WAYNESBORO – Games like these should be a yearly thing in high school football.
Chambersburg and Waynesboro, two Franklin County schools located around 12 miles from each other, are miles apart when it comes to playing one another in high school football.
The two teams, the Trojans from the Mid-Penn Commonwealth Division, and the Indians, from the Mid-Penn Colonial Division, met for the first time in nearly a decade. Buchanan Automotive Stadium was packed to near capacity on a clear and breezy Friday night, and before the fireworks show following a Stars and Stripes Game, Chambersburg’s offense produced what it needed to notch a 17-0 non-league victory.
Penalties, and a turnover inside the red zone, hurt Waynesboro’s chances in a game that the Indians could have won had some things gone differently.
“I thought from week 1 to week 2 we cleaned up the penalties, but we had turnovers. Now we come back and had too many penalties, too many turnovers, and we didn’t finish drives,” said Waynesboro coach Josh Sprenkle.
“We shot ourselves in the foot too many times.”
Waynesboro was whistled for 12 penalties and turned the ball over twice, including a fumble inside the red zone, and an interception that led to Chambersburg’s final points of the game.
Chambersburg (2-1), a Class 6A team, forced Waynesboro, playing at the Class 5A level, to punt from midfield after deferring the opening kickoff.
After Jaylon Bean’s high punt was fielded at the Chambersburg 5-yard line, the Trojans went on a 13-play drive that hit paydirt with 1:40 left in the first quarter. Junior quarterback Riley Harmon plunged into the end zone from the 1 for a 7-0 lead after Teegan Humelsine’s point after touchdown kick.
During the possession, the Trojans converted a third-and-5 on a 12-yard pass completion from Harmon to Rhaigeon Parker. Harmon threw a 12-yarder to Andy Jean and a 14-yarder to Jai’tavius Kelly that gave Chambersburg a first down at Waynesboro’s 7.
Waynesboro was able to move the ball against the Trojans defense, but not for long enough to score.
Another drive stalled at midfield, and when it appeared Chambersburg was going to take a two touchdown lead, the Tribe got a reprieve when it pounced on a fumble at its 2-yard line with just over seven minutes to play in the second quarter.
From there, Waynesboro put together an impressive possession that got the Indians to inside the Trojans’ 30 where they faced a fourth-down at the 29. An attempted field goal fell short with 1:58 remaining.
Waynesboro’s senior running back Mikel Holden had runs of seven and six yards, and sophomore fullback Bryan Benedict gained another 10 yards on back-to-back carries. Waynesboro was flagged for holding that set the ball back, and, facing fourth down, Bean connected with Holden through the air for a 51-yard gain to the Chambersburg 34.
The drive fizzled from there, and the Trojans again moved the ball successfully but without points as the half ended.
With the outcome up in the air, Chambersburg scored three huge points when Humelsine booted a 41-yard field goal at the 3:44 mark of the third quarter to give the Trojans a 10-0 lead.
Waynesboro came the closest it would get to scoring as the Indians marched 67 yards on 14 plays that spanned two quarters. The Tribe pushed the ball down field using a stubborn ground game. Holden had gains of 4, 3, 4, 7, 4, 15, 1 and 4 yards. He also caught a 27-yard pass that gave Waynesboro a first-and-goal at the 4.
But on fourth down at the two, Chambersburg recovered a fumble in the end zone.
The Trojans scored their final points with 3:26 left in the game on a 2-yard run by Jermere Jones.
Waynesboro begins Mid-Penn Colonial Division play next Friday against another Franklin County team, Greencastle-Antrim, at Kaley Field.
