Team of the Day: Exeter Eagles
2025 Berks football coverage
presented by UECU
Matt Bauer inherited an Exeter program that was at the very bottom, coming off winless seasons in 2007 and 2008.
In the years since he has taken the Eagles higher and higher. Three years after they won their first District 3 championship in 2021, the Eagles won 12 games last season, matching the program record for victories (set in 2022). They set a program records for scoring average (42.7) and margin of victory (30.5) despite losing starting quarterback Riley Martinez with a leg injury in Week 7.
Two-time All-State tailback Jayden Zandier kept the offense humming as he rushed for a program-record 2,093 yards and scored 34 touchdowns; he even threw a couple TD passes, helping fill the void left by Martinez’s injury.
A district playoff win over New Oxford gave Bauer his 124th victory, topping the program record set by Don Thomas, who coached Exeter for 24 seasons and had the stadium named in his honor.
(PhilMarPhoto)
The Eagles have enjoyed 14 straight winning seasons, the longest run of prosperity in program history, and second-longest active streak in Berks County.
For years Exeter had trouble getting past Berks Football League Section 1 rival Gov. Mifflin, which dominated the league and dominated its series with the Eagles.
The Eagles evened the score with the greatest win in program history, eliminating the top-ranked team in the state on its home field in the 2021 District 3 Class 5A championship game.
The Eagles had to win three straight games on the road and come back from a third-quarter deficit to beat the Mustangs 31-28 and win their first district title.
The Eagles followed that in 2022 with their greatest regular season, going 10-0 and stopping unbeaten Manheim Central in Week 10 to win the Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 2 title in their first season in the league.
Exeter, which for the first time was ranked as high as No. 2 in the state, finished with a program-record 12 victories in 2022.
The Eagles got off to another great start in 2023, winning their first eight games to extend their regular season winning streak to a program-record 20.
(PhilMarPhoto)
The Eagles have had many accomplished players in their program but none moreso than lineman Michal Menet, who in 2015 became the first Berks football player named first-team All-State three straight years.
Menet went on to captain Penn State and play in the NFL.
His half-brother, Joey Schlaffer, led the Eagles to the Section 2 title in 2022 and set virtually every receiving record in program history during his four seasons in Reiffton.
He followed Michal’s path and is now playing at Penn State.
To find out more about Exeter football history and see the newly expanded team records page, check out the Eagles Team Page.
You’ll find this season’s schedule, the Eagles’ series record against all current opponents, results from recent seasons, year-by-year won-loss records and team rushing, scoring, and passing records you can’t find anywhere else.
Throughout the summer MikeDragoSports.com will feature each Berks County team.
Next up: Fleetwood.