Exeter ascends to No. 4 in state rankings

When Exeter pulled off one of the biggest upsets in the state last year, knocking off Gov. Mifflin in the District 3 Class 5A championship game, it was a milestone for the program. The Eagles headed to the PIAA Tournament for the first time and found themselves ranked No. 3 in the state, believed to be the highest ever for the program.

They talked about “breaking the glass ceiling” in Reiffton.

“That’s been untouched territory for our school district,” senior Joey Schlaffer said before the season.

Thirteen years earlier, when Matt Bauer took over a winless program, such an achievement seemed remote.

“When Coach Bauer first came in, no one would think we had a shot at that,” Schlaffer said. “It just speaks of how he’s turned this program around. We see what the outcome is of working hard in the summer, being consistent in the weight room, taking care of your school stuff . . . you see what’s possible.”

Just two weeks into the season the Eagles are nearing that lofty perch again, moving up three spots in the PennLive.com Class 5A state rankings to No. 4.

The Eagles have opened the season with two impressive wins; they scored 72 points before allowing one.

Ironically, it was a loss by previously ranked No. 2 Penn-Trafford — the team that knocked Exeter off last year in the state semifinals — that opened a path for the Eagles to move up.

Penn-Trafford fell 19-7 to McKeesport, ranked No. 8 in Class 4A. Also, last week’s No. 4, Delaware Valley lost 32-3 to Harrisburg, which remains No. 2 in Class 6A.

Wyomissing, the only other Berks team in the state rankings, remained at No. 2 in Class 3A after another 49-0 win, this time over Pottsville.

No. 1 Belle Vernon opened its season with a 41-20 win over Laurel Highlands and University of West Virginia-bound wide receiver Rodney Gallagher.

Two other Lancaster-Lebanon League teams are ranked: Manheim Central is No. 9 in Class 4A and Lancaster Catholic is No. 10 in Class 3A.

The five-largest top-ranked teams each remained on top but Steel-High, ranked No. 1 in Class 1A, lost 39-18 to unranked Westinghouse. Canton moved up from No. 3 to No. 1 after a 53-0 win over North Penn-Mansfield.

CLASS 6A 

Rank – Team – District – Record — Previous 

1. St. Joseph’s Prep (12)         – 1-1 – 1 

2. Harrisburg (3)                     – 1-0 – 2 

3. Garnet Valley (1)                – 2-0 – 3 

4. Pittsburgh C.C. (7)              – 1-1 – 4 

5. Emmaus (11)                      — 2-0 – 6 

6. State College (6)                 – 2-0 – 8 

7. La Salle College HS (12)   — 1-1 – 5 

8. McDowell (10)                   — 2-0 – 9 

9. Coatesville (1)                    — 2-0 – NR 

10. North Allegheny (7)         — 2-0 – NR 

Teams to watch: Bethlehem Freedom (11) 1-1, Cumberland Valley (3) 2-0, Nazareth (11) 2-0, North Penn (1) 1-1, Seneca Valley (7) 1-1. 

CLASS 5A 

Rank – Team – District – Record — Previous  

1. Imhotep Charter (12)          – 1-0 – 1 

2. Upper Dublin (1)                – 2-0 – 3 

3. Gateway (7)                        — 2-0 – 5 

4. Exeter Township (3)           – 2-0 – 7 

5. Cathedral Prep (10)            – 1-1 – 6 

6. Roman Catholic (12)          — 2-0 – 9 

7. Penn Hills (7)                      – 1-1 – 8 

8. West Chester Rustin (1)     – 1-0 – 10 

9. Strath Haven (1)                 — 2-0 – NR 

10. Upper St. Clair (7)                        — 2-0 – NR 

Teams to watch: East Stroudsburg South (11) 2-0, Penn-Trafford (7) 1-1, Peters Township (7) 2-0, Shippensburg (3), Solanco (3) 2-0. 

CLASS 4A 

Rank – Team – District – Record — Previous  

1. Aliquippa (7)                      – 1-0 – 1 

2. Bishop McDevitt (3)           – 0-1 –2 

3. Jersey Shore (4)                  – 2-0 – 3 

4. Central Valley (7)               – 2-0 – 5 

5. Allentown C.C. (11)           – 1-1 – 4 

6. Thomas Jefferson (7)          – 1-1 – 6 

7. Meadville (10)                    – 2-0 – 7 

8. McKeesport (7)                   – 2-0 – 8 

9. Manheim Central (3)          — 2-0 – 9 

10. Pope John Paul II (1)        — 2-0 – 10 

Teams to watch: Armstrong (7) 1-1, Bethlehem Catholic (11) 2-0, Lampeter-Strasburg (3) 1-1, North Catholic (7) 2-0, Selinsgrove (4) 2-0. 

CLASS 3A 

Rank – Team – District – Record — Previous  

1. Belle Vernon (7)                 – 1-0 – 1 

2. Wyomissing (3)                  – 2-0 – 2 

3. Danville (4)                         – 2-0 – 4 

4. Elizabeth Forward (7)         – 2-0 – 6 

5. Hickory (10)                       – 2-0 – 7 

6. Loyalsock (4)                      — 2-0 – 9 

7. Oil City (10)                       — 2-0 – NR 

8. Central Martinsburg (6)      – 1-1 – 5
9. Avonworth (7)                    — 1-1 – 8 

10. Lancaster Catholic (3)      — 2-0 – NR 

Teams to watch: Freeport (7) 2-0, Grove City (10) 1-1, Neumann-Goretti (12) 0-1, North Schuylkill (11) 1-1, Northwestern Lehigh (11) 1-1. 

CLASS 2A 

Rank – Team – District – Record — Previous  

1. Southern Columbia (4)       – 2-0 – 1 

2. Farrell (10)                          – 1-1 – 2 

3. Mount Carmel (4)               – 2-0 – 5 

4. Richland Township (6)       – 2-0 – 6 

5. Lakeland (2)                       – 2-0 – 7 

6. Sharpsville (10)                  — 2-0 – 9 

7. Steel Valley (7)                   — 1-0 – NR 

8. Bishop Guilfoyle (6)           – 1-1 – 8 

9. Berlin Brothersvalley (5)    — 2-0 – 10 

10. Williams Valley (11)        — 2-0 – NR 

Teams to watch: Beaver Falls (7) 1-1, Bedford (5) 2-0, Camp Hill (2) 2-0, Neshannock (7) 2-0, Sto-Rox (7) 0-1, Washington (7) 2-0. 

CLASS 1A 

Rank – Team – District – Record — Previous  

1. Canton (4)                           – 2-0 – 3 

2. Steelton-Highspire (3)        – 1-1 – 1 

3. Bishop Canevin (7)             – 1-1 – 2 

4. OLSH (7)                            – 2-0 – 4 

5. Reynolds (10)                     – 2-0 – 5 

6. Old Forge (2)                      – 1-1 – 6 

7. Homer-Center (6)               – 2-0 – 7 

8. Tri-Valley (11)                   – 2-0 – 8 

9. Muncy (4)                           – 2-0 – 9 

10. Northern Lehigh (11)        — 2-0 – NR 

Teams to watch: Cornell (7) 1-0, Northern Bedford (5) 2-0, Redbank Valley (9) 2-0, Rochester (7) 0-1, Windber (5) 2-0.