Selflessness, ability to adjust on the fly, keys to Exeter’s 12-win season
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His Exeter football team matched a program record for wins and set all kinds of scoring marks but the thing Matt Bauer will remember most about the players who made it happen is their selflessness.
One of the highest-scoring teams in Berks history had all kinds of offensive weapons, more than just 2,000-yard rusher Jayden Zandier.
Quarterback Riley Martinez was the Lancaster-Lebanon League’s most efficient passer for most of the season. Carter Redding and Jayden Ware were among the league’s best and most versatile receiving tandems. H-back Genuine Stutzman ran for six touchdowns, caught six touchdowns and led the way as a blocker for many others.
The Eagles scored on defense and special teams, too, on the way to averaging a league-high 42.7 points per game, seventh-highest in Berks history. They set a program record with 71 points in a game, against Elizabethtown, and four times scored 55 or more points; no Exeter team had ever done that.
Despite all those points the players, Bauer said, were able to check their egos at the door; that’s why they were able to win 12 games and advance to the District 3 Class 5A championship game for the third time in four years.
“It’s very easy for 17-, 18-year-old kids to put their needs first,” Bauer said. “They want the ball, they want (their) opportunities. It was amazing how quickly these kids realized what the big picture was and (made) the No. 1 priority winning.”
That was on display late in a Week 7 win over Muhlenberg. With his team leading by three touchdowns in the final minutes Zandier broke into the clear for another long touchdown run. Rather than taking it all the way to the house he slid at the 20, in order to run down the clock.
That slide, on his final carry of the night, cost Zandier what would’ve been a share of the program record for rushing yards in a game.
No matter. He grabbed plenty more records over the following weeks, finishing with 2,093 rushing yards, second-most in Berks history. He scored 34 touchdowns, fourth-most in Berks history, and set program records for career rushing yards (3,451), touchdowns (54), points (332), and rushing touchdowns (45).
His 11.4 yards per carry average is second-highest in Berks history among backs with 150 or more attempts; only Gov. Mifflin’s Nick Singleton produced a bigger number.
Just as important as Zandier’s rushing numbers were his passing figures: When Martinez went out with a broken leg in the Muhlenberg game Exeter had no quarterback ready to step in, so it went to a Wildcat offense with Zandier taking direct snaps and occasionally throwing the ball.
His ability to do that, and the Eagles’ ability to transition on a dime, helped them avoid disaster.
The season was on the brink at that point, with a Section 2 showdown against Conestoga Valley just two weeks away and the district playoffs starting in less than a month.
“Fortunately, (we) had options because Jayden was so versatile,” said Bauer.
By chance Exeter had installed the Wildcat a couple weeks earlier as an extra option against one of Gov. Mifflin’s defensive packages.
“Thank goodness we had that package, because we were able to pivot to that very quickly,” Bauer said.
The Wildcat option also gave junior Jake Hafer time to prepare to take over at quarterback. He had left the football program in the spring to concentrate on baseball, then had second thoughts and returned in September. After taking a few snaps in the Muhlenberg game he gradually took over the offense and became the fulltime guy heading into the playoffs.
Exeter’s only regular season loss came in Week 9 against Conestoga Valley. Hafer led an effective last-minute drive and threw a touchdown pass to Ware with 7.8 seconds left, pulling his team within 28-27. The Eagles went for the win and thought they had it when Zandier slammed over the goal line for a two-point conversion.
They celebrated for a few moments before officials ruled that Zandier didn’t get in. (Photographic evidence shows otherwise.) That call cost the Eagles their second Section 2 title in three seasons and also set up what became one of the biggest wins in school history.
After sneaking past unbeaten New Oxford 24-21 on Jake Franek’s game-ending field goal the Eagles got the second chance they desperately wanted: Against Conestoga Valley.
The win over New Oxford, by the way, made Bauer the winningest coach in Exeter history; his 124th victory eclipsed the record set four decades earlier by Don Thomas.
Bauer ended the season with 125 wins over 16 seasons and cracked the Berks’ Top 10 for all-time wins, winning percentage (.683) and games coached (183).
The much anticipated Conestoga Valley rematch turned out to be a mismatch. Zandier ran for four touchdowns and 268 yards and Martinez – who played one series –saw his first throw in six weeks go for a touchdown. Exeter won in a romp, 48-14.
Bauer called it redemption.
“Setting the record straight, for sure,” he said. “And that’s what these kid deserve.”
All those good vibes flipped a week later, as did the score, when Exeter ran into powerhouse Bishop McDevitt in the district championship game. The Eagles gave up some quick early scores and things went from bad to worse when Zandier was lost after just four carriers with a high ankle sprain.
Even with another monster effort by Zandier the Eagles likely wouldn’t have won but it would’ve been far more entertaining than the 48-14 pounding they absorbed.
Bauer will take that one-sided loss and use it for fuel as the Eagles begin putting together the pieces for a 15th straight winning season.
They’ll take some big graduation hits, no doubt, with the loss of Zandier, Section 2’s Outstanding Back, and Logan Wegman, the league’s Outstanding Lineman. They’ll also have to replace all-league picks Stutzman and Redding and leading tackler Casey Gerhart.
The Eagles, under Bauer, simply reload, and there’s plenty of ammunition. They’ll have a three-year starter at quarterback in Martinez, playing behind three returning offensive linemen: center Joel Ummarino, tackle Kevin Oswalt and guard Andre Osborne. All-league linebacker Aidan Dauble returns, as does Franek, an all-league punter; Ummarino is an all-league defensive end.
Ware, a two-way starter, will have a bigger role on offense; junior Leo Brown showed he’s more than capable of being a top tailback; and there are several players from the unbeaten JV team ready to step in and make an impact.
“McDevitt’s not going anywhere,” said Bauer, looking at next year’s district landscape. “I’m glad that (our players) had a taste of that so they know exactly what they’re up against. I think we’re very physical in our league schedule but it needs to get taken up to the next level. We’re gonna have to be bigger, stronger and more physical if we’re gonna play into late November.”
