Little brother Jayden Zandier steps out of the shadows with 3 TDs in Eagles win

ExeterFootballGovernor Mifflin

By Mike Drago Last updated Sep 17, 2023

Exeter's Jayden Zandier pulls in a touchdown catch Friday against Gov. Mifflin. (PhilMarPhoto)

2023 Berks football coverage presented by

Utilities Employees Credit Union

By Mike Drago — MikeDragoSports.com Managing Editor

At 6-6 and 235 pounds Exeter tight end Zack Zandier casts a large shadow.

Not large enough to overshadow little brother Jayden, it turns out.

The junior receiver/running back is too good an athlete for that. He showed it in the spring when he dominated the Berks County Football Combine and he showed it again Friday night when he scored three touchdowns as Exeter opened play in Section 2 of the Lancaster-Lebanon League with a 31-9 win over Gov. Mifflin Friday at Don Thomas Stadium.

“I’m definitely not in the shadows any more,” said Jayden after scoring on a 56-yard reception and runs of 33 and 35 yards.

Jayden Zandier is so talented he has forced his way into the Eagles’ backfield picture. He entered the season as a wide receiver but with a sophomore starting quarterback and a big offensive line Exeter coach Matt Bauer knows the running game has to be his team’s offensive focus.

He also knows the kind of ability Jayden has and that he needs him on the field as much as possible.

“You’ve gotta get your best players on the field and it was hard to take Nate Pashley and Carter Redding out of the receivers spots,” said Bauer. “Jayden’s so electric we had to figure out a different way to get him the ball.”

The younger Zandier has been splitting time at receiver and running back; he’s been outstanding at both. He caught a long touchdown pass on Exeter’s first drive, then showed off his speed with a pair of scores out of the backfield later in the game.

His first score gave Exeter (4-0) the lead for good four plays after the Mustangs (2-2) finished their first possession with a short field goal.

Zandier streaked deep down the field and Riley Martinez found him wide open with 4:43 left in the first quarter for a 7-3 lead.

Jayden Zandier finds running room around the corner. (PhilMarPhoto)

“I was the backside receiver and it was a concept to the right,” Zandier said. “I knew the safety was gonna drop down on the crosser, that left the backside wide open and the quarterback just hit me. Keeping my balance after the catch was so satisfying, then (hearing) the crowd erupt.”

Later in the half he burst through the line and went 33 yards for a 14-3 lead. Zandier, at 6-2, 170, is built more like a sprinter but he has impressed Bauer with his ability to run inside.

“You don’t know if a receiver is (going to learn to ) run downhill the way he does,” Bauer said. “I’m so pleased at how hard he’s running between the tackles. He did a wonderful job tonight.”

Zandier finished with 126 yards on 11 carries; he had just six carries prior to Friday.

Zandier clinched things with a 35-yard run on a toss around right end with 5:18 remaining. He had clear sailing as Zack, a tight end headed to Coastal Carolina, helped set the edge.

“I know I’m the fastest player out here,” Jayden Zandier said. “I just kicked it to the outside, trusted my speed, and it paid out for me.”

Jayden Zandier’s offensive breakout was just part of the story; the Eagles defense played a big part, too.

The Mustangs threatened to regain the lead when they controlled the ball for 16 plays and more than eight minutes of the first and second quarters, moving from their 42 to the Exeter 1.

Quarterback Javien Pletz scored on a fourth-down sneak but the play was nullified by an Exeter offsides penalty. When the Mustangs ran it again from inside the 1 Brandon Jones was stoned for a turnover on downs. Three minutes later Jayden Zandier scored and Exeter led 14-3.

“That was a huge momentum-changer,” said Bauer of the goal-line stop.

The Eagles also changed the momentum with three interceptions, two by Pashley, the second in the end zone to end Mifflin’s final scoring chance with three minutes to go.

Exeter’s second interception, by linebacker Joel Ummarino, set up the final points of the first half. Ummarino returned the pick to the Mifflin 33 with 51 seconds left. Martinez completed three passes in the drive, the last a 16-yarder to Zack Zandier to the 3. Robbie Gaston’s 21-yard field goal as time expired in the first half made it 17-3.

The Mustangs hit on some big passing plays and saw junior Grady Garner made some strong runs as he rushed for 74 yards on 15 carries but they didn’t reach the end zone until the third quarter, when Chase Huber scored on a 17-yard run.

“They’re a good football team,” Bauer said of Mifflin. “They’re a physical football team. It is so, so hard to get ready in one week for that type of quickness and that type of physicality. It took a little while to adjust to the speed and pace of the game but I thought that goal-line stand for us gave our kids a lot of confidence.

“Our offensive line played very, very well; we controlled the line of scrimmage and we won the battle of the trenches and that was a huge challenge I put on them.”

As for Jayden Zandier, he’ll continue to get more touches in the run game.

“I used to play running back as a kid,” he said, “then I hit a growth spurt and (they said) I was too tall. I guess I’m not too tall now.”

Zack Zandier (88) celebrates brother Jayden’s first-quarter TD. (PhilMarPhoto)

	1	2	3	4	Final
Gov. Mifflin	3	0	0	6	9
Exeter	7	10	7	7	31

Scoring summary

1	Gov. Mifflin	Koenig, 26 FG	5:33
1	Exeter	J. Zandier, 56 pass from Martinez (Gaston kick)	4:43
2	Exeter	J. Zandier, 33 run (Gaston kick)	4:52
2	Exeter	Gaston, 21 FG	0:00
3	Exeter	Paschall, 1 run (Gaston kick)	5:20
4	Gov. Mifflin	Huber, 17 run (Koenig kick)	8:06
4	Exeter	J. Zandier, 35 run (Gaston kick)	5:18

Team statistics

	Gov. Mifflin	Exeter
First downs	16	18
Rushes-yards	42-157	32-199
Passing yards	119	173
Total yards	276	372
Passes	4-12-3	10-19-0
Fumbles-lost	1-0	1-0
Punts-average	0-0	1-40.0
Penalties-yards	6-58	15-125