Honesdale's Elyse Montgomery named Pacesetters "For the Love of the Game" award winner

HONESDALE — Elyse Montgomery has experienced countless highs and lows over the course of her high school athletic career at Honesdale.

A multi-sport standout who excels in both basketball and soccer, Montgomery is also an excellent student who’s planning to attend the University of Scranton where she’ll be pursuing an MBA.

This past week, Montgomery received a prestigious honor when she was named the 2023-24 Pacesetter Athletic Club’s female “For Love of the Game” award winner.

Ron Ulias, co-founder of the organization, made the trip to Honesdale on Wednesday to present Montgomery with a plaque and t-shirt to commemorate the event.

“I couldn’t be happier to be here today to honor Elyse,” Ulias said. “I’ve had the opportunity to watch her play in person and she’s certainly very deserving. Elyse is an outstanding young woman who personifies everything our For the Love of the Game award stands for.”

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The presentation was held at the Wayne County Public Library before a small crowd of onlookers including Montgomery’s Mom, Emily, and Hall of Fame coach Ron Rowe.

“I’m definitely honored to be getting this award,” Montgomery said. “It’s a great way to cap off the year. I honestly didn’t even know that I was even nominated. So, it’s a really nice surprise and I’m kind of humbled to get it.”

The long and winding road

Emily is the daughter of Jay and Emily Montgomery of Honesdale.

She started playing organized basketball in third grade. And while she also enjoys soccer and softball, she's always been a gym rat at heart.

Montgomery burst onto the scene four years ago, winning a place on the Lady Hornets varsity roster as a freshman. By the end of her debut season, she had earned a starting spot and was named Newcomer of the Year at the season-ending banquet.

As a sophomore, Montgomery brought home her second varsity letter and received Honorable Mention as a Lackawanna League All-Star. She was Honesdale’s third leading scorer and finished second in treys.

Montgomery’s junior year was off to a stellar start when tragedy struck during the fourth game of the season. She went down with a knee injury against Dunmore, which sadly turned out to be a torn ACL.

From the moment she hit the floor, Montgomery knew it was bad. In fact, she experienced a dark sense of deja vu, flashing back to seventh grade when she broke her hip. That injury had required surgery and Montgomery instinctively knew she was headed down that same road once again.

“It’s such a long and painful process,” she said. “Unless you’ve actually torn your ACL, you really can’t know what it’s like. I mean, I was cleared to play again after seven months, but it was definitely more than a year before I started feeling like my normal self again.”

Montgomery powered through the grueling rehab. By that fall, she was able to strap on a brace and play out her senior soccer season. By the time back basketball rolled around, she was gaining strength and confidence everyday.

Montgomery was named a team captain and proceeded to put together a solid all-round campaign. She scored a total of 173 points, good for second on the squad, and received Second Team All-League honors.

“Elyse is one of the best leaders I’ve ever had in 35 years of coaching,” said Hall of Fame Honesdale coach Ron Rowe. “And she’s a very unselfish player. Elyse always seems to see the play two and three passes ahead. She just understands the game extremely well.”

In addition to her athletic accomplishments, Montgomery is also a standout in the classroom. She’s a fixture on the Honor Roll and a member of the National Honor Society. She served on the Student Council and was elected vice president this year.

Montgomery is deeply involved in extracurricular activities and community events as well. She helped raise nearly $15,000 through fundraisers for the Kids Care program and Special Olympics. She’s also a member of the Red Cross Blood Drive committee and president of the Calkins Ag 4-H Club.

It’s this type of dedication and commitment that makes Rowe believe that the sky’s the limit for Montgomery in the future.

“If you take a minute to look back at all the things Elyse has accomplished in high school academically and athletically, there’s just no doubt that she will be a success in whatever she chooses to do,” he said. “Elyse is a wonderful young lady and it’s been a real pleasure coaching her.”

Pacesetter pride

Ron Ulias and the late Dom Falduto founded the Pacesetters Athletic Club all the way back in 1969-70.

From the outset, the organization was focused on recruiting high school aged players who shared a common basketball philosophy. Based at Weston Field in West Scranton, Pacesetters quickly evolved into a legendary program that welcomed elite players from up and down the Wyoming Valley.

“We sought out kids who wanted to play the game the way Dom and I always thought it should be played,” Ulias said. “And, for over 50 years, that's what we were fortunate enough to do.”

After Falduto’s passing in March of 2019, Ulias inaugurated the annual For the Love of the Game award. It’s presented each spring to one local boys and girls basketball player who exemplifies the standards the Pacesetters have always espoused.

Last year’s honorees were Kate Scoblick of Abington Heights and Connor Cranage of Blue Ridge. Scoblick overcame a devastating back injury while Cranage led Blue Ridge to the most successful boys basketball season in program history.

“The past few years, I’ve been reaching out to coaches in the Lackawanna League and the Wyoming Valley Conference,” Ulias said. “I’m always looking for kids with an off the charts storyline of overcoming adversity. And Elyse certainly has that.”

Ulias received the nomination form Rowe sent him late in the regular season and was genuinely impressed. He then traveled to see Montgomery in person at Honesdale’s District 2 playoff game versus Scranton High School.

“It was quite an experience,” Ulias said with a smile. “I ended up sitting behind their bench and right in the middle of a whole bunch of Honesdale football players. Elyse played very well and when she fouled out near the end of the game, all these kids just rose up and gave her a standing ovation.

“It was obvious to me how much Elyse is loved and respected by her peers. And I’m just thrilled to be able to recognize her with this year’s award.”

This article originally appeared on Tri-County Independent: Pacesetters AC names Honesdale senior Montgomery 2023-24 award winner