Moral victories don’t count toward the win-loss record.
But there’s something to be said about how Greencastle-Antrim, one of the football teams picked to finish in the bottom half of the Mid-Penn Colonial Division, didn’t make it easy on Friday for the loaded Susquehanna Township Indians, the squad picked to run away with the division.
The Blue Devils (0-2, 0-1 Colonial) battled hard and trailed the Indians just 21-6 going into the fourth quarter, before Susquehanna Township outscored Greencastle 14-7 down the stretch to seal a 35-13 victory.
Don’t let the final score distract you from the fact that the Blue Devils put up a nice fight. After the Indians (2-0, 1-0) rushed ahead to a 21-0 lead in the second quarter, Greencastle got back into the game with a high-yielding gadget play before denting the scoreboard with a 13-yard scoring strike from Sean Marshall to Carter McCauley. The score remained 21-6 until Susquehanna Township finally put the game away in the final quarter.
Greencastle managed 178 rushing yards, with Blake Reuter rushing for 13 times for 74 yards. Marshall completed 13 of 23 passes for 134 yards, a TD, and an interception. McCauley hauled in 11 passes for 134 yards and a score.
The Blue Devils’ defense was challenged, but not overwhelmed by, the passing attack of Susquehanna Township. Lex Cyrus, a wide receiver for the Indians who will be playing at South Carolina next fall, caught four passes for 119 yards and two TDs.
Greencastle will look to get back on the winning track on Friday, when it hits the road to face Middletown (1-1, 0-1), a team coming off a 21-19 loss to Milton Hershey.
Waynesboro 33, Gettysburg 21
Waynesboro ran its season record to 2-0 with a surprisingly-dominant victory over Gettysburg, a team that was projected to contend for the Mid-Penn Keystone Division in the preseason rankings.
Indians QB Rayshawn Frazer-Hewitt had a nice day at the office, completing 16 of 21 passes for 202 yards and three TDs. He also rushed nine times for 60 yards and a score.
With Frazer-Hewitt guiding the way, Waynesboro rolled to leads of 14-7, 20-14, and 33-14 on its way to victory.
Nate Adkins led the Indians defense, returning an interception 32 yards for a TD, while Keyan Mobley recorded an interception of his own.
The Indians (2-0, 1-0 Keystone) will play host to Shippensburg on Friday. The Greyhounds (2-0, 1-0) are coming off a 28-13 victory over Hershey.
Chambersburg 50, CD East 2
Whether the Trojans were poking, prodding, rushing, or passing, they just couldn’t move the ball against CD East in Friday night’s Mid-Penn Commonwealth Division opener.
Chambersburg (1-1, 0-1 Commonwealth) managed just 13 yards of offense and its only points were scored by the defensive unit, which forced a safety in the second quarter. CD East (2-0, 1-0) built a 15-2 halftime lead, before outscoring the Trojans 35-0 in the second half.
The Panthers finished with nearly 500 yards of offense.
Chambersburg will get back to the drawing board at practice this week before playing host to Bishop McDevitt on Friday. The Crusaders (1-1, 0-1) are coming off a 35-33 loss to Harrisburg in overtime.
Eastern York 75, Fairfield 0
Lincoln Kearchner rolled up 98 rushing yards on 26 attempts, but Fairfield could not match the scoring output of Eastern York on Friday night.
The Knights (0-2) are still looking for their first TD of the 2024 season.
Fairfield will look to gain some traction on Friday, when it plays host to Hamburg (1-1), a team coming off a 41-7 win to Midd-West.
STANDINGS
Mid-Penn Commonwealth Division: Cedar Cliff (2-0 overall, 1-0 division), State College (2-0, 1-0), Bishop McDevitt (2-0, 1-0), CD East (2-0, 1-0), Cumberland Valley (1-1, 1-0), Harrisburg (1-1, 1-0), Chambersburg (1-1 overall, 0-1 division), Altoona (0-2, 0-1), Carlisle (0-2, 0-1), Central Dauphin (0-2, 0-1).
Mid-Penn Keystone Division: Waynesboro (2-0 overall, 1-0 division), Mechanicsburg (2-0, 1-0), Shippensburg (2-0, 1-0), Lower Dauphin (1-1, 1-0), Northern York (1-1, 1-0), Hershey (1-1, 0-1), Mifflin County (1-1, 0-1), Palmyra (1-1, 0-1), Gettysburg (0-2, 0-1), Red Land (0-2, 0-1).
Mid-Penn Colonial Division: Susquehanna Township (2-0, 1-0), West Perry (2-0, 1-0), Milton Hershey (1-1, 1-0), Trinity (1-1, 1-0), Boiling Springs (1-1 overall, 0-1 division), Middletown (1-1, 0-1), Big Spring (0-2, 0-1), East Pennsboro (0-2, 0-1), Greencastle-Antrim (0-2, 0-1).
Mid-Penn Capital Division: James Buchanan (2-0 overall, 1-0 division), Juniata (1-1, 1-0), Line Mountain (1-1, 1-0), Upper Dauphin (1-1, 1-0), Steel-High (1-1, 0-1), Camp Hill (1-1, 0-0), Halifax (0-2, 0-1), Newport (0-2, 0-1), Susquenita (0-2, 0-1).
York-Adams III: Biglerville (2-0 overall, 0-0 division), York County Tech (1-1, 0-0), Delone Catholic (1-1, 0-0), Bermudian Springs (1-1, 0-0), Littlestown (0-2, 0-0), York Catholic (0-2, 0-0), Hanover (0-2, 0-0), Fairfield (0-2, 0-0).
Scores
Friday, Aug. 30
Waynesboro 33, Gettysburg 21
Susquehanna Township 35, Greencastle-Antrim 13
Eastern York 75, Fairfield 0
CD East 50, Chambersburg 2
