Joey Schlaffer: ‘I want people to look to me when times get tough; I want to deliver’
Matt Bauer saw it three years ago when Joey Schlaffter was a wiry freshman and the youngest player on the field most nights.
He saw it again Friday night when Schlaffer, his Exeter team leading Northern 14-7 midway through the fourth quarter, went up in the end zone and snared a 30-yard touchdown catch, sealing the win and a return trip to the District 3 Class 5A championship game.
“Joey always plays his best in the biggest games,” said Bauer, the Eagles’ coach. “He’s always come up big when we needed him to.”
He did last season, catching a pair of early touchdown passes as the Eagles beat Gov. Mifflin 31-28 for their first district championship.
He did in this season’s most important game, at Manheim Central with the Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 2 title on the line. Eagles quarterback Mason Rotelli took a hard hit midway through the second quarter and was knocked out of the game, his team trailing 17-7.
Schlaffer, who battled throughout the offseason for the QB job, slid over from his receiver spot and lined up behind center in Shotgun formation. He took the snap, rolled around left end, hit the sideline and was off for a zig-zagging 70-yard touchdown run that sparked a 21-17 comeback and capped a perfect regular season.
“He’s a difference-maker,” Bauer said afterward. “That was a tremendous run. He wanted the ball. The best players play their best in the big games and that’s what he did.”
Schlaffer knows that when the Eagles go for their second straight district championship Friday at 7 against Cocalico at Don Thomas Stadium there will be a moment — maybe more than one — when his teammates look to him to make a game-altering play. He wouldn’t have it any other way.
“I want people to look to me when times get tough,” he said. “I want to be able to deliver.”
The Eagles are back in the title game because of their stellar defense and their dominant line play. They’re also there because they have a game-changer, the kind of player championship teams rely on.
“I know it doesn’t solely (rest) on me,” Schlaffer said, “but when the going gets tough you look to the guys you know are going to put you in position to score. There is pressure in those moments but I’m confident in myself, in my practice and my work ethic.”
It’s no surprise that Schlaffer has become that guy. His half brothers, Christian and Michal Menet, were foundational players in the Exeter program, helping a once lifeless program find its footing, become competitive and, in Michal’s senior year, 2015, win a league championship.
Schlaffer brings the same physical tools to the table. He’s grown to 6-7 and strong enough to play tight end, the spot Penn State recruited him for.
He’s a four-year starter at wide receiver or tight end, is leading the Eagles in receptions and receiving yards for the third straight season and is one of the most prolific receivers in Berks history, setting records for career receiving yards (2,504) and touchdown catches (31).
He was Berks League Section 1 Receiver of the Year as a sophomore. Last season he was Section 1 co-Receiver of the Year and earned All-Berks and All-State honors.
It’s almost unfair to see him out in pass patterns, going against players eight to 10 inches shorter and not nearly as strong. Rotelli knows there’s no such thing as a 50-50 ball when Schlaffer’s involved. That’s why he’s willing to put the ball in tight spots knowing his guy is going to come down with it.
“You’ve gotta trust the guy,” Rotelli said. “There’s not many (like) him.”
“Theres a reason he’s going to Penn State,” said Manheim Central coach Dave Hahn. “The kid is long, he’s athletic, he runs very well. He’s not your typical (tall) kid; he’s fluid. The quarterback can throw the ball up there and nine times out of 10 he’s coming down with the ball.”
When rival Gov. Mifflin closed to within 15-6 in the Eagles’ Section 2 opener it was Schlaffer who helped his team pull away. A run play was called from the sideline but he and Rotelli thought they could beat the Mustangs with a pass. Rotelli, under a heavy rush, threw a jump ball toward the sideline; Schlaffer out-leaped two defenders, then dragged both into the end zone with him.
That completed a hat trick for him: Earlier in the game he had run for a touchdown and completed a pass.
He’s become a true triple threat. His 91-yard run against Conestoga Valley, also when lined up at QB, is the second-longest scoring run of the season in Berks.
“He can take it to the crib from anywhere,” said teammate Lucas Palange.
Lately Schlaffer’s become more and more involved on the defensive end, rotating in at defensive end. That gives an unyielding Exeter defense yet one more big body to throw at opponents.
He’ll play his final home game Friday with a chance to nail down a second district championship. This time, as the No. 2 seed and ranked No. 2 in the state in Class 5A, his team will be favored. That wasn’t the case a year ago when the Eagles fought their way through the bracket as the No. 7 seed and beat Gov. Mifflin, the state’s top-ranked team, on its home field.
Cocalico (9-4) is the No. 12 seed, bidding to become the first double-digit seed in District 3 history to win a championship. The significance is not lost on Schlaffer.
“The script is completely flipped,” he said. “Last year no one was talking about us going to the playoffs. We had lost to Hempfield and (Gov. Mifflin in the regular season). The target’s on our back, no question about it. But we wouldn’t have it any other way.
“We believe we’re the best team in the district. We are Mifflin of last year. Everyone’s gunning for us. Last year taught us that once you get in the playoffs you don’t take anyone for granted. We know a lower seed can sneak up and surprise the world, just like we did last year.”
| Berks career receiving leaders | School | Yards | Seasons |
| Joey Schlaffer | Exeter | 2,504 | 2019-22 |
| Trey Freeman | Twin Valley | 2,250 | 2018-21 |
| Nolan McCready | Wyomissing | 2,110 | 1999-01 |
| Aanjay Feliciano | Conrad Weiser | 2,055 | 2019-21 |
| Alex Javier | Exeter | 1,950 | 2017-19 |
| Zach Keeley | Daniel Boone | 1,942 | 2007-08 |
| Ian Firestone | Wilson | 1,907 | 1998-01 |
| Tony Hardy | Reading High | 1,893 | 1989-91 |
| Nate Ottaviani | Schuylkill Valley | 1,888 | 1998-01 |
| Ernie Wolfe | Schuylkill Valley | 1,877 | 1997-99 |
| Berks career TD receptions leaders | School | TDs | Seasons |
| Joey Schlaffer | Exeter | 31 | 2019-22 |
| Tony Hardy | Reading High | 27 | 1989-91 |
| Vaughn Carraway | Muhlenberg | 25 | 2005-07 |
| Nolan McCready | Wyomissing | 24 | 1999-01 |
| Aanjay Feliciano | Conrad Weiser | 23 | 2019-21 |
| Josh Smith | Wilson | 23 | 2004-06 |
| Alex Javier | Exeter | 21 | 2017-19 |
| Zach Keeley | Daniel Boone | 21 | 2007-09 |
| Andy Lehatto | Wilson | 21 | 2000-02 |
| Andy Roland | Wilson | 21 | 1998-00 |
| Charlie Randall | Reading High | 21 | 1991-93 |
| Berks career receptions leaders | School | Receptions | Seasons |
| Nate Ottaviani | Schuylkill Valley | 165 | 1998-01 |
| Ernie Woolf | Schuylkill Valley | 157 | 1997-99 |
| Zach Keeley | Daniel Boone | 136 | 2007-08 |
| Ian Firestone | Wilson | 134 | 1998-01 |
| Brett Harbach | Wilson | 133 | 1997-00 |
| Joey Schlaffer | Exeter | 122 | 1999-02 |
| Trey Freeman | Twin Valley | 116 | 2018-21 |
| Josh Smith | Wilson | 116 | 2004-06 |
| Charlie Randall | Reading High | 111 | 1991-93 |
| Aanjay Feliciano | Conrad Weiser | 107 | 2019-21 |
| Nolan McCready | Wyomissing | 107 | 1999-01 |
