running our own in-house league, we are hoping to give the parents and kids a more positive experience,” Coach Chulada said. “The overall goal of retaining more athletes in the upper grades and levels of our program is uppermost in our minds.”
The inaugural season for the Wayne Highlands Elementary Wrestling League began in early November and ran through mid-December. It culminated with a round robin style tournament on Sunday, Dec. 17 in the middle school gym.
A total of six teams, each sponsored by a local business, took part in the event: Ebert Insurance Raptors, Watson Timber Harvesting Lumberjacks, Bortree Contracting Bone Crushers, Carousel Cradlers, Delaware Valley Farm and Garden Vikings, Hop Barons Bruisers.
Approximately 120 boys and girls from kindergarten through sixth grade took part. They were mentored throughout the season by veteran Hornet coaches Alec Dragos and Troy Russell, assisted by Dave and Megan Green.
Also volunteering their time and expertise during the season and at the tournament were: Kyle Schuman, Rick Gardner, Joe Giannetti, Nick Giannetti, Joe Bortree, Zach Jones, Tristyn Bodie, Elliot Zackosky, Tim Russell, Cody Gilbert, Jim Watson, Josh Harrison, Tim Meagher, Pat Scanlon, Dave Olver, Kyle Olver, Kyle Salvatore.
“I’m pleased with how everything went,” Coach Chulada said. “We even had PIAA refs on hand to officiate matches and mentor the kids. We still have a couple of things to iron out, but overall I think we’re moving in a positive direction.”
Program continuity
One of the truly positive aspects of a thriving youth program is continuity.
The overarching idea is for young wrestlers to stick with the sport from elementary school through junior high up to varsity. That’s the goal at Wayne Highlands and one which appears to be paying tangible dividends.
Honesdale’s boys varsity team is once again putting together a stellar season. The Hornets are currently undefeated and fresh off a third-place finish at the Lackawanna League tournament.
In addition, Honesdale’s brand new girls varsity squad is enjoying consistent success on the mat. With veteran coach Chris Carroll at the helm, the Lady Hornets have their sights set on a league title in the first year of officially sanctioned PIAA competition.
“I am very grateful for all the coaches, parents, athletes, and all of our business and community supporters who collectively make up our wrestling program,” Coach Chulada said.
“We are successful because of the amazing community in which we live and the hard-working people who contribute to our program.”
This article originally appeared on Tri-County Independent: Honesdale Elementary Wrestling League thrives with new format
