Steve Myers proves Waynesboro's success was not a fluke
If there's one thing Waynesboro did this season, it proved that last year wasn't a fluke.
The Indians were the co-Mid Penn Colonial Division champions a year ago and had their first winning record in more than 20 years. The big question around Franklin County was, can they do it again?
This season, first-year coach Steve Myers guided the Indians to a 6-4 record and, up until the final day of the regular season, he had them in playoff contention. Myers is the Public Opinion Football Coach of the Year.
"We definitely felt like we had something to prove," Myers said. "To be honest, (that doubt) was a slap in the face to the kids. But we tried to impress upon them that they did it once, and you just gotta go out there and prove to them that it was you guys."
The Indians once again had one of the most prolific offenses in the county, and arguably the best defense. Waynesboro finished with the top four leading tacklers in Franklin County and averaged more than four sacks per game.
Even though there were a lot of similarities between this year's team and last year's, there were also a lot of differences. One of the biggest things Myers stressed was change and adjustment.
"I'm trying to build a program that is sustainable year in and year out," Myers said. "Every year, I want to be talking about a winning season and trying to get to the playoffs. We want to be consistent, but there are also things we changed, even throughout the year, to improve. As a coach, if you just let things alone, it makes it a lot tougher."
Myers, who is a native of Smithsburg, Md. and now teaches at Waynesboro, is a very disciplined coach, and a big focus for him is the details.
"During a stretch at the Shippensburg game, we made a lot of sloppy, stupid mistakes," Myers said. "I want to play detailed, clean football. My philosophy is if you play good defense and special teams and you're smart with the ball on offense and don't have penalties, you'll be in a position to win every game. We wanted to be detailed, disciplined and doing all the little things."
The little things are certainly moving the Indians in the right direction.