Southmoreland remains winless as Waynesburg snaps 17-game skid

By: HSSN Staff
Friday, September 29, 2017 | 11:06 PM

Waynesburg and Southmoreland entered Friday night 0-4 and seventh and eighth, respectively, in the Interstate Conference.

Waynesburg prevailed 36-14 to snap its 17-game skid.

“We're just happy to get a win,” Raiders coach Russ Moore said. “Some kids went down. Some kids went up, and we found ballplayers out there tonight. It's great for the kids. That's the main thing.”

The first quarter proved to be eventful, with both teams utilizing trick plays and capitalizing on punting blunders.

Waynesburg (1-4, 1-4) struck first as quarterback Dylan Scritchfield ran for an 8-yard touchdown to make it 7-0. After stopping Southmoreland (0-5, 0-3) on the ensuing drive, a muffed punt by the Raiders gave the Scotties the ball back on the 12-yard line. Running back Ronnie Robinson promptly pounded the ball in from 12 yards to tie it.

On the first play after Southmoreland's touchdown, running back Caleb Shriver broke away for a 61-yard touchdown run to give the Raiders a 14-7 advantage.

On the ensuing kickoff, the Scotties fumbled a squib kick that Waynesburg recovered. Shriver took advantage, plowing his way in from 5 yards for his second touchdown. Scritchfield ran in the 2-point conversion to extend the lead to 22-7.

The second quarter was not nearly as eventful, as both teams were held scoreless.

“We had opportunities,” Southmoreland coach Mark Adams said. “We brought the ball down here in the first half of the game when it was relatively close, 22-7. We got it to the 2-yard line and couldn't take it in. Those are simple things that they have to realize, ‘You have to want it.' Coming out 22-14 is better than coming out 22-7 at half with them getting the football.”

The score stayed the same until Waynesburg found the end zone with 7:05 remaining on a Nick Higginbotham's 10-yard run. The Raiders scored one more time before the end of the quarter, and Southmoreland rounded out the scoring on Chad Miller's 49-yard touchdown run.

“Week-in and week-out, we have a young, young, young team,” Adams said. “Offensive line: That's what's hurting us … We're starting three freshmen up front and two guys who have never played before. That kills you on any Friday night in this game at this level.”

Waynesburg had 327 yards rushing, led by Shriver, who had 155 yards on 17 carries and two touchdowns. Southmoreland was paced by Miller, who gained 104 yards rushing on four carries and a score.

“That's what we do,” Moore said. “We run, and whether we can run or not, we still run. People think we should throw more, but we're OK with running the ball.”

Southmoreland travels to McGuffey next week, and Waynesburg faces South Park.

Tyler Godwin is a freelance writer.

Tags: Southmoreland, Waynesburg, Waynesburg Central