WAYNESBORO, Pa. – Of all the losses in Waynesboro’s high school football history, Friday night’s defeat at the hands of Red Land might have been the most gut-wrenching.
With the score tied and the Indians with possession of the ball at their 1-yard line and less than a minute to play in regulation, Waynesboro quarterback Brayden Heimbuch dropped back to pass near the back of the end zone. The pressure got to him, and before he got a chance to unload the football, he was sacked for a safety with only 34.2 seconds to play.
The Patriots recovered an attempted onside kick and ran out the clock to preserve a 24-22 victory at Buchanan Automotive Stadium in a Mid-Penn Keystone Division game.
Red Land snapped a 14-14 tie when the Patriots blocked a punt and recovered it for a touchdown. After Waynesboro was whistled for offsides and the ball was placed inside the 2-yard line, Red Land went for the two-point conversion and made it.
The Indians responded with a clutch touchdown drive that began at their 35-yard line. Dwayne Robinson hauled in a 29-yard reception from Heimbuch. Then, on third-and-2, Robinson was on the receiving end of a 28-yard touchdown pass from Heimbuch. Waynesboro was successful on the two-point conversion to tie the game, 22-22.
The Patriots were moving the ball and appeared to be in position to at least attempt a game-winning field goal. But on third-and-6 from the Tribe 27-yard line, Waynesboro’s Bryghton Naveja-Irish intercepted a pass, and the ball was spotted at the 1-yard line.
Two plays later, Heimbuch was sacked in the end zone.
Red Land jumped out to a 14-0 lead as Eli Phillips ran into the end zone from three yards out early in the second quarter, and Tyson Kirchner scored on a 17-yard run from scrimmage.
The Pats’ opening touchdown followed a bizarre sequence in which the Indians’ Rian Stull sacked quarterback Tucker Baker and forced a fumble. Waynesboro recovered the ball but fumbled it back to Red Land at the Patriots’ 27. Phillips broke loose for 27 yards to the Waynesboro 3-yard line, and Phillips took it the rest of the way for the score.
The lead held up until the 4:04 mark of the third quarter.
The Indians took over after a punt at their 40-yard line. On second-and-13, Robinson gained 28 yards on a reception to give Waynesboro a first down at the Red Land 21. Heimbuch was tackled for a 10-yard loss on second-and-four, and after an incomplete pass, the Indians lined up for a field goal attempt.
The Patriots committed a roughing-the-kicker penalty to give Waynesboro a first down at the 12. Two plays later, Heimbuch tossed a 13-yard touchdown to Naveja-Irish to tie the game after Nick Carbaugh’s second point after touchdown.
Robinson finished the game with seven receptions for 133 yards. Heimbuch, who was under pressure all night when he dropped back to pass, led the team in rushing. His big play was his 27-yard touchdown run.
Waynesboro’s defense kept the home team in the game. Red Land punted six times, missed a field goal, and Naveja-Irish intercepted a pass. The Patriots’ offense was responsible for two touchdowns.
The Indians will host Northern York on Friday, Oct. 23, in Waynesboro’s final home game of the season. It will be senior night at the stadium.
Photos by Toya McCleary
