Leo Brown, Exeter grind out victory over Ephrata to remain unbeaten
2025 Berks football coverage presented by
Utilities Employees Credit Union
(This story was produced by LNP/Lancasteronline, and published in partnership with MikeDragoSports.com.)
By Christian Eby — LNP/Lancasteronline
EPHRATA — Four hundred yards of total offense allowed is an eyesore for any football program. But it doesn’t always tell the entire story.
| Final | |
| Exeter | 24 |
| Ephrata | 0 |
Ephrata (1-2, 4-2) is taking that approach, while still conceding defeat, following a 24-0 Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 2 setback to unbeaten Exeter at War Memorial Field on Friday night.
The Eagles (3-0, 6-0) got another big game from Leo Brown, who went for 179 yards on 24 carries. Brown exploited the hosts for rushes of 27, 21, 16 and 14 yards, and scored a pair of touchdowns.
“They had the athletes to go out and make plays,” said Ephrata coach Kris Miller.
Exeter shares the early Section 2 lead with Muhlenberg and Conestoga Valley, each of which is unbeaten. That three-way tie for first will be trimmed next week when the Eagles head to Laureldale for a much-anticipated showdown with the Muhls.
The Mounts could’ve let the wheels fall off Friday but they battled a team ranked No. 5 in the state in Class 5A.
Miller’s group clamped down with two red zone stands. They curbed early momentum, forcing two punts across the Eagles’ first three possessions. The Mountaineers found the silver lining amid the gloom.
“There’s a lot of football left in the season, and one game is not going to define who we are and what we are,” Miller said. “Obviously, if you don’t own a loss like this a little bit, I think you’re bound to kind of repeat it. So there’s stuff that needs fixed — play-wise, tactically, emotionally, mentally. When you lose a game, you get exposed a little bit. We just gotta come back in tomorrow morning ready to go.”
The story of Ephrata’s season has been navigating the injury bug. Senior quarterback Carson Martin was sidelined for a third straight game Friday, and a crop of other players donned street clothes, braces and slings.
This fall hasn’t been kind to the Mountaineers. However, it’s brewed a level of integrity, a deeper appreciation to see the battle through.
Exeter (3-0, 6-0) amassed more than 150 yards on the ground in the first half of Friday’s affair, when Ephrata made its first of two back-to-the-wall stops to preserve a 14-0 halftime deficit.
“Our defense kept on playing,” Miller said, “and I think the fourth-down stop at the end of the first half was huge. We just had some opportunities we didn’t execute, and I think that was the most frustrating part.”
The Eagles sunk their talons into the 14-0 advantage with a 16-yard, first-quarter run from Brown and a 55-yard, second-quarter heave from Jake Hafer to Jayden Ware. Ephrata would’ve cut the lead to one score on a 59-yard toss from Malachi Knowles to Josiah Grant but the explosive play was negated by an illegal block in the back.
Between sacks and penalties, the Mounts lost 87 yards of production. Knowles was swallowed in the backfield four times while the team saw seven yellow hankies spiral onto the turf.
“We had a couple big plays called back from penalties, and we haven’t done that all year,” Miller said. “And against good football teams, those are the type of things that come back and bite you. It’s hard to recover from those.”
To combat some of the self-inflicted wounds, Exeter exhibited seven infractions of its own. The Mounts also halted the Eagles’ first possession out of intermission — coaxing a 28-yard field goal — before the visitors marched down the field on an ensuing 12-play drive that resulted in a Brown 3-yard plunge.
Ephrata, too, had explosive schemes in the cards, but none that were able to develop.
The Mounts acknowledge their mistakes. But rather than be blinded by the omissions, they’re keeping a forward frame of mind.
“We’re gonna watch the film,” Miller said. “We’re gonna own the loss a little bit, and we’re gonna move on. Because we got four opportunities left to play football, and it’s all about trying to search for that Week 11.”
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
| Exeter | 7 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 24 |
| Ephrata | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Scoring summary
| 1 | Exeter | Brown, 16 run (Franek kick) |
| 2 | Exeter | Ware, 55 pass from Hafer (Franek kick) |
| 3 | Exeter | Franek, 28 FG |
| 4 | Exeter | Brown, 3 run (Franek kick) |
Team statistics
| EXETER | EPHRATA | |
| First downs | 20 | 4 |
| Rushes-yards | 44-326 | 23-33 |
| Passing yards | 109 | 68 |
| Total yards | 435 | 101 |
| Passes | 6-11 | 5-11 |
| Fumbles-lost | 0-0 | 0-0 |
| Punts-average | 2-39 | 6-40 |
| Penalties-yards | 7-72 | 7-70 |
Individual statistics
RUSHING
Exeter: Brown 24-179, Hafer 9-79, Ware 2-41, Alvarez 4-33, Jackson 3-17.
Ephrata: Rearich 11-26, Knowles 10-3, Ciran 1-3, Orange 1-2.
PASSING
Exeter: Hafer 6-11-0–109.
Ephrata: Knowles 5-10-0–66, Sheroka 0-1-1–0.
RECEIVING
Exeter: Ware 3-60, Brown 2-20, Reinert 1-26, Livergood 1-15.
Ephrata: Bryant 2-32, Rearich 2-9, Orange 1-25.
INTERCEPTIONS
Exeter: Ware.
