Dempsey, Roe Lead Valley View Football Past Honesdale Hornets

Cash Roe caught three touchdown passes from Colin Dempsey and Valley View pulled away in the second half to beat Honesdale 42-21 on Friday night, avenging a 27-14 regular-season loss to North Pocono earlier this year and closing the season with a decisive road win over the Hornets.

Dempsey was nearly flawless, completing 11 of 13 passes for 269 yards and three touchdowns as Valley View (5-5 overall, 3-4 LFC Division I entering the night) outlasted Honesdale (8-2 overall, 4-1 LFC Division II entering the night) in a game that stayed within one score through the first three quarters before the Cougars broke it open.

Valley View took the lead for good 8 minutes, 48 seconds into the game when Roe scored on a 5-yard run, capped by a Braden Loff extra point. The Cougars extended the lead in the second quarter on a 37-yard touchdown pass from Dempsey to Brady Bachman, though the extra point was blocked, making it 13-0. Honesdale answered before halftime when Gabe Duda scored on a 3-yard run with 36 seconds left in the half, with Alex Valerio's kick cutting the deficit to 13-7.

Valley View seized control in the third quarter. Roe hauled in a 42-yard touchdown pass from Dempsey, and a two-point conversion pass from Dempsey to Brody Bargella made it 21-7. Later in the quarter, Ben Evans caught a 4-yard touchdown pass from Dempsey, and Loff's extra point pushed the lead to 28-7 entering the fourth quarter.

Honesdale did not go away quietly. Dontae Joseph scored on a 26-yard run early in the fourth quarter, with Valerio's PAT making it 28-14. Roe then caught his third touchdown of the night, a 7-yard pass from Dempsey, to make it 35-14. The Hornets answered immediately when Jake Ramos hauled in an 80-yard touchdown pass from Abe Bryant, with Valerio's kick trimming the margin to 35-21 with 6:17 left, putting Honesdale within two scores and threatening to make it a game.

That is when Valley View's Colin Witkowski delivered the play that sealed it, intercepting a Honesdale pass and returning it 43 yards to flip field position just as the Hornets were looking to close the gap. The turnover set up Tristan Smith's fourth-quarter touchdown run, which with Loff's extra point made it 42-21 with 5:06 remaining and put the game out of reach.

Roe finished with seven catches for 220 yards and his three touchdowns, continuing a big season for the junior who entered the night ranked third in District 2 in receiving yards and fourth in receptions, according to SportzWire's District 2 rankings. Roe also carried the ball 10 times for 33 yards and a rushing touchdown. Dempsey, who came in ranked eighth in District 2 in passing yards and 10th in passing touchdowns entering the week, threw for three more scores to go with his efficient night through the air. Bachman added a 37-yard touchdown catch, Evans caught a 4-yard score, and Smith capped the scoring with his fourth-quarter touchdown run. Jonathan Anuszewski carried 13 times for 59 yards for the Cougars.

For Honesdale, Gabe Duda rushed 19 times for 81 yards and a touchdown and also intercepted a pass on defense. Duda entered the game as the District 2 leader in rushing yards, rushing touchdowns, yards from scrimmage and total points, according to SportzWire's District 2 rankings. Joseph added a 26-yard touchdown run, and Ramos caught five passes for 137 yards, including the 80-yard score from Bryant. Bryant completed 5 of 15 passes for 137 yards and a touchdown, but was intercepted twice.

Valley View finished with 17 first downs and 153 rushing yards to go with its passing output, while Honesdale piled up 140 rushing yards and 14 first downs. Each team scored two rushing touchdowns, but Valley View's three passing touchdowns and takeaway advantage, two interceptions to Honesdale's one, proved decisive. Honesdale recorded the game's only sack.

Honesdale entered the week ranked No. 1 in District 2 in rushing yards and No. 2 in points scored, according to SportzWire's District 2 rankings, and its ground game produced 140 yards and two touchdowns in the loss. Valley View, which came in ranked sixth in District 2 in points allowed, surrendered 21 points but got the stops it needed in the fourth quarter to close out the win.