The early part of the season has yet to test the Shippensburg football team in a significant way.

That is likely to change this week when Ship opens Mid Penn Colonial Division play at Waynesboro on Friday at 7.

The Greyhounds (3-0) have beaten every opponent by at least 25 points so far this season, outscoring them by a total of 116-19 behind a strong rush attack. Waynesboro opened the season with a victory but has lost two straight, falling 21-7 to Gettysburg last week.

“We certainly picked up the intensity this week,” Ship coach Eric Foust said. “We didn’t really change how we prepare for Waynesboro, but we definitely cranked it up a bit this week.”

The run game once again led Shippensburg to victory last week. Alex Sharrow finished with 141 yards, Jacob Loy added 107 and Max Kalb chipped in with 62 yards to lead the Hounds to a 37-12 win. Zack Manning also threw for 90 yards.

“We came right out of the gate and had probably a 15 or 16-play drive. We were very patient last week. I think that eventually wore them down and let us hit some big plays in the second quarter. I don’t think we showed that patience in the first two games, so that was good to see,” Foust said.

The Indians played Gettysburg tough last week and were tied 7-7 in the third quarter, but the Warriors pulled away late for the 21-7 win. Mikel Holden led the team with 67 yards on 16 carries.

Said Foust, “I know Waynesboro is going to come ready to play, but so will we. They have a defense that hits hard and blitzes a lot, and their offensive line is very big. We cannot get caught behind them.”

With a point differential of plus-97 and a team that is humming on both sides of the ball, Shippensburg is confident it can open conference play with a big win.