Exeter comes up big — really, really big — in overpowering Muhlenberg
2025 Berks football coverage presented by
Utilities Employees Credit Union
By Mike Drago — MikeDragoSports.com Managing Editor
As it Exeter didn’t already have the biggest, baddest, offensive line in the Lancaster-Lebanon League, Eagles coach Matt Bauer decided to throw a new wrinkle out there Friday night against Muhlenberg.
| Final | |
| Exeter | 42 |
| Muhlenberg | 12 |
He took two of his tight ends, Aidan Dauble and Jackson Kozik, and lined them up side by side as H-backs in a Power-I formation.
It gave tailback Leo Brown yet one more layer of protection and it was more than enough power to blow out the Muhls 42-12 in a Section 2 showdown that never materialized once the Eagles started flexing their muscle.
“Why not showcase our tight ends?” asked Bauer, who’s had this formation in his back pocket for weeks, waiting for the right time to spring it. “They’re so dynamic and they’re such good blockers on the run.
“When we can add extra blockers along with the line we have, we’re gonna have a good chance to be successful.”
At one point the Eagles (4-0, 7-0) employed four tights in the same tight, power-packed formation, which really amounted to overkill. The Muhls (3-1, 6-1), off to their best start in nearly 20 years, had no chance in this much-anticpated battle of unbeatens.
Brown had a field day, running for 275 yards and four touchdowns to spark an offense that, on this night, was literally unstoppable. The Eagles found the end zone on each of their first four possessions; only halftime stopped them.
They opened the second half with another scoring drive, adding a wrinkle on top of their wrinkle when Kozik peeled off his block, floated into the left flat and found himself walking into the end zone with an 18-yard reception that made it 35-6.
“After running the same play (from that formation) four times to that side . . . it was golden from there,” Kozik said of his TD.
Dauble, the other half of that backfield blocking duo, got a TD of his own on a 1-yard run that ended the first quarter. After feeding Brown the football on each of its first 11 plays, quarterback Jake Hafer faked to his tailback, then handed it to Dauble, who smashed over the right side.
“We saw that we could out-physical them up front,” Dauble said. “We put that (formation) in this week at practice and it worked really well for us.”
Brown ended Exeter’s first possession with a 3-yard TD run that put his team on top for good at 7-6. He took it up a notch after that, breaking away for scores from 52 and 42 yards out.
He finished his career night with 1,164 yards and 17 TDs.
Brown has enjoyed running behind his massive, 1,266-pound line of Joel Ummarino, Kevin Oswalt, Matt Lis, Wyatt Richard, and Andre Osborne. Across the front they average 6-3, 253 pounds.
Throw the 6-4, 205-pound Dauble and the 6-foot, 202-pound Kozik in there and Brown figures to find plenty of running lanes and open space.
“Any time we can win the battle in the trenches we’re going to be successful,” Bauer said. “We challenged the linemen before the game to go out and lean on them and wear them out, and that’s what we did.”
The Eagles appeared especially driven for this one. Even though they doubled up the Muhls 56-28 a year ago they seemed upset by the fact that Cameron Small ran wild against them, collecting a program-record 346 yards.
Bauer talked about “setting the record straight,” as if still bothered by that performance.
Small finished with 96 yards and a pair of TDs but it took 24 carries and he never found the seams and gaps he exploited a year ago. He had a pair of 10-yard runs but never broke anything longer.
“That was a very, very important thing after last year,” Bauer said of stopping the All-State back.
“He was our main focus all week,” said Kozik, a linebacker, of Small. “We just tried to be more physical than their O-line.”
The Eagles effectively took away the Muhls’ other big weapons, wide receivers Michael Miller Jr. and Freddy Lacey, who came in averaging 21 and 19 yards per catch, respectively. Miller Jr. caught eight balls but for just 31 yards. Lacey burned the Eagles with a beautiful fingertip catch for 39 yards to the 6 on the opening drive but otherwise had little to show for his night.
| SECTION 2 | League | Overall |
| Exeter | 4-0 | 7-0 |
| Con. Valley | 3-0 | 7-0 |
| Muhlenberg | 3-1 | 6-1 |
| Ephrata | 1-2 | 4-3 |
| E-town | 1-2 | 4-3 |
| Gov. Mifflin | 0-3 | 2-5 |
| Lebanon | 0-4 | 0-7 |
Adriel Baez completed 17 passes but netted just 125 yards.
“We wanted to show who we are, and how physical we are,” said Bauer. “The kids answered the call tonight. I felt great going into this game. I knew our kids would deliver, and they did.”
The Muhls started well, opening the game with a nine-play drive that gave them a 6-0 lead. The Eagles weren’t worried. They stuck to their game plan and soon took control of the game.
“They’re a good football team and we knew they were going to come out swinging,” said Dauble, a linebacker. “We saw what they were gonna do (on that opening drive) and we just had to fight harder and harder every time. I think we showed that the rest of the quarters. We played gritty.”
The Eagles, ranked No. 1 in the District 3 Class 5A power rankings and No. 5 in the state, remain tied for first place in Section 2 with defending champ Conestoga Valley, which stayed unbeaten in league play with a big win over Governor Mifflin. The Eagles and Bucks will meet in two weeks.
As for the Muhls, they got their first taste of big-game football and got punched in the mouth, repeatedly. But they’ll survive. They’re still on course to reach the district playoffs, something they haven’t done in years.
“We’re not letting one loss define our season,” said Muhlenberg coach Rob Flowers. “This (loss) will definitely refocus our guys, so that’s a plus. Our goals are still intact for the season, and that’s a beautiful thing.”
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
| Exeter | 14 | 14 | 14 | 0 | 42 |
| Muhlenberg | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 12 |
Scoring summary
| 1 | Muhlenberg | Small, 1 run (kick failed) | 6:45 |
| 1 | Exeter | Brown, 3 run (Franek kick) | 2:58 |
| 1 | Exeter | Dauble, 1 run (Franek kick) | 0:00 |
| 2 | Exeter | Brown, 52 run (Franek kick) | 8:40 |
| 2 | Exeter | Brown, 42 run (Franek kick) | 5:13 |
| 3 | Exeter | Kozik, 18 pass from Hafer (Franek kick) | 7:25 |
| 3 | Exeter | Brown, 3 run (Franek kick) | 5:45 |
| 4 | Muhlenberg | Small, 3 run (pass failed) | 8:13 |
Team statistics
| EXETER | MUHLENBERG | |
| First downs | 14 | 16 |
| Rushes-yards | 30-303 | 29-99 |
| Passing yards | 18 | 125 |
| Total yards | 321 | 224 |
| Passes | 1-3-1 | 17-23-1 |
| Fumbles-lost | 0-0 | 1-1 |
| Punts-average | 0 | 2-29.0 |
| Penalties-yards | 8-72 | 7-68 |
Individual statistics
RUSHING
Exeter: Brown 25-275, Hafer 3-28, Dauble 1-1, Ware 1-(-1).
Muhlenberg: Small 24-96, Miller 1-4, Baez 4-(-1).
PASSING
Exeter: Hafer 1-3-0–18.
Muhlenberg: Baez 17-23-1–125.
RECEIVING
Exeter: Kozik 1-18.
Muhlenberg: Miller Jr. 8-31, Lacey 5-55, Cantres 2-14, Coley 1-23, Small 1-2.
INTERCEPTIONS
Exeter: Reinert.
Muhlenberg: Lacey.
