Game of the Week: Exeter vs. Muhlenberg, presented by Kevin Miller of Berkshire Investment Group
Exeter (6-0) vs. Muhlenberg (6-0)
Kick: Friday, 7, at Laureldale.
Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 2 records: Eagles 3-0, Muhls 3-0.
Series: Muhlenberg leads 27-22-1.
Last meeting: In one of the greatest running back duels in Berks history, Exeter outlasted visiting Muhlenberg last season 56-28 at Don Thomas Stadium. Eagles All-State tailback Jayden Zandier rushed for a career-high 312 yards, scored four touchdowns, ran for a two-point conversion and threw a touchdown pass. Muhlenberg’s Cameron Small, who would earn All-State honors, set a program record by rushing for 346 yards; he scored three TDs. It was the first time in Berks history that two running backs topped 300 yards in the same game. Muhlenberg pulled within 27-22 late in the second quarter before Exeter got a touchdown run and a touchdown pass from Zandier in the final 1:42 of the half to build a 41-22 lead. The Eagles lost starting quarterback Riley Martinez to a lower leg injury just before halftime of the Week 7 meeting and he didn’t play again until late in the district playoffs.
Fast fact: Exeter has won 11 straight in the series and is 14-2 since Matt Bauer became head coach in 2009. Bauer, a former Muhlenberg tight end, saw his team lose 28-14 his first season but has won 14-of-15 since.
Eagles update: Off to a 6-0 start for the fourth straight year after stopping Ephrata 24-0 last week. . . Second shutout for defense which ranks No. 2 in the Lancaster-Lebanon League in scoring (6.3 points per game), No. 2 against the rush (80.2 yards per game), and No. 3 in total defense (145 yards per game). . . DT Joel Ummarino leads team in tackles for loss (7), sacks, forced fumbles, and fumble recoveries; he’s fourth with 21 tackles. . . OLB Donovyn Alvarez lead team with 35 tackles; ILB Aidan Dauble is next with 34. . . CB Jayden Ware leads team with 2 INTs. . . QB Jake Hafer has a 207.6 passing efficiency rating, which would rank No. 2 in the league; he doesn’t qualify for the leaderboard because he hasn’t attempted enough passes. . . He took over at QB in Week 2 when Riley Martinez was injured and likely lost for the season. . . Hafer has completed 58 percent of his passes with 6 TDs. . . Leo Brown is third in the league in rushing with 889 yards; he has scored 14 TDs. . . Ware leads team with 15 receptions. . . Averaging 44.1 points . . . No. 7 in league in total offense, at 371 yards per game. . . No. 7 in rushing, at 258 yards per game. . . Ranked No. 1 in District 3 Class 5A power ratings, just ahead of New Oxford, Conestoga Valley, and Muhlenberg. . . Ranked No. 5 in state in 5A.
Did you know? Muhlenberg’s Cameron Small has rushed for 3,410 career yards (including his first two seasons at Reading). He needs 275 yards to crack Berks’ all-time Top 10 and 590 yards to become just the sixth in Berks history to reach 4,000 yards. Last week he became the third Muhlenberg ballcarrier to top 3,000 career yards, following Jason Reinhart and Mel Fegely. He needs 17 yards to pass Fegely for No. 2 on the Muhls’ all-time list and 696 yards to top Reinhart’s record of 3,703.
Muhls update: Off to 6-0 start for first time since 2007. . . Have not been 7-0 since 2005, when they started 8-0. . . Needed 21-point fourth quarter to overtake Elizabethtown 35-21 last week. . . Trailed 15-14 entering final quarter before QB Adriel Baez ran for a pair of touchdowns and All-State tailback Cameron Small clinched it with a 63-yard TD run with 1:00 left. . . Small finished with a season-high 226 yards and 3 TDs. . . Baez is ranked No. 3 in the league in passing efficiency; he has completed 62.2 percent of his passes with 10 TDs. . . Michael Miller Jr. leads team with 19 receptions; he’s averaging 21.4 yards per catch. . . Freddy Lacey is averaging 16.0 yards on his 16 receptions. . . MLB Emilio Alvarez had 10 tackles last week and leads team with 55 tackles. . . OLB Cooper Burr has 42 tackles and shares team lead with 6 tackles for loss. . . OLB Small has 36 tackles and 6 TFL. . . DE Jediah Quinones leads team with 3 sacks. . . Ranked No. 5 in the league in total defense, allowing 201 yards per game. . . No. 3 against the rush (84.7) and No. 4 in scoring (12.1). . . Ranked No. 4 in District 3 Class 5A power ratings, behind Exeter, New Oxford, and Conestoga Valley. Listed as a Team To Watch in PennLive.com’s Class 5A state rankings.
Fast fact: John Yocum, who coached Muhlenberg from 1989-2008, went 16-3-1 against Exeter.
Series flashback 1998: Jason Reinhart rushed for 123 yards in the second half and Muhlenberg scored 21 unanswered points after trailing at halftime to win 28-14 at Exeter in a Week 8 battle of Berks I-C League unbeatens. Reinhart, who finished with 159 yards, opened the game with a 53-yard punt return but Exeter’s top-ranked defense clamped down for the rest of the half. The Muhls got a game-tying 31-yard TD pass from Rob Flowers to Troy Bollman early in the second half; Flowers’ 1-yard run gave them the lead for good. One week earlier the Muhls beat Wyomissing 19-7 in a battle of 6-0 teams. Muhlenberg went on to finish 11-1 and earned a reputation as one of the greatest teams in Inter-County League history.
Quotable: “They have a nice array of weapons and they do a good job of getting the ball to those guys in space. You can’t zone in completely on (No.) 2 (Cameron Small), because 7 (Freddy Lacey) and 18 (Michael Miller Jr.), they can all hurt you at any time. It’s assignment football; we need to prepare as such. Hopefully we’re up to the challenge.” – Exeter coach Matt Bauer, on Muhlenberg.
Quotable: “I understand Exeter’s a good football team; we’re a good football team, as well. It’s an opportunity for us to go out there and win the game. That’s our goal: to win the game. Not (to) come out and look cute, or say: ‘Hey, Muhlenberg did a great job.’ Muhlenberg wants to win the game.” – Muhlenberg coach Rob Flowers.
