L-L Section 2 championship bout is GoBigRecruiting.com Game of the Week
Exeter (9-0) vs. Manheim Central (9-0)
Kick: Friday, 7, at Rettew Field, Manheim
League records: Eagles 5-0, Barons 5-0
Series: Manheim Central leads 2-1
Last meeting: Eric Nangle rushed for 233 yards and three touchdowns and Exeter held Manheim Central to negative rushing yards in a 43-26 victory in a District 3 Class 5A quarterfinal last year at Rettew Field.
Nangle ran for three first-quarter TDs and Joey Schlaffer caught a 31-yard touchdown pass from Colin Payne as the seventh-seeded Eagles built a 36-0 halftime lead over the second-seeded Barons.
Exeter went on to win its first District 3 championship, winning at Cedar Cliff in the semifinals and at Gov. Mifflin in the title game.
“We wanted to prove everyone wrong,” Nangle said of Exeter’s No. 7 seed. “We felt like we could’ve been ranked a lot higher. We just wanted to come in here and make plays.”
Eagles update: Have won 11 straight regular season games, one short of the program record, and are on the verge of just the fourth unbeaten regular season in program history. . . QB Mason Rotelli is the top-ranked passer in the Lancaster-Lebanon League with 16 TDs and 1,195 passing yards. . . He’s completing 73.4 percent of his passes, which would be a program record. . . Rotelli is second on the team in rushing, averages 6.2 yards per carry and has scored 7 TDs. . . Richie Karstien needs 4 yards to reach 1,000; he leads the team with 16 TDs. . . Penn State TE recruit Joey Schlaffer has a Berks-leading 29 receptions, for 646 yards and 9 TDs. . . LB Lucas Palange leads team with 54 tackles. . . DT Anthony Caccese leads team with 17 tackles for loss and 6 sacks. . . DE Joey Reedy leads team with 12 hurries. . . LB Jonathan Martin has forced 3 fumbles. . . Head coach Matt Bauer earned his 100th career win earlier in the season. In his 14th season he’s at 102 wins, second in program history to Don Thomas, who had 123 over 24 seasons. . . Bauer’s .662 winning percentage is highest in program history. . . Have clinched 12th straight winning season, longest in program history. . . Ranked No. 2 in the state in Class 5A by PennLive.com and No. 2 by Pennsylvania Football News.
Barons update: Off to 9-0 start for first time since 2018. . . Seeking 28th Section 2 title, which would be second-most in Lancaster-Lebanon League history behind Wilson, which has won 29 section titles. . . Shared Section 2 title last year with Cocalico and Warwick. . . Head coach Dave Hahn has won section titles in 6 of his 7 seasons. . . Averaging 464 total yards per game, second-best in the league. . . Have scored league-leading 501 points, including 83 against Lebanon and 70 against Muhlenberg. . . Averaging 55.7 points a game, second-most in the state. . . Have won their six league games by an average of nearly 49 points. . . Junior QB Zac Hahn, son of head coach Dave Hahn, has completed 63 percent of his passes for 1,774 yards and 25 TDs, with just 2 INTs. . . Bode Sipel has 30 receptions, with 6 TDs; Aaron Enterline is averaging 29 yards on his 27 receptions, with 10 TDs. . . Brycen Armold is averaging 9.6 yards per carry, has 25 TDs and 1,620 rushing yards, second-most in the league. . . Defense has 19 sacks and 19 takeaways. . . Ranked No. 5 in the state in Class 4A by PennLive.com
Did you know? Exeter’s Joey Schlaffer is Berks’ all-time receiving yardage leader after catching five passes for 129 yards last week in a 38-10 win over Conestoga Valley. He has 2,262 yards, topping the mark set last season by Twin Valley’s Trey Freeman (2,250). Two weeks earlier he topped Tony Hardy’s Berks record for TD receptions (27) with his 28th in a 42-8 win over Muhlenberg. He caught his 29th last week. Schlaffer is eighth all-time in Berks with 112 receptions.
Fast fact: Exeter mercy-ruled Manheim Central in last year’s District 3 Class 5A quarterfinals, building a 36-point halftime lead. You would have to go back to 2013 to find the last time the Barons were mercy-ruled in a postseason game, against Bishop McDevitt at Hersheypark Stadium.
