Eagles can’t afford to bask in championship; must focus on next step, says coach

When Exeter beat Wilson 42-14 in early September it ranked among the greatest wins in program history.

A week later the Eagles blew a 14-point halftime lead and lost at Hempfield.

The buzz generated and the momentum gained by beating the Bulldogs was gone.

Now, after a win for the ages against Gov. Mifflin in the District 3 Class 5A championship game, Eagles coach Matt Bauer is reminding his players not to let down. There’s much more out there for them.

“I’m thrilled with the effort that we got from our kids,” said Bauer of the Eagles’ 31-28 win over the Mustangs, ” but the reality also sets in: You can’t look back now. There’s no question this is the biggest win in our program history, but just imagine what next week’s win can bring.”

After winning their first district championship the Eagles (10-3) will play their first PIAA Tournament game Friday at 7 at Bald Eagle High School against District 7 champ Penn-Trafford.

The Warriors (11-2) are also coming off their first district championship, a 24-21 win over previously unbeaten Moon. They had to survive a last-second field goal attempt to advance.

The Warriors have won nine straight. They were 2-2 on Sept. 17, same as the Eagles after that 17-14 loss to Hempfield.

Exeter’s last loss came in Week 7, to Gov. Mifflin, 54-21. Even though they trailed 30-0 in that game the Eagles put some positive drives together in the second half and walked out of Don Thomas not totally defeated.

They knew they had work to do to get better, and they have. The offensive line, led by All-Berks guard Lucas Palange and All-Berks center Kyle Helm, has become dominant in recent weeks. It has paved the way for a record-setting season by Eric Nangle, whose 1,764 yards, 23 touchdowns and 20 rushing TDs are program records.

In a District 3 semifinal against Cedar Cliff he set program records with six touchdowns and 332 rushing yards. Last week he matched a program record with 41 carries and finished with 225 yards; those are both records for a District 3 Class 5A championship game.

Over four playoff games Nangle rushed for 919 yards, one of the greatest performances in tournament history. Bishop McDevitt’s LeSean McCoy set the standard, rushing for 1,097 yards over three games in 2004.

Nangle’s biggest run came in the fourth quarter, his team down 28-24. The Eagles faced fourth-and-1. Nangle plunged into the line and appeared to be stopped. He wasn’t. His legs kept churning, he busted out of the pileup and went 31 yards for the go-ahead touchdown and final score of the game.

“Yeah, they had me for a little bit . . . but they didn’t have Exeter,” Nangle said. “We pushed through, the whole team did.”

That play was symbolic for the Eagles. They appeared to be stopped. . . but kept pushing through. They entered the rematch against Mifflin with a different mindset and it pulled them through.

“We’re a whole new team from the regular season,” Palange said. “We just started clicking. The entire O-line started getting their blocks together. Eric Nangle started running like a maniac. And (fullback) Ty (Yocum) just keeps truckin’ everybody. We’re really motivated. We really want this state championship.”

Exeter is one win away from playing in the state championship game Friday, Dec. 10, at Hersheypark Stadium at 7.

“To be in the state semifinals is a dream come true,” Bauer said, “but we also want to show that we belong there. It’s obviously tremendous for our program to be this close. We need to re-acclimate ourselves and get focused on the task at hand.”