Mid Valley’s Landon Pratt shoots the ball during the Peter Turonis/NBT Bank Tournament championship game at Carbondale Area High School on Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Valley View’s Aiden Plotkin knocks the ball from Mid Valley’s Landon Pratt’s hands during the Peter Turonis/NBT Bank Tournament championship game at Carbondale Area High School on Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Mid Valley coach Mike Abda instructs players at practice this week. JOBY FAWCETT / STAFF PHOTO
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Mid Valley’s Landon Pratt shoots the ball during the Peter Turonis/NBT Bank Tournament championship game at Carbondale Area High School on Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
THROOP — It took a little while for Mid Valley coach Mike Abda to emerge from the locker room after all of the hoopla and celebrations concluded at the Peter Turonis/NBT Bank Holiday Classic during the holiday break.
His Spartans, who were heavy underdogs in the championship game against Valley View, gave an inspired effort in a 46-43 loss and runner-up finish.
Their mentor had a combination of emotions: sadness from the defeat, with a touch of satisfaction that things were starting to come together.
Mid Valley started the season with an inexperienced lineup and only two starters returning. In his 16-year career, Abda has built a winning culture, and this group is working hard to keep pace and compete against teams in an incredibly competitive Lackawanna Division II.
“We knew that it was going to be difficult in the Turonis Tournament,” Mid Valley senior Landon Pratt said. “We wanted to win it really badly. We knew that Valley View was going to be great competition for us. None of us was scared in the moment. We just played hard, and we knew that if we leaned on each other to win that game or at least compete, we were going to have a chance at the end.
“That is what we did. It was unfortunate that we lost. That helped us go forward and helped us with our confidence moving forward.”
Mid Valley battled through a difficult nonleague schedule that included games against Wyoming Area (13-1), North Pocono, Scranton and West Scranton.
After their performance in the Turonis/NBT tournament against Valley View, the Spartans had to navigate against Riverside (13-1), Holy Cross (7-7) and Dunmore (13-1) — three of the four teams leading the District 2 Class 3A playoff chase.
Mid Valley came out of that run with three losses. They were not discouraged and rebounded with a win over Honesdale, but sustained a loss to another strong Division II team, Old Forge (10-3).
Pratt is an intense player. He provides the Spartans leadership and an offensive spark, averaging 15.7 points a game.
Jeremy Cali, a junior, also averages double digits, contributing 10.6 points per game. He has seen the team feed off his pride in playing for the program. He scored 19 points in a loss to division leader Dunmore.
Zack Buza, a junior, has more than 100 points.
“This team, we are all good friends here; we always play together and do things outside of school together,” Cali said. “We are coming together as a good team with teamwork and bonding.”
Mid Valley is well coached. Abda, who has 276 wins in his career, stresses defensive intensity. In their wins, the Spartans limited the opponents to 34.8 points per game. They held Valley View and Wyoming Area to season-low point totals.
“We have to play hard and talk on defense,” Cali said. “Defense, especially, is what we preach at Mid Valley. Just sticking together through everything. Wins, losses, when it gets tough, even with the schedule that we have, we play some really, really good teams. We are a young, inexperienced team, so we just have to stick together and get through it.”
Mid Valley finishes the first half of the Division II schedule at home against Lakeland on Tuesday and starts the second half at Western Wayne on Thursday.
The Spartans understand there are some daunting games ahead, but they intend to work hard in pursuit of a District 2 Class 4A playoff berth.
“We know that the league we are in is very difficult,” Pratt said. “We know that we have to fight for everything. We are just staying positive every single day, working hard. It’s been good. We know that it is a grind.”