WAYNESBORO, Pa. – Forget the wins and losses for now. It’s about the finer things of football: learning, growing, training and improving.
Those are the things that make a football team better. They also help a team grow together as they compete in a sport that, through the generations, has been the “main event” at thousands of high schools across America.
Everybody wants to win. But, in the case of the Waynesboro Indians in the past four seasons, wins have been few and far between. So, having faced a shortfall in victories, the program confronts the challenge of finding ways to become more competitive.
Time will tell if the 2026 season will see a turnaround in the program’s fortunes. Prior to 2022, Waynesboro experienced eight consecutive non-losing seasons (excluding 2018 when the Tribe finished 5-6 after losing a District 3 playoff game to Manheim Central).
It’s the task of new head coach Scott McClure, who assisted former head coach Mark Saunders the previous two seasons as defensive coordinator. But McClure, whose specialty was offense before branching out to position coach at Chambersburg from 2009 to 2019, will be calling plays on offense.
Andrew Paterno will serve as assistant head coach and defensive line coach. Matt Paterno will handle the defensive coordinator/linebackers coach duties. Rhyan Day, a former player, returns to coach defensive backs as well as receivers. Pat Reed is back as offensive line coach. Rick Ramsey will coach running backs, and Erica Vinson-Ondecko will once again be the kicking coach.
Waynesboro will have to restock on both sides of the ball, as will every other team that takes the field in the Mid-Penn Keystone Division. But one of those positions is the most important position on the field: quarterback.
The Tribe, which finished 2-8 last season, lost starting quarterback Rayshawn Frazer-Hewitt, who was at that position for the past three seasons. After preseason practices and the team’s scrimmages this past Saturday, McClure selected Brayden Heimbuch as the starting quarterback. Heimbuch will be cutting his teeth as a varsity starter. He’s a sophomore who has earned McClure’s trust and confidence, and he’ll be counting on the guys around him.
Heimbuch will be taking center snaps from Luke Gorzelsky. Flanking Gorzelsky at guard will be Lucas Mummert and Camdyn Strang. Kyle Albaugh and Brody Wile will play at the tackle positions.
Trenton Urey will play tight end, with Anthony Ausherman and Gavin Starkey taking handoffs. Larry Taylor and Dwayne Robinson are the wide receivers.
“I believe that our offensive line is playing with confidence, and I feel that we have the physical tools to compete,” said McClure.
Projected starters on the multiple 3-4 defense are defensive ends Cayden Lengyel and Kaiden Barlow, tackle William Quinteros, inside linebackers Gavin Starkey and Rian Stull, linebacker Glenn Coppage, outside linebackers Ronan Mencia and Brady Myers, cornerbacks Cam Lafond and Bryghton Naveja-Irish and safeties Malikai Castillo and Aaron Fortney.
“Defensively, we are getting off the ball up front and playing with effort,” McClure said.
Nick Carbaugh returns as the punter and kicker.
“I would like to continue building our depth in all areas,” McClure said. “We were misaligned on offense and defense a few times at our scrimmage. We tackled well but not well enough. We can always improve in that area. Lastly, physically, we have the tools to compete and win games, but we have to clean up the mental side of things. That was my goal when I got the job, and we are still a work in progress.”
Schedule
Aug. 28, at Greencastle, 7 p.m.; Sept. 4, Lower Dauphin, 7 p.m.; Sept. 11, at Gettysburg, 7 p.m.; Sept. 18, Shippensburg, 7 p.m.; Sept. 25, at Palmyra, 7 p.m.; Oct. 2, Mifflin County, 7 p.m.; Oct. 9, at Hershey, 7 p.m.; Oct. 16, Red Land, 7 p.m.; Oct. 23, Northern, 7 p.m.; Oct. 30, at Mechanicsburg, 7 p.m.
Roster
SENIORS: Gavin Starkey, HB/ILB; Aaron Fortney, RB/S; Trenton Urey, TE/DE; Anthony Ausherman, RB/ILB; Logan Smith, TE/ILB; Brody Wile, OT/DE; Luke Gorzelsky, C/DT; Kyle Albaugh, OT/DE; Cayden Lengyel, OG/DE
JUNIORS: Larry Taylor, WR/CB; Jayden Updegraff, WR/CB; Tony Martinez, QB/SB/DB; Davaughn Ford, WR/DB; Rian Stull, TE/ILB; Brady Myers, QB/OLB; Malikai Castillo, HB/S; Major Torres, HB/ILB; Hunter Freet, WR/DB; Keyan Strasbaugh, WR/ILB; Kaiden Barlow, RB/DE; Calvin Linthicum, OT/DE; Ethan Cartagena, OT/C/DE; Collin Watts, OL/DL; Ely Baer, OG/DT; Camdyn Strang, OG/DT; William Quinteros, OG/DT; Jeremiah Cintron, TE/ILB
SOPHOMORES: Brayden Heimbuch, QB; Bryghton Naveja-Irish, WR/CB; Cam Lafond, SB/CB; Ronan Mencia, RB/OLB; Dwayne Robinson, WR/DB; Mason Nickel, TE/OLB; Gage Shifflet, HB/ILB; Alex Jamison, WR/S; Jordan Geesaman, WR/DB/LS; Carter Statler, SB/DB; Levi Barr, HB/OLB; Baylon Pullin, HB/DE; Lucas Mummert, OG/DE; Kiefer Hess, C/DE
