Aug 22, 2021 4 min read

By Joe Smeltzer

For the Observer-Reporter

newsroom@observer-reporter.com

Of the past 17 games the Waynesburg University football team has played, the Yellow Jackets have lost 16 of them.

Aside from squeaking out a one-point Homecoming win over Thiel two Octobers ago, every game from November of 2018 to now has ended in the agony of defeat.

In a whacky spring season that’s been extinct for less than four months, the Yellow Jackets went 0-5. Four of those losses came by 30 points or more, with the lowlight being a season-opening 66-0 defeat against Washington & Jefferson at John F. Wiley Stadium.

Coming into his fifth season, coach Chris Smithley knows his team isn’t going to turn into a powerhouse overnight. Instead, he’s looking for the program to trend upward at a reasonable pace.

“When you try to take too big a jump, and you face adversity, the downfalls hurt a little heavier with your emotions,” Smithley said. “We want to do better, we want to move the program in an upward direction, and the way we do that is to get better one spoonful at a time.”

Indeed, it will be difficult for Waynesburg to flip a switch and become one of the Presidents’ Athletic Conference’s aristocrats when the leaves turn brown. In the past three seasons, three separate schools have won the conference championship. Last year’s champion, Westminster, is picked to repeat. Washington & Jefferson projects to be second, and Case Western Reserve should be back with a vengeance after the pandemic robbed it of a chance to repeat as PAC champion this spring.

Waynesburg, by contrast, is projected to stay at ninth, ahead of only Thiel, loser of 27 straight.

“It’s going to be challenging,” Smithley said. “It’s a good conference, there’s great coaches in this conference, and there’s good talent. It’s going to be a grind week to week, and we’re going to prepare for that like we always do.”

So with just one win in the past two seasons and another low projection from PAC coaches, what are some reasons to be optimistic about Waynesburg football?

Justin Flack certainly is one. The Derry graduate rushed for 480 yards (5.9 yards per carry) and four touchdowns in only four games last season after missing the opener because of COVID-19 restrictions. Flack also ran for 778 yards as a freshman after transferring from Mount Union and looks to continue to grow as an upperclassman.

“He faced a lot of adversity in the spring with COVID, and I think that helped him to grow up a ton,” Smithley said. “Nobody loves Waynesburg football more than Justin does, and I have high expectations for him.”

Waynesburg knows what to expect from Flack as he enters his junior season. Likely starting quarterback Tyler Raines is a little less established. Raines, a Division I transfer, experienced ups in downs in a four-game sample this past spring, splitting playing time with Mason Schrenker.

For Smithley, having experience in the starting role will help Raines heading into the fall season.

“The time at that Divison I school didn’t provide a ton of game experience,” he said.

“We probably threw him in there in the spring a little quicker than we should have, but I think the things he did proved to us that we needed to throw him in there. The way he was practicing, the plays he was making – we had to get him in there and get him that experience. I think we’ll see a more veteran quarterback play.”

Overall, Smithley looks forward to his team growing in the fall of 2021 after a rough spring.

“Just playing hard and playing tough, Waynesburg football,” Smithley said. “Creating an identity on offense that allows us to play with more confidence as a team is what we want. Those are the things that we’re excited about.”

Waynesburg opens the season Sept. 4 against Muskingum.

That game will be played at Zanesville (Ohio) High School because of an ongoing stadium renovation project at Muskingum.