Exeter vs. Gov. Mifflin (Part 2) is GoBigRecruiting Game of the Week

GoBigRecruiting.com Game of the Week

District 3 Class 5A championship

Exeter (9-3) vs. Gov. Mifflin (10-0)

Kick: Friday, 7, at Mifflin Stadium.

Series: Mifflin leads 21-5.

Last meeting: Tyler Minick returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown and the Mustangs raced to a 30-point lead en route to a 54-21 victory at Don Thomas Stadium Oct. 8. Nick Singleton rushed for 246 yards and scored on runs of 64, 43, 8 and 28 yards. Mifflin’s Nate Goodman blocked a punt out of the end zone for a safety. For Exeter, Eric Nangle ran for 102 yards and Joey Schlaffer caught five passes for 117 yards. The Eagles had 197 total yards after halftime and were one of just two teams during the regular season to avoid being mercy-ruled by the Mustangs.

District 3 Class 6A bracket: Click here.

Eagles update: Have won five straight since since 54-21 loss vs. Gov. Mifflin in Week 7, including road playoff wins at Manheim Central (43-26) and Cedar Cliff (42-35). . . Averaging 40.4 points, well ahead of the program record 36.5, set in 2015. . . Colin Payne is Berks’ top-rated passer. He’s thrown for 2,026 yards and 19 TDs. . . Penn State recruit Joey Schlaffer has 36 receptions for 663 yards and six TDs. . . Eric Nangle has rushed for program-record 1,539 yards; he set program records last week with six TDs and 332 rushing yards. . . Ty Yocum, a Merrimack College recruit, had team-high 14 tackles last week; he leads the team with 91 tackles. . . OLB Lucas Palange had 13 tackles, with three tackles for loss and two sacks; he has 77 tackles, second on the team, and leads team with seven sacks. . . LB J.R. Strauss, a Villanova recruit, had eight tackles last week. . . Eagles lead Berks with 22 takeaways. . . Yocum and Kellen Boyer each have three INTs. . . Tied with Wyomissing for Berks’ best turnover differential, at plus-13. . . Ranked No. 8 in the state by PennLive.com.

Did you know? Nick Singleton needs 385 yards to top David Gilmore’s long-standing Berks record of 2,403 yards in a season. Gilmore did that in 13 games in the 1983 season. Singleton has played 10 games this season.

Mustangs update: Averaging 49.7 points, third-highest in the state and tops among Class 5A teams. . . Had season-low point total in last week’s 38-13 win over Spring Grove. . . Nick Singleton went for 187 yards and three TDs last week. . . The Penn State recruit has 512 yards and 10 TDs in two playoff games. . . Aidan Gallen rushed for 165 yards on 26 carries last week; he had 213 yards on 19 carries in Week 10, taking over at FB when Trey Rock injured his ankle. . . Ranked No. 1 in Berks in total offense (433 yards per game) and rushing (397). . . Rock, an All-Berks LB, leads team with 89 tackles, seven tackles for loss and four sacks. . . Eden Johnson, the Berks Defensive Back of the Year, is second on team with 62 tackles. . . Have just six turnovers, with no interceptions, in 10 games. . . Ranked No. 1 in the state.

Fast fact: Gov. Mifflin is 17-5 in home playoff games.

Did you know? Exeter has won more than nine games in a season just once when it went 11-1 in 2015 and reached the district semifinals before losing to Cumberland Valley in a district quarterfinal.

Gov. Mifflin playoff history: The Mustangs won their first district title last year when Warwick was forced to forfeit due to a COVID breakout at the school. They reached the title game three times prior, losing to State College in 2006, Harrisburg in 2007 and Manheim Central in 2017. This is their 17th playoff appearance; they are 24-15 overall.

Exeter playoff history: The Eagles have won three times in the same postseason for the first time and have reached the district championship game for the first time. This is their 12th district appearance; they are 7-11 all-time.

Quotable: “Exeter’s obviously a great team. They came up to hit. We went up by a lot in the first half but they never quit. They kept putting points on the board.” — Gov. Mifflin’s Nick Singleton, following the first meeting.

Winner gets: The District 7 champ, either Moon (12-0) or Penn-Trafford (10-2).