Evan Funk is the unsung hero of Honesdale's boys wrestling team

Editor’s Note: This is the second in a series of stories highlighting unsung heroes on the local high school sports scene … not necessarily the biggest star, but a player whose presence inspires his team and elevates the play of all those around him.

HONESDALE — Evan Funk came late to the sport of wrestling.

A junior at Honesdale High School, Funk didn’t step on the mat for the first time until just three years ago. Since then, though, he’s had an undeniable impact on the program.

Funk is an undersized heavyweight, tipping the scales at just 215 pounds in a class that routinely boasts wrestlers between 250 and 285. Despite the disparity, he’s played a key role in helping Honesdale capture both a league and district crown this season.

“Evan is a great kid,” said head coach Ryan Chulada. “He’s an awesome teammate. He works hard, has a positive attitude and is extremely coachable. He’s definitely the unsung hero of this year’s team.”

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Assistant Coach Joe Arnone concurs.

“With Evan it’s like having an extra coach on staff,” Arnone said. “He is inspiring. He is kind and has a great sense of humor. What an all around top-notch kid!”

Renaissance man

Evan is the son of Evan and Tracy Funk of Honesdale.

A multi-sport athlete who also excels on the football field, Funk has a wide range of interests. He is a member of the high school’s Lights & Sound Club while also being very active at Central United Methodist Church.

Most notably, Funk has been deeply involved in Scouting since first grade. Just this past year, he attained Eagle Scout status in part for an ambitious project involving the construction of an amphitheater at a state park.

“I love Scouting because of the chances given to me to learn skills and grow in my leadership ability,” Evan said. “But, the most important part is the people that I’ve been able to spend time with around a campfire and hiking through the woods telling old stories with. Without them, I don’t know where I would be.”

Meanwhile on the wrestling mat, Funk spent the past three years honing his skills and climbing the depth chart. By the start of the current campaign, all that hard work paid off as Funk earned his spot in the varsity line-up.

“Endurance and conditioning are my strong suits,” Evan said. “It helps when I’m giving up so much weight to be able to wear them down and then score points deep in the third period.”

To date, his overall record stands at just 13-14. However, two of those wins came at crucial moments in high stakes matches that propelled Honesdale to victory.

The first carried the Hornets to a regular season win over archrival Western Wayne. Funk’s electrifying 3-2 overtime decision against Paul Borowski sealed the deal on a wild 35-27 match win.

The second once again came versus the Wildcats at District Duals. This time, Funk took no prisoners, powering his way to an impressive 7-2 decision that pushed Honesdale into the Class AA finals.

The Hornets would go on to crush Berwick in the title tilt and in so doing punch their ticket to the PIAA state tournament.

“I’m absolutely thrilled with how the team has performed and I’m so grateful to be a part of it,” Evan said. “Coming out of the Christmas break was when we really started to realize we had the opportunity to go to Hershey. You could feel it in the room. Everyone started to push just that much more.

“For me, it’s been as good of a season as I could ask for. I’ve only been wrestling for three years and I’m a little bit undersized at times. But, I don’t let that bother me too much. I just go out and wrestle for my team.”

For his part, Coach Chulada is thrilled with Funk's progress on the mat.

“Evan has come through for us in so many big spots,” the veteran skipper said. “He’s very intelligent and executes his strategy of wearing guys down and not getting caught underneath really well.

“Evan stays patient and pushes a hard pace. He has done a great job of getting off bottom all year despite being underweight.”

Looking ahead

Funk has notched a total of 13 wins so far this season, including five pins.

Weather permitting, Honesdale has one more dual meet on its schedule. The Hornets will host West Scranton in a non-league match Thursday night.

Then, all eyes turn to the weekend of February 23-24 and the District 2 Class AA individual tournament. That event will be held at Wilkes Barre Area.

“Personally, it would be awesome to make it to regionals after a great team season like this,” Evan said. “We are also hoping to take an individual district championship this year so it’s an exciting time.”

Funk is optimistic about the upcoming tourney and grateful to everyone who’s supported him along the way.

“Thanks so much to those teammates who pulled me into the wrestling room at the end of football season my freshman year,” Evan said. “Thank you to my coaches both past and present for their time, knowledge and continued support.

“A special thanks to Coach LoBasso who is one of the football coaches who helps to push me in the weight room in and out of season. And of course my parents who support me through all of this and are always there for me no matter the outcome.”

This article originally appeared on Tri-County Independent: Honesdale wrestler Evan Funk is team's unsung hero this season