VARDEN — Darren Thorpe has been the face of Western Wayne’s volleyball program for nearly two decades.
Thorpe has been head coach of the girls varsity team for 19 years and this spring marks his 10th season at the helm of the boys varsity squad.
Over the course of that time, Thorpe has guided the Wildcats to multiple league titles and been a perennial presence at the district tournament.
As the 2025 Lackawanna League campaign gets underway, Thorpe believes his boys team will once again be right in the thick of the championship chase.
“We have a challenging schedule so hopefully we can improve as we go,” he said. “Abington Heights and Blue Ridge will both be strong in the league and Holy Redeemer sits at the top as far as districts go. We can definitely be there at the end, but we'll need to work hard and stay healthy.”
Western Wayne commenced regular season action Tuesday on the road at North Pocono and powered its way to a 3-0 victory. The Wildcats then celebrated their home opener Thursday with a 3-1 decision over a scrappy West Scranton squad.
Next up is a road trip to Mountain View on Tuesday followed by a home match versus Elk Lake Thursday.
Returning All-Stars
This year’s Western Wayne boys volleyball team is led by a battle-tested nucleus of veteran players.
Theo Black, Vinny Silon and John Pyatt are all seniors and three-year starters who should provide solid leadership on and off the court. Each earned Second Team All-League honors last spring.
Black has been a fixture at the heart of Western Wayne’s offensive attack for three years now. He’s an intelligent, athletic player with a knack for finding the open man. Black amassed 422 assists last season and is closing in on 1,000 for his career.
“Theo is a strong setter,” Thorpe said. “He understands the game well and gets the ball to the right hitter consistently.”
Silon is an outside hitter who hammered home a total of 225 kills last year. A multi-sport standout who also excels on the football field, Silon has a shot at ...
