Exeter anxious to challenge Wilson in GoBigRecruiting.com Game of the Week
Matt Bauer put together a demanding schedule sure to challenge his Exeter football team.
With Division I prospects such as J.R. Strauss, Ty Yocum and Joey Schlaffer this is one of the most talented teams he has had in 13 seasons in Reiffton. He wanted to test them early.
“(When you reach) the postseason you need to have (played) some formidable opponents, so it’s not such a shock when you get there,” he said. “I wasn’t quite expecting to have this many (high-)caliber games, but you know what: If you’re gonna be a good team you’ve got to play good competition.”
The Eagles will get a taste of playoff football when they clash with Wilson, a perennial District 3 Class 6A contender with eyes on that prize again this year, in the GoBigRecruiting.com Game of the Week Friday.
Exeter opened with Central York, which played in the PIAA Class 5A championship game a season ago; later this season it will meet Gov. Mifflin, ranked No. 2 in the state in 5A, and Berks Catholic, ranked among the state’s Top 10 Class 4A teams.
The Eagles will be battled-tested come Week 11, that’s for sure.
“Wilson’s always Wilson,” Bauer said. “Mifflin just seems to keep reloading. It’s definitely a very strong schedule.”
The Bulldogs (1-1) enter Don Thomas Stadium with wounded pride after a 42-14 loss at Mifflin. They’re a proud bunch and not used to that sort of treatment.
Wilson coach Doug Dahms made sure to remind his guys that all is not lost.
“Everything’s still in front of them,” he said. “They can still win the league, they can still win districts. OK, we lost to Mifflin; we didn’t play well, they played better. They kicked our butts; now what are we gonna do about it?”
Dahms doesn’t want his players to get hung up on one defeat, as one-sided as it was.
“We’ve got other problems to deal with,” he said.
This week that problem is Exeter (1-1), which has prime offensive weapons at every skill spot.
Strauss, a 6-3 tight end and Villanova recruit, has four touchdowns in two games and has averaged 24.9 yards on 10 receptions.
Schlaffer goes 6-7, has offers from the likes of Tennessee, Maryland, Cincinnati and West Virginia, and presents match-up issues; he has averaged 22 yards on seven catches.
The 220-pound Yocum is a bullish blocker and nearly impossible to stop in short-yardage run situations.
Quarterback Colin Payne, a senior who’s been waiting in the wings for this opportunity, has delivered; he has connected on 71 percent of his throws for 517 yards.
“They’ve got weapons,” Dahms said. “Yocum’s a big, physical kid who runs hards. Strauss is a good football player and Schaffler goes up for the ball; the quarterback just just lays it out there and lets him use his height to his advantage. That’s something that worries you when you’re talking about a passing game.
“They’re a nice football team. They’ve got a couple of big tackles, a big center, their guards are athletic… a lot of 6-1, 210 kids which you win a lot of football games with. We’ve got to do a much better job in the trenches than we did; we’ve got to be a lot more aggressive up front on both sides of the ball.”
For Bauer and the Eagles this is a big chance to show they belong among the top-echelon teams. They have been a perennial playoff team — they reached districts nine straight seasons until last year, when the field was cut in half and they were left out — but have made it to the semifinal round just once.
Exeter has never beaten Wilson (in six tries) and hasn’t played the Bulldogs since 2006 and 2007, when it lost 35-0 and 38-0 in consecutive seasons. (They are not scheduled to play next year.)
“Our kids have never played Wilson in football,” Bauer said. “This is foreign territory to them. This is an opportunity to play a program that has a lot of history, and we don’t want to take a back seat, that’s for sure.”
Bauer is impressed with the diversity of Wilson’s offense and the way it spreads the field to give tailback Jadyn Jones running lanes.
He also likes the Bulldogs’ linebacker corps of Gavin Lenart, Jones and T.J. Flite, calling it the best he’s seen.
“They fly to the ball,” he said. “They’re very sound (and) seem very quick. Those three are really good players. They all have their strengths.”
Dahms, naturally, is concerned about Exeter’s size, particularly at receiver. He knows his corners will be hard-pressed to win a jump ball against Schlaffer.
“I don’t know where they get all these tall guys,” he said. “They’ve got 12 guys that are 6-4 are bigger; we only have one.
“(Schlaffer) does catch the ball well and goes after the football. It’ll be a mismatch there. A foot’s a lot of height to give away.”
The game will have a big impact on the playoff hopes of each team. Sure, it’s only Week 3 but the team that loses falls to 1-2 and will have a considerable hole to dig out of in order to earn a high seed for districts and early round home games.
Home-field advantage in November is important for teams with championship hopes.
“There’s definitely an air of excitement,” Bauer said of facing Wilson. “Obviously we’re aware they’re gonna come in and really try to take it to us, but I think our kids are up for the challenge. We’re excited for the opportunity to play a big game.”