Conestoga Valley holds off Exeter — or did it? — to take Section 2 showdown
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(This story will be updated later tonight with a full boxscore, additional details and postgame reaction.)
By Mike Drago — MikeDragoSports.com Managing Editor
Conestoga Valley stopped Exeter on a two-point conversion try in the final seconds Friday to hold on for a 28-27 Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 2 victory at Don Thomas Stadium but you’ll have a hard time convincing the Eagles of that fact.
They were certain, to a man, that Jayden Zandier crossed the goal line to give Exeter the lead, and they ran off the field in celebration.
Moments later that joy turned to heartbreak when the officials huddled and ruled that Zandier did not score, leaving the Eagles (4-1, 8-1) just short in their comeback bid.
The Buckskins (5-0, 9-0) were the ones who eventually ran off the field in jubilation, and with sole possession of first place in Section 2. A win next week against Muhlenberg (3-5) will clinch it.
Exeter drove 82 yards in the final 1:23 to pull within one point, Jake Hafer’s 15-yard TD pass to Jayden Ware putting them in position to win it. One play earlier, on fourth-and-2, Hafer connected with Genuine Stutzman for a 19-yard gain to keep their hopes alive.
Ware’s touchdown was the only score of the second half, which began with Conestoga Valley leading 28-21.
Exeter entered with the league’s No. 1 pass defense, but Sawyer Esbenshade, a junior and first-year starter, shredded them in the early going, throwing for three touchdowns and 191 yards in the first half.
Esbenshade’s 2-yard run late in the first quarter gave the Buckskins a 14-0 lead.
The Eagles came all the way back, tying the game 21-21 on Hafer’s 21-yard scoring pass to Ware 1:40 before halftime.
Esbenshade put the Bucks back on top before intermission, completing a 15-yard pass to Konner Fisher, then a 29-yard TD to Jayden Johnson on a deep corner patten to make it 28-21 with 34 seconds left.
Jayden Zandier, splitting time between quarterback and tailback, rushed for 136 yards in the first half and scored on runs of 1 and 6 yards. He also had a 51-yard run to the 19 to set up Exeter’s second touchdown.
The Eagles again played without the league’s top passer, junior Riley Martinez, who went down with a lower leg injury in Week 7 against Muhlenberg and hasn’t played since. The Eagles are hoping get him back for a District 3 playoff run.
Exeter played most of the second half without two-lineman Logan Wegman, and Navy recruit.
Zandier was an All-State pick as a junior and he’s been even more explosive this season. He has rushed for 1,173 yards, scored a league-leading 21 touchdowns, and is averaging a league-best 14.5 yards per carry.
The Eagles won their first eight games last year and were positioned for a second straight Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 2 championship ut lost their final three games, including a 34-27 decision at Conestoga Valley.
“We just weren’t used to getting challenged,” Wegman said earlier this week. “We didn’t step up to it. Now that a lot of our starting guys are returning we’re gonna be ready for that. Now we know how to adapt. When times get tough we’re gonna be able to fight back.”
Conestoga Valley had been nearly as dominant this season as Exeter. The Bucks won their first eight games by an average of 30.1 points – third-highest in the league – and were ranked No. 3 in the league in scoring defense (7.6), No. 4 in total defense (196 yards per game), and No. 5 in rushing defense. They had held six teams to one touchdown or less.