Izael Rodriguez pictured above
Photo credits to Kody of Clipped by Kody photography
By: Edward Kiesendahl
After a long season of ups and downs for the Buckhorns they get one final chance for gridiron glory against their long-time rival Honesdale. Wallenpaupack finished the season with a 3-7 record, which does not properly represent the team’s growth and fight throughout the season. As the season began, Paupack saw a lot of new faces playing both sides of the ball after losing a terrific class of seniors. These new players have stepped up time and time again when called upon. Also, with the loss of the class of ‘25 came questions about who the new leaders would be. Team captains’ Logan Caruso, Izeal Rodriguez, Jamie Stiner, and Tyler Gallo left no doubt that the team was in good hands. The entire senior class as a whole showed tremendous leadership and guidance to the younger classes throughout the season. Injuries have been rampant throughout the season for the Bucks, but they never backed down fighting through the adversity and finding ways to compete with the best teams in District Two.
Wallenpaupack’s season was defined by “almosts.” Paupack plays in Division One of the Lackawanna Football Conference, which is known to hold the best teams in the area. Even with a lack of numbers on the roster and battling through injuries, the Buckhorns were a few plays away from winning nearly every game in the conference. The team came in one game short of a District Playoff showing, but they had two heartbreakers to end the season against Pittston and Valley View. However, the team still gets a week eleven in the historic Eastern Conference Championship.
The Eastern Conference Championship is a storied game that almost every team in the area has played in. The games gives the two best teams that missed the playoffs a chance to end their season with a win. These two teams this year are Wallenpaupack and Honesdale. In week three of the season these two faced off in a game where Wallenpaupack dominated in a decisive 37-6 win. However, up until the end of the second quarter the game was very close. This would be a great revenge game for the Hornets while the Buckhorns are searching for a happy ending to the season. The playing field will be evened out more as heavy rain is being called for. The game is tonight at 6:00 and make sure to bring your umbrella to support your Buckhorns one more time.
