Eagles can’t recapture the magic, see season end in state semifinal
By Jason Guarente — MikeDragoSports.com Senior Correspondent
WINGATE — Kyle Lash bounced along the sideline and tried to motivate each of his teammates. Winning was a longshot at that point. They all knew it. But it’s not like Exeter hadn’t beaten the odds before.
The comeback Lash wanted, the one he was imploring from every player wearing a blue jersey and white helmet, never came. The opposite happened. The 20-point deficit kept growing larger.
Seven days after shocking their corner of the football world, the Eagles ran out of surprises.
Penn-Trafford knocked off Exeter 49-14 in the PIAA Class 5A semifinals at Bald Eagle Friday night. The Warriors earned a trip to Hersheypark Stadium. The District 3 champs were headed home.
“It was a helluva ride,” Lash said. “It’s hard where we are right now. We wanted to go to Hershey. We wanted it a lot.”
One way or another, Exeter knew the end was near. The calendar told them as much. So did the chill in the air.
The Eagles were trying to buy more time. Another week of practice. Another exhilarating feeling. The chance to play for another trophy. All of those goals filled their heads during the long bus trip toward State College.
“We took Exeter as far as it ever went,” lineman Lucas Palange said. “This one hurts. We’re not going to get this back. There have been so many great memories. This is just a hard one right now.”
There was a moment when it looked like last week never ended. The wind from Exeter’s upset of No. 1-ranked Gov. Mifflin was still at the Eagles’ backs.
Colin Payne connected with Joey Schlaffer on a 24-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter and Exeter was ahead 7-3. That was only a flicker, it turned out. Not much else went right.
Exeter (10-4) ran over Cedar Cliff in the district semifinals. The Eagles ran over Mifflin for their first district championship. They ran into a wall Friday. They lost the battle up front.
“I’ve got to give them credit,” Palange said. “They had great d-linemen. They had great linebackers flowing to the ball. Obviously we didn’t block the greatest. There’s no excuses. We’ve got to be better.”
Penn-Trafford (12-2), riding its own emotional high after capturing the school’s first WPIAL championship last week, imposed its will and forced mistakes. The Warriors had four interceptions and a fumble recovery. They made Exeter throw more passes than it wanted.
Cade Yacamelli, a Wisconsin recruit, rushed 15 times for 139 yards and three touchdowns. The 6-0, 205-pound senior also caught a 15-yard TD pass.
Penn-Trafford responded to its early deficit with 24 unanswered points and took a 27-7 lead into halftime. Coming out of intermission is when Lash tried to rally the troops.
“It felt like we didn’t have the same kind of intensity coming into this game,” Palange said. “We were trying to get everybody back on the same level. But it just didn’t feel the same.”
That was always going to be the question. What happens after such an amazing victory? That adrenaline isn’t easy to replicate.
Whether it was a letdown or just an off night, Exeter found itself trailing 49-7 in the fourth quarter. A running clock counted down to the end of the Eagles’ six-game winning streak.
“There’s no doubt it was a really emotional win,” Schlaffer said of beating Mifflin. “I think it’s a challenge for a lot of teams to not be complacent and keep striving. We were making history and you can get caught up in all that. It’s nice but we’ve got to be ready for the next week.”
Eric Nangle, who turned the postseason into his personal showcase, was held to 50 yards on 15 carries. Exeter was put in third-and-long often and that resulted in turnovers.
Schlaffer caught seven passes for 104 yards. Ty Yocum rumbled in for a 1-yard score late in the fourth quarter. Those were the Eagles’ highlights.
This always had the makings of a special season at Exeter. It was a dream senior class. The Eagles didn’t disappoint. They created some of their best football memories.
“You look at these stands and you know everybody,” Schlaffer said. “It’s a community feel. You know people you’re going to see in school on Monday. They’re your friends, acquaintances, teachers. Everyone who is here knows you and they’ve known you your whole life. You want to make those people proud.”
As Exeter’s fans packed up their belongings and quietly filed out of the bleachers, one managed a smile and said, “All good things must end.”
It’s not always the end you want.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
| Penn-Trafford | 3 | 24 | 8 | 14 | 49 |
| Exeter | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
Scoring summary
| 1 | Penn-Trafford | Schlessinger, 38 FG | 9:31 |
| 1 | Exeter | Schlaffer, 24 pass from Payne (Moser kick) | 4:03 |
| 2 | Penn-Trafford | Greene, 5 pass from Green (Schlessinger kick) | 11:11 |
| 2 | Penn-Trafford | Yacamelli, 3 run (Schlessinger kick) | 6:01 |
| 2 | Penn-Trafford | Yacamelli, 75 run (Schlessinger kick) | 4:12 |
| 2 | Penn-Trafford | Schlessinger, 34 FG | 0:00 |
| 3 | Penn-Trafford | Yacamelli, 4 run (Schlessinger run) | 1:27 |
| 4 | Penn-Trafford | Yacamelli, 15 pass from Green (Schlessinger kick) | 11:43 |
| 4 | Penn-Trafford | Greene, 17 run (Schlessinger kick) | N/A |
| 4 | Exeter | Yocum, 1 run (Moser kick) | N/A |
Team statistics
| Penn-Trafford | Exeter | |
| First downs | 12 | 12 |
| Rushes-yards | 31-255 | 28-73 |
| Passing yards | 76 | 189 |
| Total yards | 331 | 262 |
| Passes | 6-9-0 | 14-24-4 |
| Fumbles-lost | 0-0 | 1-1 |
| Punts-average | 1-30 | 2-34.5 |
| Penalties-yards | 7-45 | 3-15 |
Individual statistics
RUSHING
Penn-Trafford: Yacamelli 15-139, Dunlap 1-65, Green 9-24, Demeri 2-17, Mattes 3-12, Lovre 1-(-2).
Exeter: Nangle 15-50, Yocum 4-14, Woody 3-9, Strauss 1-4, Payne 5-(-4).
PASSING
Penn-Trafford: Green 6-9-0–76.
Exeter: Payne 14-24-4–189.
RECEIVING
Penn-Trafford: Otto 2-41, Yacamelli 2-26, Hileman 2-9.
Exeter: Schlaffer 7-104, Strauss 4-43, Nangle 2-2, Schmidt 1-40.
INTERCEPTIONS
Penn-Trafford: Dunlap, Otto, Yacamelli, Hileman.
