Season preview: Exeter Eagles
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Classification: Class 5A.
League: Lancaster-Lebanon Section 2.
Schedule: Click here.
Last season: 6-0 league, 12-1 overall.
Last District 3 playoff appearance: 2022.
Head coach: Matt Bauer, 15th season, 105-53.
Key losses: Section 2 Offensive Lineman & Linebacker of the Year Lucas Palange, Section 2 Defensive Lineman of the Year Kyle Lash, all-league WR/TE Joey Schlaffer, all-league T/DT Anthony Caccese, all-league RB Richie Karstien, all-league DE Joey Reed, all-league LB Jonathan Martin.
Top offensive players: QB Riley Martinez, QB/WR/KR Nathan Pashley, RB Gavin Reiking, FB Casey Gerhart, RB Pharrell Caceres, RB Zaymar Paschall, RB/WR Carter Redding, WR Jayden Zandier, WR Jayden Ware, TE Zach Zandier, TE Genuine Stutzman, TE Aidan Dauble, C Matt McConnell, G Ryan McConnell, G/T Keegan Sneering-Sobotka, G/T Logan Wegman, G/T Nathan Govan.
Top defensive players: E Zach Zandier, E Logan Wegman, T Matt McConnell, T Ryan McConnell, DL Cameron Aiken, LB Joel Ummarino, LB Tyler Flanders, LB Aidan Dauble, LB Genuine Stutzman, FS Nathan Pashley, S Alex Pineiro, CB Carter Redding, CB Jayden Zandier, CB Nigel Meekins.
Did you know? Eagles coach Matt Bauer needs 18 wins to match Don Thomas’ program record of 123 victories. Thomas coached 24 seasons, from 1959-82. Bauer has the highest winning percentage (.665) among Exeter’s eight head coaches.
For the record: Joey Schlaffer, a four-year starter at WR and TE, headed to Penn State with Exeter program records for receptions in a career (122), receiving yards in a career (2,504) and TD receptions in a career (31). No other Eagles receiver has reached 100 career receptions or 2,000 career yards.
Quotable: “We’ve had (some) very special kids the last two years; the leadership has been exceptional. I’m hoping that this year’s class has been mentored by those two strong classes. They (now) know what it takes to achieve and be successful in this league. They’re excited to put their own stamp (on it) and leave their own legacy.” – Eagles coach Matt Bauer.
Outlook: After graduating perhaps the most talented – and unquestionably most successful – senior class in program history, what’s left in Reiffton after 22 wins, including six in the postseason, the past two years?
Plenty, actually.
There’s another Division I college prospect – TE Zack Zandier, who’s committed to Coastal Carolina – and plenty of other rising talent positioned to give the Eagles another trip to the playoffs.
The question, of course, is how quickly they can get up to speed, especially at quarterback where Matt Bauer’s going with sophomore Riley Martinez, who’s yet to complete a pass at the varsity level.
The Eagles had great senior leadership the past two seasons, carrying them to back-to-back District 3 championships games. If those same kind of leaders emerge they can again challenge for the section championship and make some noise in the postseason.
Martinez is big, has the physical tools and has the background; he’s been groomed by his father James, a former head coach who specializes in quarterback instruction.
If Martinez isn’t ready Nate Pashley, a defensive and special teams stalwart, will step in. He’s never played QB before but is such a heady athlete and competitor that Bauer is confident he can make things happen behind center.
If not there, Pashley will be split wide or line up in the backfield; he could be utilized in a role similar to Joey Schlaffer’s a year ago, lining up at different spots in different formations.
Whoever’s at QB will have strong targets to throw to, among them Zandier, Pashley, Jayden Zandier or Carter Redding.
The 6-4 Zack Zandier is an alluring target, both because of his size and ability to run after the catch; he averaged 16.7 yards per catch last season. His brother Jayden, a junior, could be just as big a threat. He’s an outstanding all-around athlete with burst and the ability to make big plays.
The offensive line, always a focus for the Eagles, again should be good. The McConnell twins, center Matt and guard Ryan, were part of the best O-line Bauer’s ever coach and more than held their own. They’ll set the tone.
The running back position is up for grabs but it was the last two years entering the season and all Eric Nangle and Richie Karstien did was produce the two biggest rushing and scoring seasons in program history.
At the wire: The Eagles are the only team in the section capable of competing with preseason favorite Manheim Central, which brings back all it’s top players and is certainly smarting after losing a perfect season and the section championship on the final play of last year’s Week 10 showdown.
