It’s been the year of quarterback injuries around the Lancaster-Lebanon League
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Seeing your starting quarterback get injured and knocked out of the lineup can be, as one Lancaster-Lebanon League coach put it, “terrifying.”
That’s how Exeter’s Matt Bauer described it. He’s lived that scenario several times during his 17 seasons as a head coach, including last year and again this year. Both times the Eagles had to switch things up on offense when Riley Martinez was injured. Last year it happened in Week 7; this year it happened early in a Week 2 game at Boyertown.
Bauer’s had a capable backup ready to step in each time; Jake Hafer led the Eagles to the District 3 Class 5A championship game last year and to four straight wins this season.
A decade ago, when Exeter starter Brandon Unterkoefler was injured and lost for the season in a Week 5 game at Pottsville, Bauer didn’t have a capable backup ready to go. There was only one other quarterback on the roster and he was a freshman.
Bauer made a bold move, switching his 215-pound tight end Gabe Schappell to quarterback and ran out of the Wildcat formation the rest of the season.
“It’s terrifying at times,” Bauer said of making such a move with just a few practices to revamp the offense. “There’s a lot of fear of the unknown. You don’t know what it’s going to look like until you actually implement it.”
Schappell ran for four touchdowns and threw for a fifth in his first start one week later against Conrad Weiser. He carried the Eagles to six straight wins and an 11-1 finish.
“It’s very satisfying when you see a plan come together and work out,” Bauer recalled.
Exeter’s key Section 2 match-up Friday against Ephrata looks a lot different than it might have only a few weeks ago.
The Mounts (1-1, 4-1) have also had to change things on the fly after seeing starting quarterback Carson Martin suffer a potentially season-ending shoulder injury in a Week 3 win over Garden Spot.
Sophomore Malachi Knowles moved from running back to quarterback and has started the last two weeks. He’s primarily played quarterback coming up through Ephrata’s system but doesn’t have the experience or arm of Martin. That means the Mounts have been forced to alter their offensive game plan; they’ve become more run-oriented to take better advantage of Knowles’ skill set.
“We’re putting him in a position where he’s going to be successful,” said Ephrata coach Kris Miller. “We’re running more, moving the pocket. Twice Mal has had a 50-yard run. He can be a play-maker and we believe in what he can do.”
“They’re staying within their identity,” Bauer said. “(Knowles) is more than an adequate passer and more than an able runner.”
The Eagles (2-0, 5-0) have changed their approach, too. They aren’t stretching the field vertically as they might have with Martinez, a three-year starter and college prospect. They’re leaning more on their big offensive line and on tailback Leo Brown, who’s been outstanding. And they’re taking advantage of defenses which have been pulled into the box expecting Brown to run; Hafer has burned unsuspecting teams with deep balls to open receivers.
A lot of Lancaster-Lebanon coaches have had to adapt to changes at quarterback this season due to injuries. Cedar Crest, Warwick, Garden Spot, Octorara, Annville-Cleona, Berks Catholic and Lancaster Catholic, as well as Exeter and Ephrata, went into their Week 5 games without their No. 1 quarterback due to injuries. Garden Spot and Annville-Cleona have each started three different quarterbacks.
“It’s a crazy year in that aspect,” Miller said.
Making major adjustments after losing your most important player is difficult. High school football coaches don’t have the same resources that they have at the professional or college levels where there will be four or five quarterbacks on the depth chart and relatively unlimited preparation time.
“Most teams play their JV games on Monday, so basically you have 2 ½ days to prepare (for a game),” Bauer said.
Even in the best of times the starting quarterback gets roughly 80 percent of the reps during practice. That means the No. 2 guy, usually younger and with less game experience, isn’t getting enough practice reps to be adequately prepared if called on during a game.
“Your No. 1 needs the constant reps at practice so that they’re proficient,” Bauer said. “With the time constraints it’s very difficult to develop backups. That’s why the offseason’s so important.”
Miller, like other coaches around the league, knows injuries are part of the game.
“At the halfway point of the season there’s not many teams that are 100 percent fully healthy,” he said, “that’s where it’s so important to build your depth. You’ve gotta do your best to have that next-man-up mentality and try to keep moving forward. No matter what you have, you try to put the best 11 out there and put them in position to be successful.”
