Once again, Exeter avenges difficult loss to Conestoga Valley, heads to semis
2025 Berks football coverage presented by
Utilities Employees Credit Union
By Logan Moyer — MikeDragoSports.com correspondent
WITMER — After amassing a three-score lead by halftime, Exeter once found itself an onside kick and a score away from another devasting loss to Conestoga Valley.
| Final | |
| Exeter | 41 |
| Conestoga | 34 |
Wackiness has defined the two schools’ rivalry over the past few years. Failed game-winning two-point conversions. Controversial calls. Insane comebacks.
Not this time.
An onside kick recovery by Donovyn Alvarez and subsequent first-down run by Leo Brown secured a 41-34 win for seventh-seeded Exeter over the second-seeded Buckskins in a District 3 Class 5A quarterfinal matchup Friday night.
It’s the second straight season that the Eagles (10-2) have beaten the Buckskins (10-1) in the District 3 playoffs after losing to them in the regular season.
Exeter fell 21-17 to Conestoga Valley three weeks ago after the Buckskins scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns in the final 2:49, one set up by an onside kick recovery.
“Last game, we knew we won,” Exeter defensive end Jackson Kozik said. “We got robbed. This was a get-back game, and they knew it the whole time.”
“We were sick to our stomachs,” Exeter head coach Matt Bauer said of the earlier loss to Conestoga Valley. “It was important that we got back on this field and did what we needed to do.”
Some coaches employ a nameless, faceless opponent mantra. That wasn’t the case with Bauer’s squad this week.
“It was definitely about facing CV again,” Bauer said. “We couldn’t let history repeat itself. That was my message to the guys at halftime, because we had a very similar situation and we weren’t going to be denied tonight.”
The Eagles built a 27-point lead in the first half, mostly off the play of Brown, the Lancaster-Lebanon League’s leading rusher. Brown ran for 220 yards and three scores, all of which came during the first half.
On two of those scoring drives he carried the ball on every play.
“Leo’s such a special individual,” Bauer said. “But it always starts for us up front. . . Those linemen go to work every day with that lunch-pail mentality. And Leo is definitely one of the hardest runners I’ve ever had the privilege of coaching.”
Brown pushed his season rushing total to 2,395 yards, second-highest in Berks history, behind only David Gilmore’s record total of 2,403, set in 1983.
Bauer thought that Brown might have more room to run with starting quarterback Riley Martinez back behind center; Friday was Martinez’s second game back after an injury and surgery on his non-throwing shoulder.
“I think it opens up the box a little bit being able to throw the ball a little bit better,” Brown said. “I’ve never complained about that, I just kept breaking out runs and all that. My line set up good blocks.”
Martinez completed 3-of-10 passes for 130 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Both touchdown passes were long bombs to Jayden Ware in the first half.
The Exeter defense excelled at limiting L-L leading passer Sawyer Esbenshade, especially in the first half. Aidan Dauble intercepted Esbenshade in the second quarter before Joel Ummarino recovered a strip-sack fumble. Both turnovers led to scores.
Esbenshade finished with 315 passing yards and three scores on 25 completions.
Asked about the Eagles’ defensive gameplan, Kozik said: “Getting to Sawyer.”
Kozik had three of Exeter’s six sacks.
“They passed the whole game,” Kozik said. “As long as we got back there and got a few sacks, I thought that would help us win. It worked out for us.”
The seventh-seeded Eagles will have another chance at revenge next week when they head to Harrisburg to take on No. 3 Bishop McDevitt in the district semifinals. The Crusaders defeated Exeter 48-14 in last year’s District 3 title game.
“It’s going to be a tooth-and-nail fight, even more than this one was,” Brown said. “They’re a great football team, but I think we can go and fight.”
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
Exeter | 13 | 21 | 0 | 7 | 41 |
Conestoga Valley | 7 | 7 | 0 | 20 | 34 |
Scoring summary
1 | Exeter | Ware, 41 pass from Martinez (Franek kick) | 9:39 |
1 | Conestoga Valley | Bair, 23 pass from Esbenshade (Erb kick) | 4:52 |
1 | Exeter | Brown, 20 run (kick failed) | 0:34 |
2 | Exeter | Brown, 30 run (Franek kick) | 10:51 |
2 | Exeter | Ware, 77 pass from Martinez (Franek kick) | 6:20 |
2 | Exeter | Brown, 4 run (Franek kick) | 2:08 |
2 | Conestoga Valley | Garcia, 99 kickoff return (Erb kick) | 1:54 |
4 | Conestoga Valley | Garcia, 4 run (kick failed) | 11:51 |
4 | Exeter | Jackson, 4 run (Franek kick) | 7:44 |
4 | Conestoga Valley | Fisher, 20 pass from Esbenshade (Erb kick) | 6:45 |
4 | Conestoga Valley | Fisher, 9 pass from Esbenshade (Erb kick) | 1:14 |
Team statistics
EXETER | CONESTOGA VALLEY | |
First downs | 17 | 21 |
Rushes-yards | 34-232 | 32-73 |
Passing yards | 130 | 315 |
Total yards | 362 | 388 |
Passes | 3-10-2 | 25-36-1 |
Fumbles-lost | 1-1 | 2-1 |
Punts-average | 1-36 | 1-20 |
Penalties-yards | 7-60 | 8-55 |
Individual statistics
RUSHING
Exeter: Brown 28-220, Alvarez 3-8, Jackson 2-5, Team 1-(-1).
Conestoga Valley: Ruble 13-59, Justiniano 3-21, Garcia 5-15, Conaway 1-(-1), Esbenshade 10-(-21).
PASSING
Exeter: Martinez 3-10-2—130.
Conestoga Valley: Esbenshade 25-36-1—315.
RECEIVING
Exeter: Ware 2-118, Dauble 1-12.
Conestoga Valley: Conaway 6-76, Fisher 6-53, Co. Bair 5-55, Ruble 4-79, Ca. Bair 3-39, Justiniano 1-13.
INTERCEPTIONS
Exeter: Dauble.
Conestoga Valley: Garcia, Alvarez.
