WAYNESBORO – If Waynesboro could change one thing about Friday’s 28-21 loss to Shippensburg at Buchanan Automotive Stadium, it would be to punt the ball with time running down in the second quarter.
Instead, the Indians tried to pull a rabbit out of a hat and fake the punt. It didn’t work, and the Greyhounds marched down the field for a touchdown. Instead of trailing 14-7 at halftime with Waynesboro receiving the second-half kickoff, Shippensburg wailed off the field with the score 14-13. It didn’t matter, at least by game’s end, that the extra point was no good.
The momentum had turned in Shippensburg’s favor, and the Greyhounds outscored Waynesboro 15-7 in the second half to go home with a 28-21 Mid-Penn Colonial Division victory to improve to 3-0. The Indians suffered their first defeat of the young season and are 2-1 as they go on the road for five of the next six games, beginning with a matchup with Red Land next Friday.
It was Stars & Stripes Night at the stadium, and while the home team and its fans would have liked to celebrate fireworks both during the game and after the game, it wasn’t to be on this night. After holding the Hounds to a three-and-out in the first offensive series of the game, Waynesboro couldn’t stop Shipp’s rushing attack featuring Janye Statum and Mark Carothers, plus the adept quarterbacking of Brady Maciewjewski (who threw only four passes the entire game).
Before the game, Waynesboro Area Senior High School teacher Laura Richardson was honored and introduced after the introduction of WASHS alumni now serving in the military. Richardson, who began teaching in the Waynesboro Area School District in 1995, was selected as this year’s Small Town Hero.
Public address announcer Will Kauffman said, “Laura’s life exemplifies strength, resilience, strong faith in God and dedication to her family and community.”
The proceeds of the 50-50 raffle were donated to Richardson’s family.
“In May, Laura faced the loss of (her husband Chris), followed by a house fire in July. Yet her strong faith in God and her commitment to her students and her family remained strong. Laura’s love for her students is evident in the time she spends with them outside of work. Supporting both them and their families.”
Shippensburg struck first after receiving the punt from Waynesboro. Statum reeled off a 25-yard run to get the Hounds into better field position after starting at their 11-yard line. He added a 23-yard gain for a first down at the Waynesboro 24. Two plays later, Carothers rambled 22 yards up the gut for the score and a 7-0 lead with 4:41 left in the first quarter.
The Tribe answered right away. An 80-yard, 11-play drive culminated in a three-yard scoring run by Ethan Alldredge. Alex Torbica kicked the extra point and the game was tied.
Key plays during the drive included a 15-yard pass from quarterback Rayshawn Frazer-Hewitt to Calvin Myers and a 25-yard run by Nathan Nolan that gave Waynesboro a first down at the Shippensburg 13.
The Indians took a 14-7 lead on their next possession. Nolan picked up a first down on back-to-back carries of eight and three yards. Frazer-Hewitt then teamed up with Keyan Mobley for 34 yards on a pass, catch and run. More yardage was added to the play due to a facemask penalty. Two plays later, Frazer-Hewitt ran for a 5-yard touchdown.
Waynesboro was unable to turn its first possession of the third quarter into points. But Shippensburg did get points the next time it touched the ball. The Greyhounds chewed up yards in small chunks as the Tribe defense had a hard time making tackles, mostly between the tackles. Carothers punched in a 3-yard TD and Shippensburg made the two-point conversion to take a 21-14 lead at 3:50 of the period.
However, the Indians kept plugging away and tied the game on their next offensive series. A 75-yard drive ended with a six-yard TD run by Nolan (15 carries, 64 yards), Torbica was true with the point after touchdown to make it a 21-21 game. Hayden ran for 25 yards on three rushes.
On its next possession, the Greyhounds snapped the tie and then scored the winning points on a 1-yard run by Maciewjewski with 7:05 to play, still plenty of the for Waynesboro’s offense.
After Nathan Nolan ran a short gainer, Myers (4 receptions, 46 yards) picked up nine yards for a first down. Nathan’s twin brother Hayden carried the ball for seven yards to near the 40, but the drive stalled out and Shippensburg ran out the clock.
