Honesdale's Friends of Football have officially run down the curtain on the 2008 scholastic grid season. The Hornets' booster club recently hosted its year-end awards banquet, the last event on the annual calendar.

It's hard to believe, but the first half of league action is already in the books at the Wallenpaupack Bowling Center. TWI Sports reviews the latest results and takes a look ahead at what promises to be an exciting second half of the season.

Honesdale's girls and the Nazareth boys captured team titles at the 49th Annual Jaycees Holiday Basketball Tournament. The Lady Hornets defeated Forest City in the title tilt, 40-31, while the Eagles downed Wallenpaupack Area by a score of 60-35.

The first day of competition at the Honesdale Area Jaycees Holiday Basketball Tournament featured a dominating performance from the Nazareth boys and two exciting girls games. The Eagles, who were making their first-ever appearance at this 49th annual event, blasted the host Hornets. Meanwhile, Honesdale and Forest City advanced to the girls title tilt.

Dave Stanton of Stanton's Office Equipment claimed the 2009 Pigskin Pick'em Expert Panel championsip with a dramatic final-week surge to overtake defending champion George Schmitt of 95.3 DNH. The contest spanned 17 weeks in The Wayne Independent.

Peter Mesko & Frankie Savastano have both advanced to the championship semifinals at this year's Tunkhannock Kiwanis Wrestling Tournament. Mesko is undefeated thus far at 171 pounds, while Savastano has yet to suffer a loss at heavyweight. Wrestling resumes tomorrow morning in this 22-team invitational event.

Local bowlers of all ages and abilities are discovering the joy of this age-old sport. Paupack Lanes is once again sponsoring leagues for boys & girls...a fact which was recently celebrated with an annual holiday tournament.

Honesdale's girls varsity basketball team dominated the second half en route to a season-opening 55-39 Division One win over DV. Western Wayne used a pair of late free throws from Courtney Kromko to seal the deal on a 49-48 decision over Blue Ridge. Meanwhile, Honesdale's boys teams also made a successful debut, on the road in Milford.

Honesdale, Wallenpaupack Area, Western Wayne and Forest City will all be in action at holiday hoops invitationals this weekend. The Hornets will act as host team for the 49th Annual Jaycees Tournament, while the Foresters put out the welcome mat for the 36th Annual Forest City Rotary event. All three local wrestling teams will also be competing over the break.

Onetime scholastic basketball foes Jon Misiura & Dusty Roberts recently encountered one another on the collegiate hardwood. Western Wayne's Misiura is a senior star at Johnson College, while Honesdale's Dusty Roberts is a freshman at Misericordia.

Buckhorn running back Joey DeFebo has been honored for his record-setting season with a First Team berth on this year's Associated Press All-State Football Team. In addition, Dr. Mark Watson was named LFC Coach of the Year in a vote of his peers.

Canaan Christian Academy's basketball teams have yet to taste defeat this season on the local hardwood. The Eagles will enjoy a prolonged holiday hiatus after sweeping three sets of games this past week against the likes of Summit, Triboro and St. Rose.

Homestanding Scranton crawled out from under a 24-point deficit Thursday night in a wild Division One wrestling match against Honesdale. Luckily for local grappling fans, Jake Arnone and Peter Mesko saved the best for last. Arnone & Mesko each recorded late pins to give the Hornets a 42-35 Lackawanna League victory.

It wasn't so long ago that Lacey DeGraw was sprinting up & down the basketball court right here in the Maple City. Now, more than three years after her high school graduation, Lacey is starring for College Misericordia and closing in on membership in the 1,000 Point Club.

Honesdale's Emma Firmstone is a rising star on the local gymnastics scene. An 11-year-old who attends school at Lakeside Elementary, Emma recently qualified to represent Pennsylvania at the National Judges Cup. This year's event will be held in Kissimmee, Florida in early January.