Honesdale, PA — BY HERB SMITH CORRESPONDENT Sep 14, 2024 HONESDALE — With Honesdale committed to stopping leading rusher Jakob Lesher, Mid Valley needed a different offensive strategy. Enter Brett Yanoski. The junior quarterback nearly equaled his season output for passing yards by throwing for 219 yards and a pair of touchdowns, leading the fifth-ranked Spartans to a 27-14 win in a Lackawanna Football Conference Division II game at Honesdale High School on Friday. Yanoski hit seven receivers, but his favorite target was Connor Hughes, who had nine receptions for 95 yards. “Connor was sick yesterday and didn't really practice and today just came out and played his butt off,” Mid Valley head coach Stan Yanoski said. “For the condition he was in, all the receptions he had, and Brett running the show. They really honed in on Jakob and we just proved that we can be an overall team and beat a very good football team.” Yanoski went 4-for-4 passing on Mid Valley's opening drive and Lesher scored on a 5-yard run to give the Spartans a 6-0 lead. Honesdale (2-2 overall, 0-1 Division II) was forced to punt on its first two possessions, but got on track in the second quarter. The Hornets went 70 yards in 13 plays, including converting a fourth-and-9 when Aiden Collins hit Kobe White for an 11-yard gain. Gabe Duda scored on a 4-yard run and the extra point gave Honesdale a 7-6 lead with 4:14 left in the first half. Yanoski and Hughes connected four times on Mid Valley's first possession of the second half and then the southpaw quarterback hit Rhys Williams over the middle for a 14-yard touchdown pass. Hughes then made a great one-handed catch on the two-point conversion to give Mid Valley a 14-7 lead. The Spartans (4-0, 1-0) were forced to punt on their next possession, but the returner fumbled and Mid Valley recovered at the Hornets 20. “Jake (Bondy) hit a beauty,” Stan Yanoski said. “(The returner) had trouble with it and we hustled down there and when you're around the ball good things happen.” Four plays later, Kaleb Parry powered in for a 3-yard touchdown run to push the lead to 21-7. Honesdale answered in two plays. Mason Avery ripped off a 23-yard run and then Collins found Duda over the middle of the field and the sophomore ran 32 yards for a touchdown, cutting the deficit to 21-14 with nine seconds left in the third quarter. Later in the fourth quarter, Bondy made a diving interception to give Mid Valley the ball at the Hornets 31 with 3:18 remaining. After a negative play, Yanoski faked a handoff and found Bondy in the middle of the field and the tight end took it 34 yards for a touchdown. “It was just another game,” Brett Yanoski said. “They were probably the best team that we've played so far, so I knew that I would have to step up for us to help us win.” Bondy finished with three catches for 44 yards and a touchdown while Lesher had 96 yards rushing on 28 carries. “It's amazing,” Brett Yanoski said. “I can't do anything if they're not doing their job, so they made me look good tonight.”