Eagles ace first true test, knock off Mustangs to remain unbeaten
2024 Berks football coverage
presented by UECU
By Logan Moyer — MikeDragoSports.com correspondent
Friday night was the first test for an Exeter team that outscored its opponents 134-7 during non-league play. Awaiting them on the opposite sideline were the rival Gov. Mifflin Mustangs, a formidable opponent who the Eagles have traditionally struggled against.
The Eagles passed the test. Aced it, even.
Three different Exeter players found the end zone as the Eagles romped for 270 yards on the ground en route to a 34-13 win over the Mustangs at Mifflin Stadium in a Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 2 opener.
As always, All-State tailback Jayden Zandier was the ringleader. He tumbled for 216 yards on just 13 carries – 16.6 yards per pop. He’s averaging over 18 yards per run this season.
“I don’t know if that’s a realistic expectation,” said Exeter coach Matt Bauer of seeing Zandier maintain that average. “He’s an electric individual, for sure. He carried the mail for us tonight.”
Zandier wasn’t the only Exeter (4-0) player with an impressive running performance. Pass-catchers Carter Redding and Genuine Stutzman each found the end zone on runs as well.
Redding, a senior wide receiver, ran the ball three times for 30 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He also caught two passes for 63 yards.
“I’ll play any position they ask me to play,” said Redding. “We joke around all the time, I’ll play left guard if I have to.”
Exeter used Stutzman’s 6-4, 220-pound frame in short-yardage situations. The H-back ran for one touchdown on three carries and also caught one pass for a 36-yard gain.
“(Redding and Stutzman) block so unselfishly,” Bauer said. “It’s nice to reward them. When they get their opportunity, the executed perfectly.”
Another key to victory for the Eagles was forcing the Mustangs (2-2) to cough up the football. Mifflin had turned the ball over just once this season, on an interception, prior to Friday; the Exeter defense forced them into two turnovers in the first quarter. Both led to scores.
The first came rather quickly – one play after Tyler Flanders recovered a fumble deep in Mustang territory, Zandier took the ball 81 yards to the house on the Eagles’ first play from scrimmage. The second fumble, forced and recovered by Stutzman, ultimately resulted in a 4-yard TD run by Redding.
“We run the turnover circuit (drill) twice a week, and the kids take great pride in that,” Bauer said. “(Creating turnovers) was a point of emphasis for us in the offseason.”
The Mustangs are the first team this season to score multiple times on the Eagles. Both scores were by prolific fullback Grady Garner, who had 31 carries for 146 yards.
“I knew this was the first time we were going to really face some adversity,” Bauer said. “Mifflin gave us a great effort.”
The Eagles won their fourth straight against the Mustangs, bringing the all-time series to 21-9 in favor of Mifflin. Quarterback Riley Martinez, Redding and Bauer all said that wins against the maroon and gold mean that much more.
“It’s the best feeling in the world,” Redding said. “Year after year, we think about this game.”
The rivalry continues to be a fierce one. The team combined for 21 penalties, at least a half-dozen of which were personal fouls for late hits or unsportsmanlike conduct.
“We knew it was going to be like that,” Redding said. “We knew that we had to keep our heads.”
Friday was the first “real” test for the Eagles but they’ll have more tough exams down the road, against Section 2 challengers Ephrata and Conestoga Valley.
“We didn’t play a perfect game whatsoever,” Redding said. “We’ve got to keep our heads and keep getting better every week.”
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
| Exeter | 14 | 0 | 14 | 6 | 34 |
| Gov. Mifflin | 0 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 13 |
Scoring summary
| 1 | Exeter | Zandier, 81 run (Gaston kick) | 6:42 |
| 1 | Exeter | Redding, 4 run (Gaston kick) | 4:07 |
| 2 | Governor Mifflin | Garner, 3 run (Koenig kick) | 8:47 |
| 3 | Exeter | Zandier, 54 run (Gaston kick) | 9:12 |
| 3 | Exeter | Redding, 9 run (Gaston kick) | 5:05 |
| 3 | Governor Mifflin | Garner, 9 run (kick failed) | 0:35 |
| 4 | Exeter | Stutzman, 1 run (kick failed) | 11:16 |
Team statistics
| Exeter | Gov. Mifflin | |
| First downs | 14 | 16 |
| Rushes-yards | 25-270 | 50-220 |
| Passing yards | 180 | 127 |
| Total yards | 450 | 347 |
| Passes | 8-10-0 | 7-11-0 |
| Fumbles-lost | 1-1 | 2-2 |
| Punts-average | 1-36 | 1-44 |
| Penalties-yards | 11-97 | 10-90 |
Individual statistics
RUSHING
Exeter: Zandier 13-216, Redding 3-30, Caceres 2-16, Stutzman 3-8, Brown 1-2, Martinez 1-0, Team 2-(-2).
Gov. Mifflin: Garner 31-146, Pletz 11-47, Hohl 3-20, Jenkins 3-6, Alvarez 1-4, Leaf 1-(-3).
PASSING
Exeter: Martinez 8-10-0—180.
Gov. Mifflin: Pletz 7-11-0—127.
RECEIVING
Exeter: Ware 4-78, Redding 2-63, Stutzman 1-36, Zandier 1-3.
Gov. Mifflin: DiNatale 2-51, Leaf 2-28, Garner 1-36, Murray 1-8, Johnson 1-4.
