Richie Karstien carries Exeter back to District 3 Class 5A championship game
Years ago, when John McKay gave one of his Southern California tailbacks 40 carries in a game, a writer questioned whether the player could handle such a workload.
“Why?” responded the sardonic Trojans coach. “The ball’s not heavy.”
Exeter coach Matt Bauer subscribes to the same theory. He’ll call Richie Karstien’s number a hundred times in a night if he think it’ll carry the Eagles one step closer to a championship.
“He wants the ball and he doesn’t wear down,” Bauer said after watching the 215-pound senior rumble 35 times for 179 yards Friday night as the Eagles wore down Northern 21-7 in a District 3 Class 5A semifinal at Don Thomas Stadium.
If anything, Karstien was running better in the fourth quarter. He made a nifty move to sidestep a defender and hit the sideline for a 22-yard gain to the 32, setting up the clinching touchdown with seven minutes to go.
On the final drive, when the second-seeded Eagles (12-0) merely needed to move the chains a few more times to lock up a repeat trip to the championship game, Karstien got the call on six of the first seven snaps. And indeed the chains did move. The clock wound down. And the defending champs nailed down their spot in next week’s final, back home against third-seeded Cocalico.
“We’ll ride Richie all through the playoffs,” said senior lineman Kyle Lash. “He’s a big back, and when you see players jump on his back to take him down you know he’s going a great job.”
Bauer knows where his bread is buttered. He knows his offensive line, buoyed by college-level talent such as Lash, Lucas Palange and Anthony Caccese, are going to win most of their battles and that Karstien will take full advantage.
“We’re gonna put the ball in these guys’ hands, and ride them,” said Bauer. “Guys like Anthony Caccese, Lucas Palange, Kyle Lash, they don’t come around very often. You put the three of them next to one another, that’s where we’re gonna run the ball.”
Richie Karstien won’t run away from many defenders but at the end of the night he’ll still be standing, as will the Eagles.
He knows an inflated football weighs only about 16 ounces. He won’t get tired carrying it.
“Being a multi-sport athlete keeps me conditioned to play full games,” said Karstien, an all-division midfielder in lacrosse.
When Exeter faced a big late-season challege at Hempfield — the eventual Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 1 champ — Karstien got the call 32 times and went for 212 yards and four TDs.
Two weeks later, with the Eagles going for the Section 2 title at Manheim Central, Karstien carried the load again with 26 carries, 144 yards and two scores.
Friday it was more of the same with a career-high number of carries in a game the Eagles needed to win and had trouble putting away.
The 11th-seeded Polar Bears (8-5) never seemed a threat to win, what with the way the Eagles’ defense clamped down on their running game. The Eagles allowed just 50 yards and three first downs in the first half.
It was more of the same in the third quarter, the Eagles forcing three-and-outs on Northern’s first two possessions.
The Eagles seemed to be salting the game away with a 15-play drive deep into Northern territory late in the third quarter. Karstien’s tackle-breaking 13-yard run gave them a first-and-goal at the 10. A few plays later they lined up for a 26-yard field goal that pretty much would’ve sealed the deal. It was wide.
The Polar Bears responded with their only big plays of the night. Timmy Bonin found Mason Yohn for a 28-yard gain to into Exeter territory — just their second trip of the night. A couple minutes later hard-running Cole Bartram slipped a couple tackles and darted 35 yards into the end zone.
Suddenly, with 9 1/2 minutes left, it was a one-possession game. For one of the few times all year the Eagles were pressed to respond.
“We knew we need to score,” Karstien said. “This is not a game we can afford to lose. We’re expected to go a lot farther. (That was) understood.”
Karstien got the ball on the first four plays of the drive. On second-and-8 from the Northern 30 the Eagles faked an end run before Mason Rotelli lofted a fade into the end zone. Joey Schlaffer, the 6-7 Penn State tight end recruit, had single coverage. He leaped to snare the ball.
“When I saw the ball up in the air I already knew he was coming down with it,” Karstien said.
Schlaffer did, his fifth catch of a 111-yard night.
That was pretty much the ballgame.
Now the Eagles will prepare for an unexpected home game. They’ve got Cocalico to thank for that. The other Eagles went to Quarryville and knocked out the No. 1 seed.
“Defending the ‘chip on our own turf, it’s amazing,” said junior linebacker back Miles Brant, who intercepted a pair of passes. “I knew we were good, and I knew we’d be able to make it (back to the championship) again, but having a home game is totally different.”
“It’s going to be pretty special,” said Karstien.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
| Northern | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| Exeter | 7 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 21 |
Scoring summary
| 1 | Exeter | Karstien, 2 run (Skipper kick) | 7:46 |
| 2 | Exeter | Rotelli, 1 run (Skipper kick) | 0:52 |
| 4 | Northern | Bartram, 35 run (Yohn kick) | 9:32 |
| 4 | Exeter | Schlaffer, 30 pass from Rotelli (Skipper kick) | 7:00 |
Team statistics
| Northern | Exeter | |
| First downs | 6 | 19 |
| Rushes-yards | 23-79 | 49-213 |
| Passing yards | 63 | 121 |
| Total yards | 142 | 334 |
| Passes | 6-14-2 | 7-15-0 |
| Fumbles-lost | 1-0 | 2-0 |
| Punts-average | 5-34.6 | 2-32.0 |
| Penalties-yards | 325 | 4-25 |
Individual statistics
RUSHING
Northern: Bartram 15-74, McClintock 1-11, T. Bonin 7-(-6).
Exeter: Karstien 35-179, Rotelli 12-32, Schlaffer 1-3.
PASSING
Northern: T. Bonnin 6-14-2–63.
Exeter: Rotelli 7-15-0–121.
RECEIVING
Northern: Lamb 3-26, Yohn 1-28, Williams 1-6, Kitts 1-3.
Exeter: Schlaffer 5-111, Karstien 1-7, Z. Zandier 1-3.
INTERCEPTIONS
Exeter: Brant 2.
MISSED FIELD GOALS
Exeter: Skipper 26.
