District 3 playoff preview: Exeter vs. South Western
District 3 Class 5A quarterfinal
Exeter (6-3) vs. South Western (6-4)
Kick: Friday, 7, at Don Thomas Stadium, Reiffton.
Series: First meeting.
District 3 Class 5A bracket: Click here.
Eagles update: Capped 11th straight winning season with victories over Berks Catholic and Reading High. . . Idle last week when Daniel Boone canceled due to COVID issues. . . Lone Berks Section 1 loss came vs. Gov. Mifflin. . . Senior Colin Payne ranks No. 2 among Berks passers; he has thrown for 1,390 yards and 13 TDs. . . Payne needs 23 yards to become sixth passer in program history with 2,000 career yards. . . He needs 110 yards to become the third to pass for 1,500 yards in a season; Gavin McCusker (2,035) and Kolby Haag (1,618) are the others. . . Penn State recruit Joey Schlaffer, a junior, leads team with 31 receptions. . . Eric Nangle needs 155 yards to reach 1,000. . . He shares team touchdown lead with Ty Yocum, each with 11. . . Yocum and fellow ILB J.R. Strauss are leaders of defensive until that ranks No. 3 in Berks in total yards allowed, No. 3 in scoring defense and No. 1 in takeaways, with 19.
Fast fact: Two of Exeter’s three losses have come to teams currently ranked No. 1 in the state. The Eagles fell to Central York 35-28 in the season-opener and to Gov. Mifflin in Week 7. Central is ranked No. 1 in Class 6A, Mifflin in 5A.
Mustangs update: Snapped streak of five straight losing seasons under first-year head coach Tony Shermeyer, who was an assistant line coach last season. . . Brought back nine starters from 2020, including all-league TE/LB Josh Wasowicz and G R.J. Utz. . . First winning season since 2015, when they finished 7-4. . . Bottomed out at 1-9 in 2018, when the current seniors were freshmen. . . Running out of Spread offense after using Wing-T in recent seasons. . . QB Shilo Bivins, an all-league pick as a junior, has completed 62 percent of his passes for 1,243 yards and 10 TDs, with 7 INTs. He has also run for six TDs. . . Cohen Bull leads team in rushing with 513 yards, and seven TDs. . . Carson Trone leads team with 28 receptions. . . Lost 35-0 last week to Spring Grove. . . Have gone just 3-4 since 3-0 start. . . Lost 60-0 at midseason to Central York. . . Finished sixth in York-Adams Division 1, going 2-4.
Did you know? This is the first home playoff game for the Eagles since 2016 when they were the No. 4 seed and fell to No. 5 Harrisburg 36-10. Micah Parsons — now a starting linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys — scored three touchdowns for the Cougars, one on a 19-yard reception. Parsons was a first-round pick by the Cowboys out of Penn State in the spring.
Exeter playoff history: Saw streak of nine straight district appearances snapped last season, when 5A field was reduced to four team. . . Reached semifinals for first time in 2019, after beating York High and Shippensburg in the first two rounds; knocked out by Cedar Cliff. . . Overall: 4-11 in 11 appearances since 1997.
South Western playoff history: Have not won a playoff game in a decade, since beating Manheim Township 42-35 in a 2011 opener. . . Last appearance came in 2015. . . Beat Reading High in 2000 semifinal. . . Overall: 6-12.
Winner gets: No. 2 seed Manheim Central (9-1), at Manheim, Nov. 12. Barons earned first-round bye.