Jayden Zandier is Wyomissing Physical Therapy Offensive Player of the Week
Before Jayden Zandier touched the ball Friday his coach, Matt Bauer, knew big things were in store.
“I could see it in warmups that he was on another level and focused,” the Exeter football coach said of his senior tailback.
Zandier did not disappoint, running for 216 yards and a pair of touchdowns in a 34-13 win over Gov. Mifflin in a Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 2 opener.
Zandier broke off scoring runs of 81 and 54 yards to earn Wyomissing Physical Therapy Offensive Player of the Week for the first time this season. He received the honor twice last season.
Zandier scored on Exeter’s first offensive play, taking a direct snap, shooting through a hole on the right side and going 81 yards for a TD; he picked up downfield blocks from Carter Redding and Genuine Stutzman on his way to the end zone.
“Jayden was electric,” Bauer said.
Zandier got the buzz going around this time last year when he was moved from wide receiver to tailback. In his first game out of the backfield, also against Mifflin, he went rushed for 126 yards and scored three TDs.
“Throughout his career, Jayden always plays his best in big games,” Bauer said.
Zandier had a game for the ages in Week 8 against Hempfield, rushing for 262 yards – most ever in a regular season game by an Exeter player – with four touchdowns. He ended the season with 222 yards against Hershey in the District 3 playoffs.
He finished with 1,352 yards — fourth-most in program history — and 19 touchdowns; it landed him on the Pennsylvania Football Writers’ Class 5A All-State team.
Zandier averaged 10.7 yards per carry last season, tops in Section 2 and third-best in the 37-team league Lancaster-Lebanon League. He averaged 23.1 yards on seven catches, with three TDs.
“Anyone who lines up against us,” Bauer said before this season, “the first thing they’re going to do is figure out how to take No. 2 away from us.”
No one’s been able to do it so far. The Eagles are 4-0 with Zandier scoring two or more TDs in each game. He ran for 138 yards in the season-opener against Daniel Boone and 205 the next week against Boyertown.
For the season he has rushed for 579, third-best in the 37-team Lancaster-Lebanon League – and that’s while averaging just eight carries per game. He’s averaging a whopping 18.1 yards per carry, among the highest averages in the state.
“I don’t know if that’s a realistic expectation,” Bauer said of Zandier maintaining such a lofty average.
Only one player in Berks history has averaged better than 13 yards per carry over the course of a season (with at least 50 carries): Reading High’s Jason Poulson, who averaged 18.2 in 2003.
Zandier tuned up for this season by dominating the Berks County Football Combine for the second straight year; he won the 40-yard dash, Vertical Leap and 3-Hop Drill and was second in the L-Cone Drill.
He had a big track season, too, qualifying for districts in the long jump and as part of Exeter’s 4×100 relay. He ran a personal best 11.36 in the 100 (and has clocked 4.48 in the 40).
Zandier is the first Exeter player selected for the award this season.
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 fourth consecutive season that Wyomissing Physical Therapy has sponsored the Offensive Player of the Week award. At the end of the season an Offensive Player of the Year will be selected.
Also nominated for Wyomissing Physical Therapy Offensive Player of the Week:
- Zach Suski, Berks Catholic
- Donovan Gingrich, Conrad Weiser
- Grady Garner, Gov. Mifflin
- Ty Werley, Hamburg
- Cameron Small, Muhlenberg
- Logan Nawrocki, Schuylkill Valley
- Evan Myers, Twin Valley
- Madyx Gruber, Wilson
- Chase Eisenhower, Wyomissing
Selected Wyomissing Physical Therapy Offensive Player of the Week earlier this season:
- Week 1: Evan Myers, Twin Valley
- Week 2: Kayson Fritz, Reading High
- Week 3: Cameron Small, Muhlenberg
Players selected in 2023:
- Week 1: Tyler Shuey, Hamburg
- Week 2: Tommy Hunsicker, Wilson
- Week 3: Dominic Giuffre, Schuylkill Valley
- Week 4: Jayden Zandier, Exeter
- Week 5: Drew Forrey, Wyomissing
- Week 6: Evan Johnson, Twin Valley
- Week 7: Drew Engle, Twin Valley
- Week 8: Jayden Zandier, Exeter
- Week 9: Czion Brickle, Fleetwood
- Week 10: Evan Myers, Twin Valley
- Week 11: Jack Riffle, Fleetwood
- Week 12: Drew Engle, Twin Valley
Players selected in 2022:
- Week 1: Gio Cavanna, Muhlenberg
- Week 2: Cam Jones, Wilson
- Week 3: Pierce Mason, Hamburg
- Week 4: Gio Cavanna, Muhlenberg
- Week 5: Josiah Jordan, Berks Catholic
- Week 6: Ruben Rodriguez, Reading High
- Week 7: Cam Jones, Wilson
- Week 8: Dominic Giuffre, Schuylkill Valley
- Week 9: Leland Moore, Hamburg
- Week 10: Cam Jones, Wilson
- Week 11: Pierce Mason, Hamburg
- Week 12: Evan Johnson, Twin Valley
Players selected in 2021:
- Week 1: Nick Singleton, RB, Gov. Mifflin
- Week 2: DeShawn Wilson, WR, Reading High
- Week 3: Nick Singleton, RB, Gov. Mifflin
- Week 4: Logan Klitsch, QB, Conrad Weiser
- Week 5: Nick Singleton, RB, Gov. Mifflin
- Week 6: Diohnny Ruiz, RB, Hamburg
- Week 7: Nick Singleton, RB, Gov. Mifflin
- Week 8: Cameron Jones, KR, Wilson
- Week 9: Trey Freeman, WR, Twin Valley
- Week 10: Jadyn Jones, RB, Wilson
- Week 11: Logan Klitsch, QB, Conrad Weiser
- Week 12: Nick Singleton, RB, Gov. Mifflin
- Week 13: Eric Nangle, RB, Exeter
- Week 14: Colin Payne, Exeter
