Late interception seals perfect regular season and Section 2 title for Exeter
(This story will be updated later tonight with additional details and postgame reaction.)
MANHEIM — Nate Pashley’s interception in the back of the end zone with 17 seconds left preserved Exeter’s thrilling 21-17 victory over Manheim Central Friday and clinched its first Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 2 title.
| Section 2 | League | Overall |
| Exeter | 6-0 | 10-0 |
| Manheim Central | 5-1 | 9-1 |
| Warwick | 4-2 | 5-5 |
| Conestoga Valley | 3-3 | 5-5 |
| Gov. Mifflin | 2-4 | 3-7 |
| Muhlenberg | 1-5 | 2-8 |
| Lebanon | 0-7 | 0-10 |
The Eagles completed a perfect regular season and will get a first-round bye in the District 3 Class 5A Tournament, which begins next week.
The Barons (5-1, 9-1) drove from their 21 to a first down at the Exeter 2 with a minute left before the Eagles (6-0, 10-0) came up with three straight defensive gems: A loss on a run, a sack and then an intercetion.
Kyle Lash made a first-down tackle for a 3-yard loss. Miles Brant forced quarterback Zac Hahn out of the pocket on second down and Lucas Palange sacked him for a 10-yard loss.
Before the Barons ran their third-and-goal play from the 15, Exeter coach Matt Bauer called timeout to set up his defense and make a switch on wide receiver Aaron Enterline, who’s 40-yard catch gave Manheim a first down at the 2.
Enterline was doubled on the play and Pashley cut across the backline and made the game-clinching interception.
The Eagles took the lead for good late in the third quarter on the second of two Richie Karstien touchdown runs for a 21-17 lead.
Manheim Central led 17-7 midway through the second quarter. It was the first time Exeter had trailed that late all season.
Manheim, the highest-scoring team in the league, went into halftime leading 17-14 but was shut out in the second half.
The Eagles dominated on the opening drive, going 87 yards on 13 plays, their offensive line clearing huge spaces for Richie Karstien to run behind. He carried nine times on the nearly six-minute opening drive for 71 yards, including the last 6 on a touchdown run.
A special teams breakdown cost Exeter the lead at halftime.
Aaron Enterline made a stirring run for a touchdown on a 72-yard punt return that put the Barons on top 17-7 six minutes before the half.
That swung momentum in the Barons’ favor, as did a sack of quarterback Mason Rotelli on the next play. Rotelli was hit hard on the play and, after a timeout, came out of the game.
Joey Schlaffer replaced him at quarterback and raced around left end on his first snap for an 85-yard touchdown run. The Penn State recruit cut back inside at the Manheim 30, cut all the way across the field and dove into the end zone to avoid a tackle to cut Manheim’s lead to 17-14 with 5:21 lef in the opening half.
Another Enterline punt return, this one for 40 yards to the Exeter 35, put the Eagles in jeopardy again, but they got a fourth-down sack from Kyle Lash to stop the drive.
The Eagles nearly went into halftime with the lead when Schlaffler flashed open on a deep post inside the Manheim 20. Enterline swooped in with a leaping interception to preserve the Barons’ lead with 26 seconds remaining.
The Eagles didn’t have such a hard go of it last time they were in Manheim.
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 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.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
| Exeter | 7 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 21 |
| Manheim Central | 3 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 17 |
Scoring summary
| 1 | Exeter | Karstien, 6 run (Skipper kick) | 4:48 |
| 1 | Manheim Central | Neff, 20 FG | 0:44 |
| 2 | Manheim Central | Enterline, 21 pass from Hahn (Reed kick) | 9:22 |
| 2 | Manheim Central | Enterline, 72 punt return (Neff kick) | 6:07 |
| 2 | Exeter | Schlaffer, 85 run (Skipper kick) | 5:19 |
| 3 | Exeter | Karstien, 3 run (Skipper kick) | 7:25 |
Team statistics
| Exeter | Manheim Central | |
| First downs | 14 | 11 |
| Rushes-yards | 42-253 | 26-67 |
| Passing yards | 61 | 121 |
| Total yards | 314 | 198 |
| Passes | 4-11-2 | 10-19-1 |
| Fumbles-lost | 4-0 | 1-0 |
| Punts-average | 4-33.7 | 4-39.7 |
| Penalties-yards | 11-86 | 4-35 |
Individual statistics
RUSHING
Exeter: Karstien 26-144, Schlaffer 3-90, Rotelli 12-20.
Manheim Central: Arnold 20-95, Weit 1-(-3), Hahn 5-(-25).
PASSING
Exeter: Rotelli 4-10-2–61, Schlaffer 0-1-0–0.
Manheim Central: Hahn 10-19-1–121.
RECEIVING
Exeter: Schlaffer 2-49, Z. Zandier 2-12.
Manheim Central: Enterline 5-85, Sipel 3-22, Callahan 1-8, Watson 1-6.
INTERCEPTIONS
Exeter: Pashley.
Manheim Central: Enterline 2.