WAYNESBORO – There is a head coaching vacancy at Waynesboro Area Senior High School – a very important one.
Mark Saunders, who served as the head coach of the Waynesboro Indians varsity football team for three seasons and installed his own unique offense predicated on speed and misdirection, stepped down from the position.
“Coach Mark Saunders has officially stepped down as our head football coach here at Waynesboro,” said Waynesboro Area Senior High School athletic director Eric McIlquham.
Waynesboro will be looking for someone to replace him, and the search for the next “Rip” Engle starts again. Saunders succeeded Josh Sprenkle, who coached from 2018 to 2022. Sprenkle was hired after Steve Myers coached the Tribe from 2015 to 2017. Myers coached the Indians to a Mid-Penn Conference title in 2017. He was also the interim head coach in 2013 after Scott Shacreaw coached from 2010 to 2013 but was let go midway through the season.
In 2014, Waynesboro hired Brennan Marion, who coached one season before moving on to coach at the college level.
Saunders was hired as the head coach in 2023. In his first season, Waynesboro was 2-8, the same record as 2022 during Sprenkle’s final season at the helm. The Indians started the 2024 season with a 4-1 record but lost the last five games to finish 4-6. In 2025, Waynesboro was 2-8.
“Coach Mark is an excellent coach whom I’ve enjoyed working with and have a tremendous amount of respect for. He has an unmatched amount of knowledge for a high school football coach and vast experience that we will truly miss on our sidelines. I appreciate all of his time, effort, sacrifice, and leadership over these past three years.”
Saunders, who played college football at Johnson C. Smith in Charlotte, North Carolina, and coached high school and college football (Winston-Salem State and North Carolina A&T) before returning to the sideline after a battle with cancer.
Engle was the coach of coaches in Waynesboro. He coached Waynesboro from 1930 to 1940. He went on to coach Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island and oversaw a Brooklyn kid named Joe Paterno, a quarterback. Engle would take his coaching talents to State College, Pennsylvania, and he spent 16 seasons in Happy Valley as head coach of Penn State University.
McIlquham said the Waynesboro Area School District has posted the job opening through the end of January.
The position comes with a competitive salary commensurate with CBA. Candidates must provide evidence of strong communication skills as well as competence in working with student athletes, teachers, parents, community members, community programs, and administrators. Successful coaching experience as a head coach/coordinator at the high school level is preferred.
Individuals meeting the above qualifications need to submit a letter of interest, resume and four professional references, including name, title, address, and phone number. Current resumes should include e-mail address, work and home phone numbers; all education and coaching credentials. Please contact Eric McIlquham, athletic director email – [email protected].
Background clearances are required.
Accepting applications online through AppliTrack, https://www.applitrack.com/wasd/onlineapp.
Before coming to coach at Waynesboro, where he served as offensive coordinator under Sprenkle, Saunders was the head coach at Chambersburg High School.
