It’s vindication, and a shot at the Class 5A title, for highly charged Eagles
2024 Berks football coverage presented by
Utilities Employees Credit Union
By Mike Drago — MikeDragoSports.com Managing Editor
WITMER — Matt Bauer’s biggest challenge this week was making sure his Exeter football team wasn’t overly hyped for its much-awaited rematch against Conestoga Valley.
“They couldn’t wait to get off the bus,” Bauer said. “We knew there was going to be a tremendous amount of emotion. If we could harness that, I knew I was going to get a great effort.”
That’s exactly what the eighth-seeded Eagles gave their coach. They played with passion, poise, and precision in laying waste to the fourth-seeded Buckskins 48-14 Friday in a District 3 Class 5A semifinal on the Bucks’ home field.
“I woke up today and just had that feeling in my gut that we were gonna come out here and absolutely annihilate this team,” said Exeter linebacker Genuine Stutzman, who led a defensive assault that throttled the high-scoring Bucks (11-1).
Quarterback Sawyer Esbenshade shredded Exeter’s defense a month ago in Reiffton, throwing three first-half touchdown passes in a 28-27 win that cost the Eagles the Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 2 title, a perfect regular season, and home-field advantage in the quarterfinals and semis.
This time the Eagles (12-1) played tighter pass coverage and put more heat on the pocket, the combination leading to an off night by the league’s top-rated passer. He completed just 8-of-20 passes, some of which were off target, several others of which were dropped, including a potential touchdown pass early in the game.
“We really did a lot of soul-searching after that first game,” Bauer said. “We made a lot of adjustments, especially on defense. We decided we were going to run our two best coverages, and live and die with it; if they beat our athletes, then that’s fine.
“And we were going to try to disrupt and make that quarterback uncomfortable, and our D-line absolutely answered the call tonight.”
Esbenshade was sacked four times, the biggest coming midway through the third quarter when Cameron Aiken and Logan Wegman swarmed all over him, forcing a fumble that Kevin Oswalt recovered at the Conestoga Valley 12.
“They brought pressure, and they caught us a few times and got to the quarterback more frequently than we’re used to having,” said Conestoga Valley coach Jon Scepanski.
One play after the only turnover in the game Jayden Zandier was in the end zone with his fourth touchdown, giving the Eagles a 34-14 lead and what they’ve sought for the past month: Vindication.
They felt they got robbed last month when officials ruled that Zandier did not cross the goal-line on a two-point conversion attempt that would have given them the lead in the final seconds.
“Redemption,” said Bauer. “Setting the record straight, for sure. And that’s what these kid deserve. The way they did it and the way they play together as a team. . . and so many kids stepped up tonight in every way possible.”
Exeter advances to the district championship game for the third time in four years. It will play sixth-seeded Bishop McDevitt, a 26-14 winner over Mechanicsburg in the other semifinal, next Friday at Elco at 7.
Before the Eagles’ defense took over the game over the final 18 minutes it belonged to Zandier, the dazzling All-State tailback who rushed for 268 yards and became just the fifth back in Berks history to surpass 2,000 yards in a season.
He broke off a 48-yard scoring run on the second play from scrimmage and added scoring runs of 7, 12, and 9 yards. He also had a 79-yard run to the 1 in the third quarter that set up a Stutzman TD that put Exeter on top 28-14.
“He is such a clutch player,” Bauer said. “In these type of games you’ve got to give him the ball.”
Zandier’s 268 yards are third-most in program history. His 2,094 yards are second-most in a season in Berks history; only Central Catholic’s David Gilmore, who ran for 2,403 more than 40 years ago, has more.
Zandier’s last TD – and 35th of the season – made it 41-14 in the final minute of the third quarter, and the rout was on.
The Eagles were sharp all night and played a clean game; they didn’t have a turnover, a blown coverage assignment, or even a missed tackle. The Buckskins, on the other hand, seemed rattled by Exeter’s early 14-0 lead. They dropped passes, shanked punt, and didn’t look like the No. 9 team in the state.
“It was certainly different compared to the last time, and the way we’ve played throughout the season,” said Scepanski, who guided the Bucks to their first 11-0 start since 1985. “We struggled to make plays. When you’re at this point you’ve gotta be executing on all cylinders.”
The Eagles were. Their offensive line dominated. Their pass coverage was outstanding. Their linebackers didn’t let Esbenshade, a dangerous runner, get free after his initial run, an 11-yard gain.
Exeter has been under the radar this season, in large part because of its loss to Conestoga Valley, controversial as it may have been. Now, after knocking off unbeaten teams on the road in consecutive weeks, they’ll likely find themselves ranked among the Top 10 Class 5A teams in the state next week.
“I think we’re really starting to put it together,” said Stutzman, “playing like a family and a team. I feel everything is just going great.”
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
| Exeter | 14 | 7 | 20 | 7 | 48 |
| Conestoga Valley | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
Scoring summary
| 1 | Exeter | Zandier, 48 run (Franek kick) | 11:03 |
| 1 | Exeter | Zandier, 7 run (Franek kick) | 4:12 |
| 1 | Conestoga Valley | Ruble, 44 pass from Esbenshade (Erb kick) | 0:33 |
| 2 | Exeter | Redding, 31 pass from Martinez (Franek kick) | 0:30 |
| 3 | Conestoga Valley | Esbenshade, 1 run (Erb kick) | 6:19 |
| 3 | Exeter | Stutzman, 1 run (Franek kick) | 6:03 |
| 3 | Exeter | Zandier, 12 run (kick failed) | 5:14 |
| 3 | Exeter | Zandier, 9 run (Franek kick) | 0:34 |
| 4 | Exeter | Flanders, 1 run (Franek kick) | 2:59 |
Team statistics
| Exeter | Conestoga Valley | |
| First downs | 14 | 12 |
| Rushes-yards | 38-326 | 32-145 |
| Passing yards | 128 | 141 |
| Total yards | 454 | 286 |
| Passes | 5-7-0 | 8-20-0 |
| Fumbles-lost | 1-0 | 2-1 |
| Punts-average | 7-70 | 4-29.5 |
| Penalties-yards | 2-34.5 | 4-25 |
Individual statistics
RUSHING
Exeter: Zandier 27-268, Brown 7-50, Stutzman 2-6, Flanders 1-1, Prizer 1-1.
Conestoga Valley: Ruble 8-55, Johnson 6-53, Garcia 5-47, Esbenshade 13-(-10).
PASSING
Exeter: Hafer 4-6-0–97, Martinez 1-1-0–31.
Conestoga Valley: Esbenshade 8-20-0–141.
RECEIVING
Exeter: Redding 4-82, Ware 1-46.
Conestoga Valley: Ruble 3-63, Johnson 3-23, Byer 2-55.
