Eagles will get a kick out of this championship for years to come

By Jason Guarente — MikeDragoSports.com senior correspondent

The kickoff that helped Exeter make history was basically an accident. It wasn’t even supposed to go in that direction.

For a fleeting second the wind that tormented Mike Moser all night decided to become his friend. Even if he didn’t realize it at the time.

Moser was two steps toward the ball when he saw it shift on the tee. The senior planned to send it to the right. Instead he blasted it straight ahead.

“There was no going back,” Moser said. “I just kicked it and hoped. When nature does that, you can’t really do much.”

The bouncer skidded on the turf and deflected off one of Gov. Mifflin’s blockers. It became a crucial turnover that sent seventh-seeded Exeter past No. 1 Mifflin 31-28 for the District 3 Class 5A football championship at Shillington Friday night.

One Berks team’s ascension was complete. Another’s coronation was denied.

At the other end of the fateful kick was Miles Brant, a 5-9, 205-pound backup linebacker and tight end. He made the recovery.

“It was on the ground and I didn’t think much of it at the time,” Brant said. “It bounced right off two guys and I fell on it. It just happened.”

Exeter trailed Mifflin 28-24 with 10:49 left when Brant was thrust into the spotlight. The Mustangs only ran three more plays. Star running back Nick Singleton only had one more carry that was negated by a penalty.

Eric Nangle burst through the line for a 31-yard touchdown on fourth-and-short to put Exeter ahead. The Eagles forced a three-and-out and then ran the final 7:35 off the clock. They held the ball for all but 1:40 of the final 19 minutes. The best way to stop Mifflin was to play keepaway.

Everything shifted with that kick.

“That was something that we hadn’t planned,” receiver Joey Schlaffer said. “It was a lucky play that happened. Tonight was our night.”

There are no sure things in sports no matter how often we try to convince ourselves otherwise. Mifflin’s march through the regular season and District 3 had an air of inevitability. The Mustangs didn’t trail until the district semifinals and won every game by at least three touchdowns.

All season people wondered if there was a team out there that could beat Mifflin. There was. That team was located a few miles away and lost to the Mustangs by 33 points seven weeks ago.

To pull off the upset, a shocker for the ages, Exeter needed all of its stars to align.

Colin Payne made every throw. The quarterback connected on three touchdown passes. Schlaffer caught two scores and a crucial fourth-down conversion. Nangle scored twice and was as shifty and hard to tackle as ever.

Kickoffs were an adventure. They knuckled through the air and tumbled elusively on the turf. Each time the receiving team managed to corral the ball and fall on it. Until the last time.

One of the biggest momentum changes was delivered by a soccer striker and a special teamer.

Moser was still feeling the sting of Exeter’s loss to Fleetwood in the Berks soccer final 36 days earlier. He scored the tying goal late in the second half before the Eagles fell short.

Bringing home silver was disappointing. He wanted gold this time.

“I told all the boys earlier, ‘I don’t want two runners-up in my senior season,” Moser said. “‘We’re coming out there and we’re doing this.’”

Moser, who had two punts that barely broke the line of scrimmage because of the fierce wind that whipped across Mifflin Stadium, made a 22-yard field goal with 10:53 left. That was a precursor to the kickoff.

Brant is an up-and-comer waiting for his turn to start. That could come next year. His biggest days are ahead of him. He may never have a bigger moment.

“I’ll remember it for the rest of my life,” Brant said. “It’s crazy. I never imagined this ever.”

These four quarters will go straight into the Berks greatest games vault. The result made players, coaches and parents on both sides cry. Tears of joy. Tears of pain.

To beat the unbeatable team, Exeter needed its best players to be great and it needed a little luck. The Eagles had both.

“You never know who the hero is going to be,” Schlaffer said. “Honestly I don’t think there was one unsung hero. That was a complete group effort. This is just a special day.”