Author: Andy Sandrik

There’s a certain aura and mystique that surround the select teams that can navigate to the postseason without tasting defeat. North Hagerstown’s boys soccer program has a chance to do just that, but it won’t be easy as the Hubs face two winning teams in their final two games of the season. The road to a potential undefeated season resumes for North Hagerstown on Saturday afternoon when the Hubs pack their bags for a road match at Walkersville. The Lions would love nothing more than to spoil the fun for North Hagerstown but will have a tough task against the…

Hawktoberfest 5K Saturday, Oct. 12, in Hagerstown Runners: 130 Winner: Lucas Young, Hagerstown, Md., 16:42; Top Female: Cheryl Scholl, Hagerstown, Md., 20:44 Local.News Finishers Hagerstown: Yoan Compere (3rd in 19:16), Mike Martin (4th in 20:38), Timeo Compere (6th in 21:08), Skylar Detrick (8th in 21:38), Bryce Gates (23:26, 3rd in 30-39 AG), Aaron Rodgers (23:50), Brody Boyer (24:20), Matthew Vich (24:38), Zahir Scott (25:32, 3rd in 20-29 AG), Megan Curry (25:43, 2nd in 30-39 AG), Dean Mjanbe (26:55, 2nd in 16-19 AG), Kelsey Rodgers (27:29, 2nd in 20-29 AG), Sawyer Rachor (27:44), Christopher Cline (27:54), John Gates (28:42, 1st in…

There’s nothing easy about winning on the auto racing circuit, but the path to Victory Lane can be made easier by properly executing the three phases of Race Day: The qualifying round, heat race and feature race. Devin Friese understood the assignment and checked all three boxes while competing in the Masters Legends division at BAPS Motor Speedway on Friday and Saturday. The Chambersburg driver kicked off his weekend by running the second-fastest time in qualifying, then followed up by winning his heat race. Those efforts set Friese up for a second-starting position in Saturday’s 25-lap feature. Friese handled the…

As the travel soccer season rolls to its final games of the fall, five teams from the Local.News coverage area are still chasing the undefeated dream. Three of those are girls squads that hail from the Chambersburg-based Union Soccer Club: The U10 Wildfire (7-0), U11 Mambas (5-0), and U13 Eclipse (4-0-1), a trio of teams that are combining to outscore opponents by a 91-17 margin against competition in the Central Pennsylvania Youth Soccer League. Waynesboro’s youth soccer program has a good thing going in the United Recreational Soccer League, as two of its fifth- and sixth-grade co-ed teams — Waynesboro…

Chambersburg golfer Emily Rensch is advancing to the PIAA Championships following a brilliant weekend at the District 3-3A Championships. Rensch, a senior, navigated through Honey Run Golf Course with a 79-75-154 to land in third place. Her big effort secured a spot at states, which will be held on Oct. 21-22 at Penn State University’s White Course. Cross country is an individual sport, but Chambersburg’s boys and girls get to run as a team for at least one more race this fall. Both teams secured runner-up team finishes at last weekend’s Mid-Penn Championships to earn spots at the District 3…

Not many of the high school football “experts” were expecting the Greencastle-Antrim Blue Devils, a one-win team, to even hold a candle against visiting Juniata on Friday night. It seemed like a safe pick, as the Indians were riding high on a four-game winning streak, but Devin McCauley’s Blue Devils had other ideas, as the team put together four solid quarters on its way to a lopsided 40-21 win. Greencastle wide receiver Carter McCauley had another monster game, as he caught seven passes for 104 yards and three TDs. All three of those TDs came in the second quarter and…

If you ask Tara Dower, she’ll tell you that female runners have two physical advantages over men in both endurance and pain tolerance. Whether that’s a fact or just an opinion is still up for debate, but right now it’s hard to argue against the 31-year-old ultra running star, who recently completed the Appalachian Trail — all 2,197 miles of it — in a record-breaking 40 days, 18 hours and five minutes. That is the fastest known time (FKT) on the Appalachian Trail for any person, male or female. How did she break Karel Sabbe’s 2018 record of 41-plus days? …

It’s only a matter of weeks before postseason play begins in the realm of youth football, and we’ve identified seven area gridiron squads that are primed to make noise when the playoffs begin. The CFA Youth Football League features strong teams from Chambersburg, Waynesboro and Fairfield. The Trojans Peewee squad have rattled off a 6-0 overall record, while the Stallion Midget (5-1) and Knight Pony (5-1) teams are also putting together monster season. With two unbeaten teams in their program, the Hamilton Jaguars have been dominant in the Keystone Youth Football and Cheerleading League. Hamilton’s varsity and JV squads are…

The Chambersburg football team has found that winning feeling, and the Trojans want to hang on to that high for as long as they can. The season seemed to hit a turning point in Week 6, when a one-win Chambersburg squad entered as an underdog against Cedar Cliff, and walked away with a stunning 38-13 beatdown over the Colts. That momentum carried into the following week, when the Trojans used late-game big plays to down Carlisle by a 28-13 score. All of a sudden, there’s excitement around the program, even talk about qualifying for the postseason. That enthusiasm could erupt…

Key City Foundation Octoberfest 5K Saturday, Oct. 5, in Frederick, Md. Runners: 102 Winner: Sam Moore, Catonsville, Md., 19:00; Top Female: Zhana Ivanova, Frederick, Md., 20:03 Local.News Finishers Hagerstown: Eloisa Banes (31:22, 2nd in 50-64 AG) Fairfield: Noelle Gleeson (49:40), Stephen Swanson (49:40) Snack Town Half Marathon Saturday, Oct. 5, in Hanover Runners: 230 Winner: Colin Russell, Hanover, 1:22:26; Top Female: Hannah McCoy, York, 1:37:32 Local.News Finishers Greencastle: Jenna Strite (2:28:39) Fairfield: Olivia Hubble (2:34:27) Smithsburg: Yvonne Ford (3:01:03) Snack Town 5K Saturday, Oct. 5, in Hanover Runners: 210 Winner: Lukas Raullerson, New Oxford, 17:36; Top Female: Z. Gelsinger, Hanover,…