Move to quarterback should be no tall order for Exeter’s Joey Schlaffer

Will Exeter have the tallest quarterback in all of Pennsylvania high school football this season?

It might if Joey Schlaffer is behind center.

The 6-7 senior is in the running to play that pivotal spot when the Eagles open their season Aug. 26 at Daniel Boone. He’s been taking reps since spring drills, was the Eagles’ quarterback in late May at the Chris Nunn Memorial Combine and has split time there during summer 7-on-7 drills.

If the Penn State tight end recruit indeed wins the job the Eagles’ offense will barely resemble the one that carried them to a District 3 Class 5A championship a season ago.

“It would definitely look a little different if he was the guy,” said Eagles coach Matt Bauer, who says there’s open competition for the job heading into the start of camp next week.

Senior Mason Rotelli is, along with Schlaffer, one of the leading candidates. Rising sophomore Gavin Miller and Riley Martinez, a promising rising freshman, will also get looks, Bauer said.

Nothing, Bauer said, will be determined until after the Eagles’ scrimmage against York High. All we know is that it would be a lot more interesting to watch Schlaffer, one of the elite athletes in the Berks Class of 2023, perform in and out of the pocket.

If Schlaffer’s not employed at quarterback he’ll on the field at tight end, or split end, or wide receiver — he’s been utilized at all three spots over the past three seasons and already stands as one of the most productive receivers in program history.

He’ll also be used on defense. Bauer won’t say where — that’s top secret right now in Reiffton — but you might expect to see him show up as a ball-hawking safety or as a blitzing, Lawrence Taylor-type linebacker.

An athlete with his size and skill set can help a football team in countless ways.

“I really don’t know what it’s going to look like right now come Game 1,” Schaffler said Tuesday after morning workouts. “As the season progresses, (we might) see what works the best; that might be how we go about it.

“I’m open to (playing) both (quarterback and receiver). I feel I can contribute well at both. Whatever Coach thinks will be best for the team.”

Schlaffer came up in the Exeter youth program as a quarterback. He manned that spot until eighth grade when he played up on the freshman team.

Gavin McCusker, who went on to be a standout for the Eagles a few years later, ended up as the quarterback for that team.

That pushed Schlaffer to receiver, which turned out to be a good move for him and program.

He started at wide receiver as a freshman, was Berks League Section 1 Receiver of the Year as a sophomore and Section 1 co-Receiver of the Year last season.

With his height and ability to go up and get the ball he is a nightmare match-up for Berks cornerbacks, most of whom are nine to 10 inches shorter.

He had a team-leading 48 catches for 822 yards last season when he was an All-Berks pick.

He heads into the season in position to set program records for career receptions, receiving yards and touchdown catches — he won’t get them, of course, if he’s the one who ends up doing the throwing.

“Honestly, it doesn’t really matter to me,” Schlaffer said. “I like catching the ball, I like throwing the ball, I like running the ball. (At) quarterback, you get the ball in your hands every play, so that’s an advantage of it that I like.”

Not having played the spot in five seasons would certainly be a disadvantage, even with all of the offseason reps. Rotelli has the edge there. He’s come through the program as a quarterback, played that spot for the JV team and on the scout team the past two seasons and is well-versed in the Eagles’ offense and the nuances of the position.

“He’s worked very hard to get to this point,” Bauer said. “He’s very loyal. We’re hoping that it works out for him.”

Then again, Schlaffer has the bigger arm and can be a powerful runner behind what well could be the best offensive line in Section 2 of the Lancaster-Lebanon League. It’s an intriguing scenario.

“He’s a super athlete,” Bauer said, “deceptively fast. And he’s very cool under pressure. Nothing seems to rattle him. He’s definitely grown into one of our leaders.”

Before putting such a bold move into action Bauer checked in with the Penn State coaching staff to get their reaction to seeing their tight end recruit used at a much different position. Nittany Lions tight ends coach Ty Howle gave the move his blessings.

“Their philosophy is: ‘Go be an athlete,’ ” Schlaffer said. “If you’re capable of playing a different position and that’s the best way you’re going to help your team succeed and win the game, then do what you’ve gotta do.”

Schaffler plans to enroll early at Penn State so he won’t be playing basketball, as he did the past three seasons. He heads into his final high school sports experience with a renewed sense of purpose, determined to show that his senior class can acheive what last year’s did.

It doesn’t matter to him what position he’s playing as long as he gets the chance to play for another championship.

“I need to take advantage of the time I have left in high school,” he said. “I don’t want to have any regrets.”