Author: Andy Sandrik

Organized. Steady. Clutch. Those are just three words that can be used to describe the start of the football season for the Navy Midshipmen, who have won all four of their games this fall. Perhaps those three words could also be used to describe Navy’s kicker: Nate Kirkwood. The Greencastle-Antrim graduate has been near-perfect for the Midshipmen, converting both of his field goal attempts and 22 of 23 extra points. In College Corner this month, we’ll take a closer look at Kirkwood and other former Blue Devils competing in the college arena. In the months to come, College Corner will…

Make no mistake about it, there’s no fun in losing. When your team is constantly the underdog and the losses begin to pile up, it’s hard to find the motivation to take the field again the next day. But if there’s one thing keeping two 0-4 teams — North Hagerstown and Smithsburg — going this week, it’s the hope and belief that a win is right around the corner. This winning dream will finally come true for one of these two teams, when the Hubs visit the Leopards on Friday to play in our Game of the Week. Expect energy…

Just in case you haven’t looked out the window in recent weeks, the Local.News coverage area has been a rain-soaked landscape. But for one reason or another, Mother Nature locked up the clouds just long enough on Saturday for Hagerstown Speedway to put on its final race program of the season, the Clash by the Creek. Area drivers were making forward progress all night. Dylan Shatzer, of Hagerstown, drove from seventh to fourth in the IMCA Racesaver Sprint feature after a heat race that saw him jump from seventh place to second. Chambersburg’s Alyssa Rowe was also a Top 5…

As the travel soccer season crosses over its halfway point, it’s becoming more and more clear who the contenders are in the Central Pennsylvania Youth Soccer League (CPYSL) and United Recreational Soccer League (URSL). Among those contenders are four area squads who currently hold leads in their divisions, with three of those teams hailing from Chambersburg’s Union Soccer Club. The U11 Vikings, a boys team, reign over CPYSL’s Division 3-Red with a 5-1 record, while two unbeaten girls squads, the U10 Wildfire (6-0) and U11 Mambas (4-0), control CPYSL Divisions 3 and 4, respectively. The Waynesboro Warriors, a fifth- and…

Live, Laugh, Love 5K Saturday, Sept. 28, in Shippensburg Runners: 46 Winner: Eyoel Delessa, Chambersburg, 18:28; Top Female: Sarah Boward, Chambersburg, 21:18 Local.News Finishers Chambersburg: Cliff Ocker (6th in 25:47), Lori Helman (37:35), Lisa Wright (56:41) Adam Zook Memorial 5K Saturday, Sept. 28, in Tyrone Runners: 149 Winner: Alex Brumbaugh, 18:06; Top Female: Sophia Witkamp, 22:17 Local.News Finishers Waynesboro: Alex Ruzbacki (32:33) Run to Revive 5K Saturday, Sept. 28, in Manheim Runners: 105 Winner: Chris Kline, 19:49; Top Female: Emily Eberly, Lancaster, 22:57 Local.News Finishers Waynesboro: Tamara Hollar (30:36) Virginia 10 Miler Saturday, Sept. 28, in Lynchburg, Va. Runners: 1,900…

We’re well into the boys soccer season, and at this point, nearly every team has experienced defeat at least once. That’s not the case for the North Hagerstown Hubs, who kept their unbeaten season alive last week with two wins last week to improve to 6-0-1. Another team from the Local.News area, Fairfield, is laser-focused on qualifying for the playoffs and the Knights kept their postseason hopes alive by climbing to a 6-4 record last week. Franklin County continues to be a hotbed for girls volleyball, as Chambersburg (10-3), Greencastle-Antrim (12-1), and Waynesboro (10-3) now combine for more than 30…

The Chambersburg football team has shown flashes of good play all season, but inconsistency and bad breaks have made wins hard to come by this fall. But on Friday night at Trojan Stadium, Mark Luther’s Chambersburg team took a step forward and showed what can happen when all the pieces come together. The Trojans pasted Commonwealth Division newcomer Cedar Cliff by a 38-13 score, snapping a four-game losing streak in the process. Chambersburg (2-4, 1-4 Commonwealth) trailed 13-7 after a first quarter that saw the Trojans score a TD on a 61-yard pass from Ceagan Truett to Evan Brown. Momentum…

Self-hate is not how I’d recommend getting into shape, but it’s a method I’ve turned to over and over since I began running nearly 10 years ago. The process starts when I look at the scale, my pace chart or even just myself in the mirror. First comes a feeling of shame and embarrassment, then a wave of anger. I take that rage out on myself and call myself fat, slow, lazy and other names I can’t print here.  Eventually I’m seeing red. And that’s when I perseverate on training. I will go hard for weeks or months on end…

We’ve crossed over the halfway point of the season for the CFA Youth Football League and Keystone Youth Football and Cheerleading League, and remarkably, four teams from the Local.News coverage area have yet to taste defeat this fall. Chambersburg’s Peewee pushed its record to 4-0 in the CFA last weekend when it eked out a 13-6 victory over Red Land. The Hamilton Jaguars’ varsity and JV squads have been clubbing opponents in the KYFCL this season. The varsity team is 4-0, while the JVs are 5-0. Combined they are outscoring opponents by a 245-19 margin. One of the toughest teams…

Very few girls volleyball teams in District 3-3A have been able to dominate opponents like Bermudian Springs and Greencastle-Antrim have. Now, the Eagles and Blue Devils teams are set to face their toughest challenge of the season: Each other. Expect a playoff atmosphere at Greencastle tonight when Bermudian Springs, ranked No. 4 in the district, takes on the No. 1-ranked Blue Devils in a game that will have post-season implications. With top-shelf talent on both sides of the net, it’s anyone’s guess as to who will prevail in tonight’s pivotal non-league tilt. For that reason, we’ve selected this contest as…