No question: Jayden Zandier is Wyomissing Physical Therapy Offensive Player of the Week
After watching Jayden Zandier run for four touchdowns, rush for 312 yards, score a pair of two-point conversions – one on a reception, one on a run – and throw a touchdown pass, Exeter coach Matt Bauer had just one question:
“Could you ask for anything more?” he said after Zandier’s incredible performance in a 56-28 win over Muhlenberg Friday. “You talk about taking a game and running with it . . . he was exceptional.”
Zandier could have had a fifth touchdown and tacked another 20 yards onto his rushing total but elected to slide at the 20-yard with an open field in front of him and two minutes left in an effort to kill the clock.
No matter. His performance was good enough at that point to earn Wyomissing Physical Therapy Offense Player of the Week.
Zandier scored on runs of 51, 30, 35, and 18 yards, the last two running out of the quarterback spot in the Wildcat formation. He took over after starting quarterback Riley Martinez injured his ankle midway through the second quarter.
“He made great decisions all night long,” Bauer said. “He just executed to perfection.”
Zandier played quarterback in ninth grade before moving to wide receiver as a sophomore and then to running back early last season.
On his only pass attempt of the night, with the clock running down in the first half, he threw a 27-yard touchdown – though tight end Aidan Dauble, who leaped over a defender in the end zone to grab it, deserves a large measure of the credit there.
His third rushing TD of the night pushed him over the 1,000-yard mark for the second straight season. He has rushed for 1,099 yards, third-best in the league. His 15 rushing TDs are tied for second-most in the league.
Zandier ran for 1,358 yards last season despite not moving to tailback full-time until the fourth game of the season.
Zandier’s final touchdown Friday and 18th of the season gave him the program career record with 38. That topped the mark of 37 set by Gabe Schappell in 2016.
Zandier’s 312-yard mark is second-highest in program history, and the most ever in a regular season game. Eric Nangle set the record with 332 yards against Cedar Crest in a 2021 district playoff game.
Zandier also has the third-highest single-game total in program history; he went for 262 yards last year against Hempfield. He has three 200-yard games in his career; only Nangle, with four, has more at Exeter.
If he gets a chance to play several postseason games Zandier has a chance to run down Nangle’s program single-season record of 1,814 yards. He’s less than 500 yards away from Jesse Reider’s program career record of 2,876 yards.
Zandier was on defense for one of the most exciting plays of the night Friday, a footrace between him and Muhlenberg’s Cameron Small.
Small broke free on what would be a 78-yard touchdown. Zandier tracked him for about 30 yards, got close enough to get a hand on Small’s jersey inside the 20, but couldn’t bring him down.
Fast as Zandier was last season, when he scored 19 touchdowns and averaged 10.7 yards per carry, he is a step faster now, and more powerful. That’s evidenced by his league-leading 15.9 yards-per-carry average, one of the highest in Berks history. Only one other player in the Lancaster-Lebanon League (with at least 40 carries) is averaging more than 10.5 yards per carry.
“He’s more elusive (than he was last year),” Bauer said. “He’s definitely faster, but he’s hard to get a direct hit on because he is so agile. He has exceptional body control.”
Players considered for Player of the Week honors are nominated by their coaches or by members of the MikeDragoSports.com coverage team.
This is Zandier’s second selection this season, and fourth overall.
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:
- Bryce Gumby, Berks Catholic
- Donovan Gingrich, Conrad Weiser
- Chase Domenech, Fleetwood
- Ty Werley, Hamburg
- Grady Garner, Gov. Mifflin
- Brendan Ackley, Kutztown
- Cameron Small, Muhlenberg
- Matt Nawrocki, Schuylkill Valley
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
- Week 4: Jayden Zandier, Exeter
- Week 5: Bryce Gumby, Berks Catholic
- Week 6: Madyx Gruber, Wilson
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
