Exeter’s Leo Brown: Wyomissing Physical Therapy Player of the Week

By Mike Drago Last updated Sep 24, 2025

Exeter's Leo Brown tries to escape against Daniel Boone. (Tim Macrina photo)

Leo Brown had a tough act to follow at Exeter but he has not been burdened by the high bar set for him.

He took over at tailback after watching his predecessor, Jayden Zandier, score 34 touchdowns last season and set a program record by rushing for 2,093 yards.

“It was some big shoes to fill, for sure,” Brown said. “(Jayden) was amazing last year. The only thing I could hope to do is be great like him.”

So far he has.

Brown earned his first Wyomissing Physical Therapy Player of the Week award by rushing for 206 yards and scoring three touchdowns Friday in a 43-15 victory over Governor Mifflin. All of his touchdowns and 162 of his yards came in the first half when the Eagles built a 29-7 lead.

It was Brown’s first 200-yard game and the third straight time he’s topped 100 yards. When quarterback Riley Martinez went out with an injury early in a Week 2 game at Boyertown the Eagles turned to Brown to carry the load; he got 30 carries and went for 151 yards.

The 6-foot, 176-pound senior has the strength to run inside and the burst to get free off the edge. Eight of his nine touchdowns have gone for 16 or more yards; two have gone for over 50.

Exeter coach Matt Bauer calls Brown “one of the most explosive players I’ve coached” and thought he saw him turn a corner, development-wise, against Mifflin.

“He’s still so new to this,” Bauer said. “I thought he started to visualize (better tonight), see things, be (more) patient, let his blocks develop and then accelerate. We tell him all the time: ‘Go slow in the backfield to let plays develop and then hit the after-burners.”

Brown has plenty of firepower, no doubt. He showed that last year in backing up Zandier. He averaged 8.1 yards per carry and scored five touchdowns. A lot of his 440 rushing yards came against starting defensive players. The Eagles were often up big at halftime and pulled their starters, allowing Brown to run again No. 1s.

He showed that he could’ve been a 1,000-yard rusher had he not had a two-time All-State pick above him on the depth chart.

“Leo would have started for many other programs the previous two years,” Bauer said during the preseason. “He is a team player and ready for his turn (to have) a breakout year.”

Brown ranks fourth in the Lancaster-Lebanon League in rushing with 588 yards. He’s averaging 9.0 yards per carry. His nine rushing TDs are third-most, behind only Cameron Small of Muhlenberg and Brayden Mastrippolitto of Octorara, each of whom has 11.

Brown said he did not envision this kind of instant success.

“No, not at all,” he said. “I saw that we had a chance to do something great but I didn’t think I’d be this big (of a piece) on offense.”

Brown knows that if he continues to effectively follow his blocks there’s a lot more yards out there for him.

“I love my linemen,” he said. “They make the best lanes and best running holes. I’m able to follow their path and I end up in the end zone. They’re the ones that really do the work.”

Players considered for Player of the Week honors are nominated by their coaches or by members of the MikeDragoSports.com coverage team.

This is the fifth consecutive season that Wyomissing Physical Therapy has sponsored a Player of the Week award.

Also nominated for Wyomissing Physical Therapy Player of the Week: