WAYNESBORO – There were a lot of questions surrounding this season’s Waynesboro Indians varsity football team.
Will new starting quarterback Rayshawn Frazer-Hewitt not only be an efficient game manager but also a playmaker? Will the offensive line, which struggled to protect Jaylon Bean last season, assert itself against opposing defensive fronts? Will new head coach Mark Saunders, who brings years of experience and knowledge from coaching college, professional (Philadelphia Eagles and Carolina Panthers) and high school, get Waynesboro back to its winning ways?
All of the above questions were answered with gusto on a hot, humid Friday night at the Charles A. “Rip” Engle Sports Complex. Waynesboro scored a touchdown on the game’s opening drive and never looked back against visiting Spring Grove in a non-league game.
The final score of 21-3 didn’t truly represent the dominance that the Indians showed as it put an exclamation point on the season opener and perhaps erased some of the bad after taste of last season’s 3-7 record.
Frazer-Hewitt, a sophomore, threw pinpoint passes all game long. His best pass was a screen pass, play-after-play of which was executed to perfection as the defenses cheated towards the opposite side of the field where the offense was in motion. The Indians hope that the effectiveness of their misdirection out of the multiple wing formation continues throughout the season.
Frazer-Hewitt, who operated out of the shotgun and under center, was 11 of 13 passing for 120 yards and one touchdown. Hayen Nolan was on the receiving end of six passes, including a pair for 23 yards each. Calvin Myers hauled in two passes for 29 yards, including a key 18-yard reception that gave Waynesboro a first-and-goal at the five in the third quarter.
The Indians scored three plays later when Frazer-Hewitt threw a four-yard TD pass to Hayden Nolan. Andrew Soffe’s third extra-point kick gave Waynesboro a 21-3 lead.
Waynesboro opened the scoring with a touchdown on the game’s first possession. The drive covered 77 yards and it took the Tribe eight plays. Nolan took a screen pass for 23 yards. Nathan Nolan took a handoff and scampered another 27 yards for a first down at the Spring Grove 16.
Fullback Bryan “Tank” Benedict ran three straight plays, culminating in a 1-yard burst that gave Waynesboro a 7-0 after Soffe’s extra point.
The Tribe defense was then put to its first test of the season. Spring Grove had the ball for 11 plays, and the start of the drive looked promising when Christian Braxton had some success running on the left side of Waynesboro’s 4-4 defense.
The Rockets faced a fourth-and-three at the Indians 29 yard line. Quarterback Cowan Ruland tried to make the first down but was greeted by Waynesboro’s Ben Williams a yard short of the first down.
Waynesboro wasted little time in capitalizing on the defensive stand. Benedict ripped off a 23-yard run out to midfield. Ethan Alldredge ran for five yards and Nathan Nolan picked up seven yards on a screen pass.
A holding penalty brought the Indians back to the Spring Grove 48. Alldredge got seven of them back and Hayden Nolan gained 23 more on another catch-and-run from Frazer-Hewitt down to the 18. Alldredge ran for five yards to the 13, and Benedict did the rest on a run up the middle.
Waynesboro led 14-0 at halftime and held the Rockets to a field goal on the first possession of the second half.
The Indians cashed in the final score of the game, driving 66 yards on 12 plays. Frazer-Hewitt connected with Hayden Noland for the score.
The playmaker of the second half was Benedict’s replacement at fullback, freshman Anthony Ausherman. Ausherman introduced himself to the Spring Grove defense by reeling off a 19-yard run on his first carry.He burrowed his way for another nine yards, then six more to push the ball to the Spring Grove 30 yard line. Myers pulled in an 11-yarder on a second-down play and then extended himself and made the catch for 18 yards.
Benedict left the game in the second quarter (injury) and did not return. He finished with eight carries for 60 yards. Ausherman rushed for 92 yards on 13 carries.
NEXT: Waynesboro (1-0) hosts Hershey in a non-league game on Friday, Sept. 1. Kickoff is 7 p.m. At Buchanan Automotive Stadium.
