Standing just outside of the District 3-4A playoff bubble, the Greencastle-Antrim football squad desperately needed a win.
And thanks to a suffocating defense, the Blue Devils got one.
On the strength of a defensive unit that allowed just 48 rushing yards, Greencastle squeezed out a 14-9 win over East Pennsboro in Friday night’s Mid-Penn Colonial Division game in Enola. With the victory, the Blue Devils (5-4, 3-3) keep their hopes alive in the District 3-4A playoff picture. Currently sitting at No. 14 in the power rankings, Greencastle will need a Week 10 win and likely some help to qualify for the 10-team 4A tourney.
The Blue Devils opened scoring in the first quarter with a one-yard TD plunge from Landon Kagarise. Blake Witmer’s extra point made the score 7-0, a score that held until near the end of the third, when East Pennsboro’s Calvin Hunsicker buried a 30-yard field goal.
Greencastle’s Spencer Long, who totaled 14 carries for 117 rushing yards, boosted the Blue Devils’ lead to 14-3 with a 14-yard TD scamper midway through the fourth quarter. The Panthers (3-6, 2-4) finally got in the end zone with 23 seconds remaining, when Alex Costa found Nasiere Ingram for a 56-yard scoring strike.
Greencastle, which played a turnover-free game, got three catches for 45 yards from Wyatt Hull.
The Blue Devils wrap up their regular season on Friday with a home game against Middletown (4-5, 2-4), a squad coming off a 35-7 victory over Boiling Springs.
Chambersburg 37, CD East 14
Chambersburg picked up its third win of the season — and kept its postseason aspirations alive — by throttling CD East in Friday night’s Mid-Penn Commonwealth Division contest.
The Trojans (3-6, 3-5) forced three turnovers and built a 30-0 lead by the end of the third quarter. Chambersburg QB Cam Green completed 10 of 22 passes for 137 yards, with TD throws going to Jashaun Palmer (53 yards) and Seth Gilliam (6). Malachi Tasker added scoring runs of three and one yards.
The Panthers (1-8, 1-7) posted all 14 of their points in the fourth quarter, with Chambersburg also getting on the board with a 44-yard kickoff return from Nathan Chambers.
The Trojans defense, which allowed just 47 rushing yards, got an interception from Isaiah Wright.
Chambersburg — now ranked No. 13 just outside of the 12-team District 3-6A playoff field — can still qualify for the postseason, but it will require beating a state runner-up. On Friday, the Trojans will host Bishop McDevitt (8-1, 7-1), a squad which placed second in last year’s PIAA Class 5A title game. The Crusaders are coming off a 51-14 win over previously-undefeated Harrisburg.
Northern 31, Waynesboro 21
Waynesboro played its strongest game of the season on Friday, and fell just short of springing an upset over Mid-Penn Keystone Division champion Northern.
The Indians (0-9, 0-8) came out swinging and built a 14-7 advantage on the strength of two TD passes from Brayden Heimbuch to Dwayne Robinson. Waynesboro was ready to take a lead into halftime, but the Polar Bears (8-1, 8-0) scored in the final seconds of the first half on a 44-yard hail mary pass from Mason Barnett to Cash Keck.
Unfazed, the Indians struck back in the third quarter with Heimbuch’s third TD pass, which went to a wide-open Mason Nickel. Northern countered with a score on its ensuing possession to pull within one point, 21-20, before the Polar Bears later went ahead for good on a 62-yard run from Brody Leathery.
Heimbuch finished the game by completing 9 of 17 passes for 176 yards. Gavin Starkey led Waynesboro in rushing with 49 yards on 11 carries, while Robinson caught four passes for 70 yards.
The Indians hit the road on Friday to face Mechanicsburg (7-2, 6-2), a squad coming off a 34-10 victory over Hershey.
Fort Hill 49, Smithsburg 14
Smithsburg was competitive for several stretches against heavily-favored Fort Hill — an 11-time Maryland Class 1A state champion — but the Leopards were ultimately overpowered by the Sentinels on Friday.
Fort Hill (8-0) came out swinging with three TDs in the first quarter to build a 21-0 lead, but Smithsburg (7-1) showed some mettle and responded with a 22-yard scoring strike from Luke Scott to Dakota Sowers.
The rest of the game followed a similar pattern. The Sentinels kept their foot on the gas pedal, only for the Leopards to peel themselves off the ground and get in some licks of their own. Fort Hill amassed a 35-7 lead by halftime, but Smithsburg’s Nicolas Roncone energized the home crowd in the third quarter by shaking loose for a 70-yard TD run.
The Sentinels finished the job with two more TDs in the fourth quarter.
Smithsburg’s defense got plenty of reps against their formidable opponents, with Riley Carr (10) and Zach Linn (8) leading the Leopards in tackles. Marquis Weakfall registered an interception, while three others recovered fumbles: Cole Cavell, Trevor Jessup, and Jack Rawlett.
Smithsburg will be looking to bounce back on Friday, when it plays host to Boonsboro (5-3), a team coming off a 19-18 victory over North Hagerstown.
Boonsboro 19, North Hagerstown 18
Jayden Paugh and Mason Galloway made two big-time plays in the final two minutes of regulation to lead Boonsboro to a stunning victory over North Hagerstown on Friday.
Paugh reeled in a juggling 26-yard TD catch with 1:41 remaining to put the Warriors (5-3) in front, before Galloway slammed the door on the Hubs by blocking a 32-yard field goal. It was the decisive sequence for a wild final 14 minutes that featured four lead changes.
North (3-5) seemed to have the game under control late in the second half, as the Hubs used a dominant ground attack to march up the field and chew up clock. They capped the drive with a 19-yard TD pass from Ronnie Savage to Antonio Rivera-Herrera to pull ahead of Boonsboro by an 18-13 score. That’s when the Warriors locked in, coming back for victory thanks to the heroics of Paugh and Galloway.
Boonsboro QB Blake Main threw for 146 yards and three scores, while Jadon King added 70 rushing yards. North was led by the efforts of Michael Stewart, who compiled 109 rushing yards and two TDs.
The Warriors hit the road for Smithsburg (7-1) on Friday, while the Hubs are set to wrap their regular season with a rivalry game at South Hagerstown (2-6).
Liberty 35, South Hagerstown 13
After an 0-3 start to the season, Liberty finally has a winning record after toppling South Hagerstown on Friday for its fourth win in a row.
It was the third-straight loss for the Rebels, who fell to 2-6.
South will be looking to get back on the winning track on Friday, when it hosts North Hagerstown (3-5), a team coming off a 19-18 loss to Boonsboro.
High school football standings
Mid-Penn Commonwealth Division: 1. State College (9-0 overall, 8-0 division), 2. Harrisburg (8-1 overall, 7-1 division), 2. Bishop McDevitt (8-1, 7-1), 4. Altoona (5-4, 5-3), 4. Cumberland Valley (5-4, 5-3), 6. Chambersburg (3-6, 3-5), 7. Cedar Cliff (2-7, 2-6), 8. Carlisle (1-8, 1-7), 8. CD East (1-8, 1-7), 8. Central Dauphin (1-8, 1-7).
Mid-Penn Keystone Division: 1. Northern (8-1 overall, 8-0 division), 2. Mechanicsburg (7-2, 6-2), 3. Hershey (6-3, 5-3), 3. Lower Dauphin (5-4, 5-3), 3. Palmyra (5-4, 5-3), 6. Gettysburg (5-4, 4-4), 7. Red Land (4-5, 3-5), 7. Shippensburg (3-6, 3-5), 9. Mifflin County (2-7, 1-7), 10. Waynesboro (0-9, 0-8).
Mid-Penn Colonial Division: 1. Susquehanna Township (7-2 overall, 6-0 division), 2. Trinity (5-4, 4-2), 2. Milton Hershey (4-5, 4-2), 2. West Perry (7-2, 4-2), 5. Greencastle-Antrim (5-4, 3-3), 6. 7. Middletown (4-5, 2-4), East Pennsboro (3-6, 2-4), 8. Boiling Springs (0-9, 0-6).
Washington County: Smithsburg (7-1), Williamsport (6-2), Boonsboro (5-3), Saint James (4-3), North Hagerstown (3-5), South Hagerstown (2-6), Clear Spring (1-7).
