Nobody wants to go into the offseason on a losing streak, but that was the reality for Smithsburg’s football team in 2025.
A promising 4-3 start for the Leopards was followed by three straight losses to end their campaign.
With that bad taste in their mouths, coach Dave Lawrence’s boys locked in and put in a summer full of work. Those offseason dues paid off on Friday, when Smithsburg hit the road and toppled Francis Scott Key by a 24-21 score.
It was the second year in a row that the Leopards (1-0) won their season opener. They also defeated the Eagles 21-14 in last year’s contest.
While the short losing streak is over for Smithsburg, Francis Scott Key (0-1) has now lost nine games in a row.
Stats from the Leopards-Eagles game were not immediately available.
Smithsburg returns to the field on Friday for a home game against Williamsport (1-0), which opened the season with a 16-7 victory over Brunswick.
Tuscarora 14, North Hagerstown 7
North Hagerstown got a fourth-quarter TD run from Ronnie Savage, but it was too little, too late, as Tuscarora’s defense owned the spotlight in a victory over the Hubs.
Savage, who also caught three passes for 47 yards, put North (0-1) on the board with a five-yard scoring plunge with 4:21 remaining in regulation. An extra point from Chase Garver pulled North Hagerstown to within seven points, 14-7.
It wasn’t enough to come back against the Titans (1-0), who picked off four passes and staked out a 14-0 lead on a pair of TDs from Landon Smith.
The Hubs offense was led by Michael Stewart, who compiled 67 rushing yards and 52 receiving yards, while Colt Butts threw for 79 yards. Carter Hillegas forced and recovered a fumble, Timi Ogunlana registered a sack and a forced fumble, while Liam Kline added a fumble recovery.
North Hagerstown (0-1) will try to bounce back on Friday, when it travels to take on Manchester Valley (1-0), a squad coming off a 30-29 win over Hereford.
Century 39, South Hagerstown 12
Kareem Walton caught two TD passes — one from Lucas Semler and another from Cole Stockman — but it wasn’t enough for South Hagerstown to keep up with the Century attack.
The Knights are 1-0.
The Rebels (0-1) return to the field on Thursday to host Francis Scott Key (0-1), a team coming off a 24-21 loss to Smithsburg.
Middletown 18, Boonsboro 7
Gavin Shankle busted loose for two rushing TDs to guide Middletown to a physical and hard-earned win over Boonsboro on Friday.
The Knights (1-0) held a 6-0 lead at halftime thanks to a three-yard scoring plunge from Shankle, who later scored again in the third quarter on a 49-yard sweep around right end to put his team ahead 12-0.
Boonsboro (0-1) countered with a quick-moving attack that culminated with a five-yard TD run from Jadon King. It was the only score given up by Middletown’s bend-but-not-break defense, which snuffed out multiple golden opportunities for the Warriors.
Defense kept Boonsboro in the game until the end, but it was Middletown’s defense that had the final say, as Connor Herman sealed the game with a 40-yard interception for a score with 1:03 remaining.
The Warriors will travel on Friday to take on high-flying Mountain Ridge (1-0), a team that opened its season with a 58-9 win over Southern.
Lower Dauphin 19, Waynesboro 7
Lower Dauphin’s offense spent more than two-thirds of regulation on the field to grind out a victory over Waynesboro.
The Falcons (1-1, 1-0 Keystone), who ran 62 plays compared to 30 for the Indians, opened the game with a 10-play, 74-yard drive to go ahead 7-0. That advantage expanded to 10-0 following a 40-yard field goal and ballooned to 17-0 just before halftime.
Defense kept Waynesboro in the game, as Bryghton Naveja-Irish picked off a pass near the start of the third quarter, but the Tribe (0-2, 0-1) surrendered a safety on the ensuing possession to fall behind 19-0.
With 11:54 remaining to play, Brady Myers scooped up a fumble recovery to give his offense another chance. Waynesboro QB Brayden Heimbuch came through on this possession, scrambling for a 19-yard run, before throwing a 25-yard TD strike to Dwayne Robinson.
Lower Dauphin chewed up more than eight minutes of clock down the stretch to put the finishing touches on the Indians.
Waynesboro returns to action on Friday with a road game at Gettysburg (2-0, 1-0), a squad coming off a 28-14 triumph over Hershey.
South Western 30, Greencastle-Antrim 14
In a battle of undefeateds, South Western was clearly the better squad.
The Mustangs (2-0) outgained Greencastle-Antrim 359-116 in total yards and held the Blue Devils to just four first downs. It was a tough all-around game for Greencastle, but the Blue Devils were still locked in a 7-7 tie after one quarter.
South Western drew first blood near the end of the first quarter with a seven-yard TD pass from Seth Sullivan to Blake McMillion, but that lead didn’t last long as Greencastle’s Dane Medina returned the ensuing kick 94 yards for a score of his own.
From there, however, the game belonged to South Western. The Mustangs posted three TDs and a field goal to expand their advantage to 30-7 with 7:43 remaining in regulation. The Blue Devils scored the game’s final TD, which came on an 80-yard strike from Gavin Logsdon to Wyatt Hull.
Greencastle’s defense was led by the tackling of Luke Hull (7 tackles), Dominic Angelini (6), Ethan South (6) and Damien Johns (5).
The Blue Devils will be looking to bounce back on Friday, when they travel to take on James Buchanan (1-1), a team coming off a 41-6 loss to Northeastern.
State College 38, Chambersburg 0
Chambersburg opened its Mid-Penn Commonwealth Division schedule with a lopsided loss to State College, a perennial contender in PIAA Class 6A.
The Little Lions (2-0, 1-0 Commonwealth) raced out to a 14-0 lead after one quarter and exploded for three more TDs in the second to take a 35-0 lead into halftime. State College scored its final points in the third quarter on a 47-yard field goal from Shane Markowski.
The Trojans (0-2, 0-1 Commonwealth) were outgained 381-123 and were limited to six first downs. Malachi Tasker ran the ball 14 times for 37 yards, while Cam Green completed 9 of 18 passes for 93 yards. Seven different Trojans hauled in receptions, including Lucas Ocker (1 catch, 32 yards), Colton Horst (1-17), Brock Chlebowski (1-12), Jashaun Palmer (2-16), Tasker (1-8), Seth Gilliam (2-7), and Bryce Deneen (1-1).
Chambersburg will be looking to get back on track on Friday, when it plays host to Cedar Cliff (0-2, 0-1), a team coming off a 54-14 loss to Harrisburg.
