Can mended quarterback be the ‘X-factor’ in Exeter’s rematch vs. Conestoga Valley?
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Matt Bauer thought he had seen Riley Martinez in an Exeter uniform for the last time.
When Martinez needed surgery after injuring his non-throwing shoulder in late August against Boyertown the Eagles coach figured there was no chance his senior quarterback would play again this season.
“My heart broke for him,” Bauer said. “I was sick for weeks about it.”
Even though his doctors gave him only a small chance of being able to return this season Martinez kept a positive mindset. He thought if all went well following his surgery on Sept. 10 he could rejoin the team by Week 12 or 13.
Of course without Martinez, a three-year starter and one of the top quarterbacks in the Lancaster-Lebanon League, there was no guarantee there would be a Week 12 or 13 for the Eagles.
Martinez kept the faith, worked diligently during his rehab and . . . there he was behind center last week for the start of the District 3 Tournament, weeks ahead of even the most optimistic forecasts.
“It’s truly a miraculous story,” Bauer said. “He defied the odds.”
Martinez started and threw a first-half touchdown in the 35-0 win over Lower Dauphin. He was rusty, yes, as you’d expect after missing eight weeks. With another full week of practice he figures to be sharper when the Eagles (9-2) truly need him: Friday at Conestoga Valley in a District 3 Class 5A quarterfinal.
The Buckskins are unbeaten and just three weeks removed from a 21-17 victory over Exeter that gave them their second straight Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 2 championship – titles the Eagles believe should’ve been theirs.
A year ago the section title slipped away when officials missed Jayden Zandier’s last-minute two-point conversion dive across the goal line. They ruled he didn’t get in and Conestoga Valley’s 28-27 lead stood.
This season’s rematch was just as painful for the Eagles: They led 17-7 late in the fourth quarter before the Bucks stung them with two touchdowns in the final three minutes, the last set up after they recovered an onside kick.
“That was heartbreaking,” said Eagles junior Braylon Reinert, who had a chance at the recovery but saw it glance off his leg.
Last year the Eagles “set the record straight,” as Bauer put it, with a resounding 48-14 victory in a district semifinal rematch at Witmer that ended the Buckskins’ season. Can they do it again?
The clash of two highly motivated, highly ranked league rivals make this the most intriguing matchup in the tournament this weekend.
“(Winning) this game (is) our top priority right now,” Reinert said. “It’s the most important thing in our life at the moment.”
Having Martinez behind center figures to give the Eagles a lift – and maybe throw a mental curveball at the Buckskins. They barely pulled one out with him on the sidelines. Now they’ll have to face Exeter’s full arsenal, with Jake Hafer – who filled in well for Martinez – moving back to wide receiver and adding another weapon in the passing game.
“It adds a different dimension, for sure,” Bauer said of Martinez’s return. “Riley can drop back more, we can spread the field and give Leo (Brown) a little more space to run.”
Brown is the league’s premier running back. He ran for 269 yards and two TDs in last week’s win, pushing his league-leading rushing total to 2,175 yards. He went for a career-high 305 yards against Conestoga Valley in the first game – with a long touchdown run called back.
Exeter dominated that game statistically. It sacked all-league quarterback Sawyer Esbenshade six times, nearly doubled the Buckskins in total yards, and committed just one turnover.
Penalties – nine for 90 yards – were damaging.
“(That’s) the glaring elephant in the room,” said senior center Joel Ummarino. “We can’t have that many penalties again. We limit those, play Exeter football, run the ball, play physical, I think we’re gonna be just fine.”
Martinez said he started feeling better just a couple weeks after surgery to repair a broken bone in his left shoulder joint. Before long he was throwing the ball, his mending left arm still in a sling, to maintain strength in his throwing arm.
“That accelerated things,” he said.
When Ummarino saw Martinez running sprints with the team just a month after surgery he grew encouraged.
“He said he felt good and we started to get excited,” Ummarino said.
Martinez was cleared to play the day before the regular season finale. He didn’t have a chance to practice for the Elizabethtown game, so he did not play until last week.
“It felt amazing (to have him back in there),” Reinert said. “He’s been working so hard, going to therapy, before school, after school. He’s just as good as he was before.”
Ummarino said he and his teammates could feel Martinez’s presence on the field lifted them.
“Riley’s been playing quarterback his whole life,” he said. “He knows how to carry the huddle, carry the team.”
The question now is how much of a difference he can make against Conestoga Valley.
“Riley coming back, that’s an X-factor for us,” said Reinert. “That’s something else they have to worry about.”
