WAYNESBORO, Pa. — The second game of the 2026 varsity football season ended like the first game, but the Waynesboro Indians made it much more competitive in a 19-7 loss to the Lower Dauphin Falcons in a Mid-Penn Keystone Division contest on Friday night.
A week after losing 35-13 to Greencastle-Antrim, a mistake-prone game at Kaley Field that included a returned blocked field goal for a touchdown, Waynesboro shook off an early deficit but couldn’t rally when the Tribe fell behind 17-0 at halftime.
The defining characteristic so far for a young team that’s starting a sophomore quarterback (Brayden Heimbuch) has been tenacity and “sticktoitiveness.” But it’s the inexperience that is keeping the squad from executing the game plan.
Waynesboro’s defense was on the field for much of the game. Through four quarters, Lower Dauphin ran 62 plays. The Tribe had the ball for 30 plays, making the final score a mini-miracle for the home team.
Early on, it looked like the Falcons were going to coast to victory, as they took the opening kickoff and marched 74 yards on 10 plays. Connor Kreiser was the workhorse on the touchdown drive. He carried the ball seven times for 35 yards, including a 1-yard bullrush into the end zone for a 7-0 lead after a successful point-after-touchdown.
It’s simply a reality that Waynesboro has been and perhaps (probably) will struggle to get its footing. But the competition doesn’t care, and in the Mid-Penn Conference – where teams seem to get better from season to season – there is no learning curve. It’s either do or don’t.
The Indians committed two false start penalties during their first possession and were tackled for a six-yard loss on the first play. The drive stalled at the Waynesboro 10-yard line, resulting in a Nick Carbaugh punt.
Lower Dauphin took advantage of good field position and took its time moving the ball 22 yards before Ethan Amici kicked a 40-yard field goal to give the Birds a 10-0 lead with 47.1 seconds left in the first quarter.
Waynesboro’s next possession got off to a more promising start as Anthony Ausherman, a bullish running back who is a tough haul in the open field, ran 12 yards and seven yards to place the ball at the Waynesboro 45. Heimbuch connected with Jayden Updegraff for six yards to the Lower Dauphin 49, but lightning struck the next play with a fumble recovered by the Falcons at the Tribe 45.
Waynesboro’s defense passed the test by forcing a punt, helped along by two penalties for 15 yards. Lightning struck twice when the Indians fumbled the ball over to the Falcons again at the Waynesboro 47-yard line.
Lower Dauphin’s offense got to work and took it all the way for a touchdown to forge a 17-0 lead at the 2:32 mark of the second quarter. Kreiser punctuated the possession with a 7-yard scoring run. He started the drive with a 21-yard rush and followed with an 8-yard run.
Waynesboro was unable to get its offense going on the first possession of the second half, but Bryghton Naveja-Irish got the ball back for his offensive mates when he intercepted a pass. Naveja-Irish reached high to grab the ball out of the air before it reached the intended target.
The turnover was made possible by heavy pressure on the quarterback by Glenn Coppage. The pick was preceded by a 7-yard tackle for loss by Gavin Starkey with the Falcons driving at the ‘Boro 12.
Both teams traded punts, and then the Indians, with the ball on their 2-yard line, tried to run off tackle but Dwayne Robinson couldn’t break the plane of the goal line and was tackled for a safety.
That was the end of Lower Dauphin’s scoring, and the Tribe tried desperately to make something happen offensively.
It finally happened, thanks to a fumble recovery by Brady Myers with 11:54 left to play in the game.
On the initial play of the possession, Heimbuch took advantage of a huge opening on the defensive side and scrambled 19 yards to the Lower Dauphin 25. On the next play, Heimbuch found a wide-open Robinson, who took it the rest of the way for a touchdown. Carbaugh’s extra point made it 19-7.
The Falcons took a good chunk of the game clock on their ensuing possession. They ran off 14 plays and eight minutes to march 57 yards before missing a 45-yard field goal with 2:53 remaining.
The Falcons ended the Tribe’s last-gasp attempt to score with an interception. Heimbuch and Robinson teamed up for 23 yards on two pass completions. Heimbuch passed for another 8 yards to Updegraff but lightning struck a third time when Heimbuch tried to pass the ball instead of turning up field for yardage.
Waynesboro will be on the road next Friday to play Gettysburg. Kickoff is 7 p.m.
Photos by Toya:
