For the second time in three years, a Waynesboro Area Senior High School student-athlete will be visiting Happy Valley.
Ethan Saunders, a 2020 WASHS graduate, is a senior on the University of Delaware football team. The 6-foot, 248-pounder who is majoring in Economics, plays on the defensive line for the Blue Hens.
Saunders wasn’t too far away from another alum who played an outstanding game against Penn State during the 2021 season: Forrest Rhyne.
Rhyne’s accolades drew raves from ESPN analyst Matt Millen, a Penn State legend who went on to enjoy a prosperous NFL career with the Los Angeles Raiders, Washington and San Francisco. Rhyne pestered Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford and ended the game with a team-high 11 total tackles, including eight solo stops. Rhyne sacked Clifford in the game, a 38-17 Nittany Lions win.
Saunders, who was voted as a co-captain this season back in late August, is the son of Mark and Kim Saunders. Mark, who played football at Johnson C. Smith in Charlotte, North Carolina, is the head coach for the Waynesboro Indians football team. Kim, who excelled in volleyball under Jay Heefner at WASHS, played women’s volleyball at Drexel. She is the head coach of the WASHS varsity girls’ volleyball team.
Delaware, ranked 19th in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), is coming off a 37-13 victory over Stony Brook. Kickoff at State College this Saturday is noon, and the game will be streamed on Peacock.
Closer to home, four WASHS grads are playing men’s soccer at Penn State Mont Alto. Wesley Muller is a junior midfielder/defense for the Lions. Connor Geis is a junior defenseman, while Devin Wynkoop and Zach Stum are freshmen. Stum plays goalkeeper.
Stum made four saves in the season opener against Patrick Henry to earn his first win at the collegiate level. All of the saves were in the first half. The Lions won 5-0. Stum did two saves better against Central Penn when he stopped six Central Penn shots in a 5-1 loss.
Wynkoop scored a goal against Patrick Henry. The goal came during the 32nd minute with PSU Mont Alto leading 1-0, Wynkoop’s first collegiate goal. Wynkoop has four shots on goal this season.
Geis has started all three games this season.
PSU Mont Alto (1-2) hosts Berkeley-NJ at 3 p.m., Saturday.
On the women’s side, WASHS graduates Leslie Huckle and Gracie Vaughn return for another run at a USCAA national championship as the Penn State Mont Alto women’s volleyball team began the 2023 season on Sept. 1 at the always-challenging Battlefield Classic at Gettysburg College. PSU Mont Alto lost all four matches at the classic and then fell to Lycoming at home on Wednesday to drop to 0-5.
The Lady Lions had a similar start last season but rebounded to play in dominant fashion the rest of the season en route to a national title.
Vaughn is a junior middle hitter who has 55 kills in five matches. She also has 10 digs and three service aces and seven solo blocks and a block assist. Vaughn had 15 blocks in the loss to Lycoming. Her 15-kill effort hearkens back to Vaughn’s 22-kill performance in the national championship match against Penn State York. Vaughn was named tournament Most Valuable Player.
Huckle, a senior outside hitter, has 28 kills, 31 digs and a solo block.
Mont Alto goes up against Penn State Du Bois and Kent St.-Tuscarawas on Saturday. The Lady Lions will host Harrisburg Area Community College on Tuesday at 7 p.m.
Waynesboro is also well-represented on the Penn State Mont Alto women’s soccer team. Nicole Jones is a senior on the squad and plays midfield/forward. Kiaya Mouer, a goalkeeper, is a sophomomre. Madison Eberly,who is from Waynesboro and attended Shalom Christian Academy, is a sophomore who plays defense and midfield. Noel Myers is a freshman.
Mouer made an impressive 11 saves during the team’s season-opening 3-0 loss to Hagerstown Community College.
