Game of the Week
Two straight losses were certainly not the way Waynesboro’s football team wanted to start the season.
Even so, the Indians haven’t lost hope yet.
But in Week 3, Waynesboro plays host to the Gettysburg Warriors. Although it’s only Week 3, it’s essentially a must-win game for the Indians, who are a 5A school in a mostly-4A Mid Penn Colonial Division. Friday night’s game at Buchanan Auto Park Stadium is a non-league contest, but the Indians can hardly afford another loss to a smaller school.
And even though Friday night’s game is non-league, Waynesboro should be more familiar with the Warriors than it was with its first two opponents. Gettysburg was a member of the Colonial Division for six years before moving to the York-Adams league.
Waynesboro’s defense will be put to the test against Gettysburg and its tailback, Edny Celius, who scored five touchdowns in a win over New Oxford just one week ago.
“They run a lot more, and their tailback had a real good game last week,” Waynesboro coach Steve Myers said. “I don’t want to give too much away, but every week, we game plan for what we’re going to see from the other team. We just need to make sure our blocks are where they need to be.”
Myers said one of the Indians’ biggest downfalls against Lancaster Catholic was its inability to stick tackles, so that will be a main focus for Friday night.
Celius has totaled 315 yards on 27 carries in two weeks, which is good enough for fourth in the entire conference in rushing yards. Last week, he racked up 259 yards and five scores.
Offensively, the Indians are pretty explosive themselves.
Quarterback Brady Riddell is off to decent start - in two games, he has gone 11-for-37 for 251 yards. Riddell has thrown two touchdowns and just two interceptions – both of which came in Week 1.
“His decision-making has been real good,” Myers said. “His accuracy has been better so far, and he’s definitely making the right choices. He tucks and runs when he needs to. We’ve had some longer drives this season, and we’ve also had some big plays.”
On the ground, Brady Beckner has complemented Riddell quite well. Beckner has rushed for more than 100 yards in each of the first two games.
“When he gets on a roll, we just need to keep feeding him and let him do his thing,” Myers said. “He’s having a really good year so far.”
Waynesboro is going to need that offensive firepower to try to keep up with Gettysburg.
Warriors-Indians at a glance
Game data: Gettysburg Warriors at Waynesboro Indians … Friday, 7 p.m. at Buchanan Auto Park Stadium … Non-league game.
Teams: Gettysburg is 1-1 after coming up with a 44-27 victory over New Oxford in Week 2 … The Indians (0-2) suffered a narrow loss at the hands of Lancaster Catholic a week ago.
Media: Follow @LindseySquints for updates from the game.
P.O. pick: Waynesboro by 7.