by TYLER HATHAWAY
ROCHESTER, N.Y– No. 2 Honeoye (No. 2 NYSSWA Class C) overcame an early five-point first quarter deficit and won 58-53 over No. 8 seed York (No. 22 NYSSWA Class C) ON Les Harrison Court at Blue Cross Arena to claim the 2025-26 Section V Class C2 crown on Saturday night.
It’s the second straight Section V title for a Bulldogs squad that won Class C3 a season ago.
“It means everything,” said junior forward Landon Washburn. “We’ve been together as a group of kids since first grade, and we’ve all been working towards this goal our whole lives. It means a lot to go back to back.”
Washburn was named the Tournament MVP. He finished the night with 29 points.
“He makes my job much, much easier,” said head coach Robb Delisanti. “One time out of a timeout I just said to get the ball to Landon. I asked him if he wanted a screen or not. He said no screen. Normally, I don’t give the kids that much leash so to speak, but he wants the ball in his hands.”
“It means a lot,” Washburn said about earning the award. “It shows all the hard work and dedication I’ve been putting in. My whole life is paying off.”
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“I think people don’t really give him the credit for the amount of time he puts in,” said Delisanti. He really works his tail off. People always say, ‘well, he’s six-seven’, but he can handle the ball, and the kid has earned everything he’s got. He works extremely hard.
Washburn helped spark Honeoye after York broke out to a 9-4 lead in the opening minutes. He scored 10 of the 12 next points for the Bulldogs to help them take an 18-12 lead into the second quarter.
“ I knew that if I got past my first guy, then I could get to the rim,” Washburn explained. “Or I could find my teammates, and it just started working beautifully.”
The teams traded blows throughout the next two quarters, with Honeoye leading 42-39 entering the fourth. Dylan Washburn opened the quarter up with seven consecutive points, and Landon scored the next four to help the Bulldogs build a 53-46 lead halfway through the frame.
York responded with a jumper from from Parker Bonefede and a three-pointer from Ryan Brady to push it to a two-point game with two minutes to play. Delisanti called time and spoke with his team.
“I just said to them that we got to take care of the ball, and we got to get stops. We changed up our screen coverage a little on ball screens, but I think that was, uh, that helped us. We really wanted to focus on Bonefede and (Yeriel) Diaz-Pena, because we figured the ball was gonna go there.”
The Bulldogs came out of the timeout and were successful in their defensive approach. They were able to hold the Golden Knights without a field goal in the final moments, the only points coming off of two Bonefede free throws with a few seconds to play.
“Don’t foul, slide, and don’t give up any threes,” Washburn said the plan was defensively late.
Entering Saturday’s matchup, the Golden Knights had been averaging 72 points per game.
“I told them (his team) that if we were going to make a run in sectionals, that we needed to get better defensively,” said Delisanti. “The kids really bought into that and really buckled down on defense and taken pride in it. I don’t think we’re the type of team to get up and really pressure you or slap the floor or anything like that, but I think we’re just a pretty good defensive ball club.”
Delisanti believes that this year’s trophy is a little sweeter, given what the Bulldogs had to go through to earn it this time around. For one, his starting center suffered an injury just a few days before the title game that forced Honeoye to adjust.
“I think this one’s probably more special than last year,” said the coach. “Especially with one of our starters (Eli Stumbo) getting hurt a few days ago. Our second or third leading rebounder, one of our better defenders. The boys were able to pull together with just two days of planning.”
Kevin Schmitt got the start in his place, and while he’s not as tall as Stumbo, he was able to come up with some key offensive rebounds in spots to keep Honeoye possessions alive.
“He did a heck of a job filling in, especially playing a position he normally doesn’t play,” said Delisanti.
The other reason it feels different is because of how loaded Class C2 was this season. The bracket featured three defending sectional champions from a year ago (Honeoye, York, Fillmore) and eight teams with a regular-season record of 14-6 or better.
“They split the C’s to two classes this year instead of three,” Delisanti explained. “I mean, York was 14-6. That’s not a normal eight seed.”
“It proves that we can beat any team,” Washburn said of the gauntlet they faced in sectionals. “We can play against any defense we see, and we can just find a way to win in any environment.”
“I knew it was going to be a battle,” Delisanti said of the class. “I didn’t think we couldn’t win, cause I knew we obviously had a shot, I just knew it was going to be harder than last year.”
Dylan Washburn finished with 15 points. Braiden Schneider added eight points. Kyle Schmitt (4) and Garrett Goethals (2) also scored for the Bulldogs. Washburn and Schmitt were named to the All-Tournament team alongside Landon Washburn.
Bonefede led York with 17 points. Diaz-Pena had 13 points. Ryan Brady added nine points. Mason Parsons (6), Zachary Bauer (4), Brody Pangrazio (2), and John Ayers (2) rounded out the scoring for the Golden Knights. Bonefede, Diaz-Pena and Parsons were selected to the All-Tournament team.
“Hats off to York,” said Delisanti. “They got a great program, a good bunch of kids, a great bunch of coaches. Credit to coach Joe Stella, in his first year and made it to the finals.”
Honeoye advances to face Lyons in the NYS Class C Far West Regional. It’s a rematch of a regular season contest that saw the Lions pull out an eight-point win.
“I’m just extremely proud of the kids,” said Delisanti. “They never cease to amaze me.”
While their season isn’t over yet, Washburn made one thing clear.
“We’re going for three in a row next year.”
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