Lake Ariel, PA — VARDEN — Honesdale got off to a fast start in Friday night's Week 1 Lackawanna Football Conference opener against archrival Wallenpaupack Area. The Hornets scored on their second possession in spectacular style, thanks to an aerial connection between quarterback Aiden Collins and wide receiver Cameron Hedgelon. After that big play, though, the Buckhorns completely dominated the rest of the way. Led by Dylan Podrazil, Drew Kiesendahl, Jake Holbert and Shayne Madrigal, Paupack reeled off 23 unanswered points en route to a stunning 23-6 victory "I can't tell you how proud I am of these kids," said an elated Dr. Mark Watson just minutes after the final whistle. "Every single time we ran into a little bit of adversity, it was 'next man up.' They played their hearts out tonight and left it all out there on the field." Paupack won just one game all of last season, dropping its final nine games and missing out on the playoffs. However, with this emphatic victory in their back pockets, the Buckhorns appear destined for better things this fall. "This is definitely something we can build on," the veteran head coach said. "Sure, we made a ton of mistakes, but we did a lot of really good things too. We'll enjoy this for a little bit, but then it's right back to work on Monday." Next up for Paupack is a road trip to Hazleton Area for a non-league encounter. The Cougars kick-off their Wyoming Valley Conference campaign by thrashing Pittston Area, 28-7 As for the Hornets, they'll look to re-group for their Week 2 contest, an away game at Wyoming Area. The Spartans demolished Tunkhannock, 49-0, in their 2023 debut. Honesdale struck first Friday night, in a neutral site game that was played at Western Wayne due to ongoing renovations of the Daniel J. O'Neill Sports Complex. After the two teams traded early punts, the Hornets found themselves facing third and 12 at their own 35. Junior quarterback Aiden Collins dropped back to pass and fired a strike to wideout Cameron Hedgelon over the middle. The speedy senior hauled in the pass, broke a tackle and sprinted 65 yards to paydirt. The extra point try sailed wide left, but with 4:54 left in the opening stanza, Honesdale held a 6-0 lead. Sadly for Red & Black fans, that was to be the lone offensive highlight of the entire night. Paupack retaliated quickly, scoring on the first play of the second quarter via a seven yard touchdown run by tailback Dylan Podrazil. The tough-as-nails senior went on to tally another score and amass 146 yards rushing. "My offensive line really blocked well tonight," Podrazil said. "We definitely got off to a little bit of a slow start, but we really picked things up as the game went on. I think the difference was that we played harder, stronger and faster. That's always the goal." Podrazil's second TD came with just :54 remaining in the first half and pushed the Paupack lead to 14-6 at intermission. That margin increased to 20-6 after the break when Shayne Madrigal hit flanker Jake Holbert on a perfectly executed fade from seven yards out. Madrigal and Kiesendahl shared quarterbacking duties on this night as heat cramps forced several players on each team off the field for various stretches of time. Holbert was their main target, finishing up his night with seven catches good for 107 yards. Honesdale finally appeared to generate the break it needed midway through the fourth quarter when Donovan Davis intercepted a Kiesendahl pass. However, the Hornets couldn't take advantage and had to punt the ball away. That's went Paupack put the final nail in the proverbial coffin. Senior kicker Gannon Decker split the uprights with a 24-yard field goal, bringing the final score to 23-6. Collins threw for 165 yards and one touchdown for Honesdale, while also rushing for 49 yards. Mason Avery chipped in with 46 yards on the ground. Hedgelon was the Hornets' top receiver with four grabs for 102 yards. "This was a great way to start off the season," Podrazil said. "But, Monday we'll be turning the page and getting ready for Hazleton. It's a long season and we have a really tough schedule. We have to get right back to work." It wasn't enough, though, as Paupack responded to every challenge it faced.