Honesdale wrestling team downs Western Wayne in Battle for the Belt

HONESDALE — An overflow crowd packed the stands Friday for one of the most highly-anticipated high school wrestling matches of the 2024-25 season.

Honesdale hosted longtime rival Western Wayne in a Lackawanna League showdown of perennial Division II powerhouses.

The Hornets wasted no time in taking control of this one, building a big early lead en route to a 69-6 victory. Coach Ryan Chulada’s squad won 12 of 13 bouts, piling up the bonus points via nine pins and three technical falls.

“We have an awesome group of kids this year and they wrestled really well,” the veteran skipper said. “I love how aggressive we were. We weren’t afraid to make mistakes and that attitude has translated into a lot of success this year.”

With the win, Honesdale upped its record to 7-3, and the Hornets are undefeated and atop the divisional standings.

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“I definitely think we wrestled great as a team,” said senior captain Mason Avery. “It was an awesome night. We really came together and I love all the support we get from the community.”

For the past decade, the longstanding series between Honesdale and Western Wayne has been dubbed the “Battle for the Belt.”

Each year, the winner takes possession of a specially crafted championship belt. It stays with that team until the following year when the battle is rejoined.

Friday's match began at 114 pounds and quickly set the tone. Sophomore Jason Bronson notched a pin 28 seconds into the third period, giving Honesdale a lead it never relinquished.

“We were pretty confident going in,” Avery said. “We know we have a good team, but we also know that Western Wayne isn't bad. So, we really had to wrestle our best right from the start.”

Bronson's victory ignited a string of six straight wins and a 35-0 lead. Reese Dennis (121), Cole Lamberton (127), Justin Scanlon (133) and Landen Estus (145) all posted pins, while Connor Scanlon (139) carded a technical fall.

Western Wayne got on the board at 152 when Gavin Morcom got a pin midway through the third period. Sadly for a large contingent of Wildcat fans on hand, it would be the only points their team recorded all night.

With the score 35-6 and the match all but decided, Honesdale sent two of its best wrestlers to the mat to seal the deal.

Avery put on a takedown clinic at 172, powering his way to a 20-1 tech fall. It was the 125th win of Avery's varsity career and pushed his season record to 21-3.

“Individually, I just want to wrestle my best every time out, keep improving and keep winning,” Avery said. “At the end of the day, that's all that really matters

Duke Martin was every bit as impressive at 189. The hard-nosed sophomore needed only 1:30 to notch a tech fall and move to 18-7 on the year with 10 pins.

“Duke has a great wrestling IQ and he's put in a ton of work,” Chulada said. “He hand-fights really well and wears guys down with his tempo.”

Honesdale put the finishing touches on this dominant performance with falls courtesy of Levi Landry (215), Logan Dieterich (285) and Nate Schuman (107).

Weather permitting, Honesdale is slated for a Wednesday night match against Prep, followed by two more crucial divisional dual meets.

The Hornets travel to Lackawanna Trail on Jan. 15, then put out the welcome mat for Valley View on Jan. 22. Should the Red & Black win both those matches, they would clinch a third consecutive league championship.

According to Avery, that's just the first box to check on a long list of goals for his senior season.

“We'd definitely like to go for the three-peat and get another district title,” he said. “Then we really want to make some noise at states.”