Exeter guarding against letdown vs. Hempfield in GoBigRecruiting.com Game of the Week

Matt Bauer wanted his Exeter football team to celebrate its season-shaping victory over Wilson — but not too much, or for too long.

“We quickly knocked them back down to reality,” he said of the days following the Eagles’ 42-14 Week 3 victory over the Bulldogs. “That win wouldn’t mean anything if we have a letdown against Hempfield (this week). We’re just trying to keep our foot on the gas.”

After a stinging Week 1 loss to state finalist Central York — a game that saw the Eagles inside the 10 and with a chance to tie or win in the final seconds — the Eagles have floored it. They have beaten their last two opponents by a combined 98-22 score.

By beating Wilson for the first time in program history they confirmed what Bauer and others have felt, that they have a team capable of big things and an extended playoff run.

Last week’s win was among the biggest in program history, and the biggest since a 35-21 win over Gov. Mifflin in 2015 that paved the way for a Berks Football League Section 1 title.

Michal Menet was the backbone of that championship team; coincidentally, he was on the sidelines Friday to see the Eagles beat Wilson.

“It did a lot for our confidence, for sure,” Bauer said of the breakthrough win. “It made some other people realize this is a special team and we can still do a lot things. We (just) have to keep our minds straight and take it one week at a time.”

The Eagles (2-1) head to Landisville Friday to face the Black Knights (1-2) ini the GoBigRecruiting.com Game of the Week.

Hempfield has slugged it out against three tough opponents. It’s coming off back-to-back losses to a pair of state-ranked teams: Manheim Central is No. 9 in Class 5A, Central York is No. 4 in Class 6A.

The Black Knights opened the season with a 28-21 win over Dallastown, which went on to beat Manheim Township 41-38 the following week.

“They’re very athletic and quick,” Bauer said of the Black Knights. “The quarterback (Cameron Harbaugh) throws the ball all over the place and he’s accurate with his throws. Their receivers are very athletic and go up and get the ball.”

They lost to Central York 35-21 but were able to contain Penn State-bound quarterback Beau Pribula, limiting him to a season-low 52 passing yards. They blitzed on almost every down so as not to give the All-State quarterback time to set up and throw.

“Beau is so good that if you give him a pocket he’ll pick you apart,” said Hempfield coach George Eager, “so we wanted to make him uncomfortable.

“We said we had to take away the pass, and we did that, it’s just that we didn’t (help our) defense out. Our punt team had two lapses where we gave ’em the ball deep in our territory; another offensive fumble gave them good field position. The pass game didn’t get us, it was more turnovers and the run game.”

Hempfield faces another strong passing game this week. Exeter quarterback Colin Payne has thrown for 651 yards and seven TDs in three games. Tight end Joey Schlaffer, a 6-7 junior getting big-time looks, is a tough match-up for anyone; he’s averaging 19.3 yards on his 12 catches. Senior tight end J.R. Strauss, a Villanova recruit, has four TD receptions.

“We knew after playing Exeter last year that they were a very good football team,” said Eager, whose team fell 41-34 in overtime in the season opener. “You know that they’re talented. They’ve got guys that can make plays; they’ve got guys with Division I offers. The film speaks for itself. We know they’re very talented and we just hope to be in position to be right there at the end of the game.”

Harbaugh is Hempfield’s best player. He has thrown for 494 yards and three TDs and leads the team in rushing.

“He’s our go-to guy on offense with his arm and legs,” Eager said. “He has a strong arm and he’s more athletic than people give him credit for. He can use his legs to extend plays and get first downs.”

Harbaugh has an offer from Butler, an FCS school.

“He’s college material, without a doubt,” Eager said. “We see him playing on Saturdays.”

Hempfield has the second-highest strength-of-schedule rating among big schools in District 3. Eager is hoping the early struggles will help his team be ready for play in Section 1 of the Lancaster-Lebanon League, where it will face Wilson and Manheim Township.

“We are a work in progress, no doubt,” he said. “We’ve shown glimpses of playing very good football and we’ve also made plenty of mistakes. I think we’ve played three playoff-type teams, so I think we’re battle-tested.

“We know we’re not good enough to make mistakes and beat good teams. If we can eliminate those mistakes and play good football we’ll have a chance to win.”