Game of the Week: Exeter vs. Gov. Mifflin
2024 Berks football coverage
presented by UECU
Exeter (3-0) vs. Gov. Mifflin (2-1)
Kick: Friday, 7, at Mifflin Stadium.
Section 2 records: Opener for both.
Series: Mustangs lead 21-8.
Last season: Jayden Zandier, in his first game at running back, scored three touchdowns as Exeter opened play in Section 2 of the Lancaster-Lebanon League with a 31-9 win over Mifflin at Don Thomas Stadium. Zandier scored on a 56-yard reception and runs of 33 and 35 yards. He finished with 126 rushing yards on 12 carries and three catches for 38 yards. The Eagles picked off three passes, two by Nate Pashley.
Eagles update: Head into league play unbeaten for the third straight season after dominating Daniel Boone, Boyertown, and Pleasant Valley by a combined 134-7 score. . . All-State RB Jayden Zandier has 6 TDs on just 19 carries and is averaging 19.3 yards per carry. . . He scored on a 79-yard kickoff return in last week’s 49-0 win over Pleasant Valley. . . Junior QB Riley Martinez has completed 71.4 percent of his passes, with 6 TDs and just 1 INT. . . Top target is Carter Redding, who is averaging 18 yards on his 9 receptions, with 3 TD grabs. . . Averaging 346 yards per game, tops in Section 2 and No. 6 overall in the league. . . Ranked No. 2 overall in the league, trailing only Pequea Valley in total defense; allowing 135 yards per game. . . Have allowed a league-low 7 points. . . Senior ILB Casey Gerhart leads team with 22 tackles and has blocked a FG. . . Junior DE Joel Ummarino and senior LB Genuine Stutzman each have 5 tackles for loss. . . Stutzman has 1.5 sacks and 3 QB hurries. . . Senior DT Logan Wegman has 3 fumble recoveries. . . . Share Berks lead in turnover differential at plus-6; have forced Berks-leading 9 turnovers. . . Listed as a Team To Watch in PennLive.com Class 5A state rankings.
Did you know? Exeter has won three in a row in the series for the first time since the programs first met in 1978. Gov. Mifflin was a member of the Lancaster-Lebanon League at the time and the two teams did not start playing on a regular basis until 2004 when the Mustangs joined the Berks Football League.
Mustangs update: Got 207 rushing yards and 4 TDs from Grady Garner last week to hold off Hempfield, 28-23. . . Led 28-10 before Black Knights scored twice in final 6 minutes. . . Garner has rushed for 395 yards and scored 10 TDs. . . He helped Mustangs bleed the clock last week as they piled up 20 first downs and 452 total yards. . . They are averaging 251 rushing yards per game, fifth-most in the league. . . Travis Jenkins is averaging 11.5 yards per carry and LeBron Leaf 9.3, each on limited carries. . . Have committed Berks-low one turnover and have not lost a fumble. . . Share Berks lead with Exeter with a plus-6 turnover differential. . . Senior CB Stephen Mayo leads team with 20 tackles and has an INT. . . He was injured on the first play of the fourth quarter last week and had to be carted off the field. . . Senior DE Bryce Tully has 13 tackles and a sack. . . Ismael Vargas has 10 tackles and team-leading 4 sacks. . . Senior CB Reese Hohl, who led Berks with 6 INTs last season, has 2 this year.
Fast fact: Gov. Mifflin won 15-of-16 meetings vs. Exeter from 2006-2021.
Series flashback — 2021: Seven weeks after getting mercy-ruled on its home field, Exeter pulls off one of the greatest upsets in Berks football history, beating Gov. Mifflin 31-28 in the District 3 Class 5A championship game at Mifflin Stadium. The Mustangs, unbeaten and ranked No. 1 in the state, were bidding for a second straight district title. Berks Player of the Year Nick Singleton was limited to a season-low 40 yards on just eight carries.
Series flashback — 2015: Michal Menet blocked a punt and Exeter rallied from an early 14-point deficit to snap a nine-game losing streak in the series and win 35-21 at Don Thomas Stadium. The win propelled the Eagles to their only Berks League Section 1 title, ending the Mustangs’ five-year reign as champs.
