Richie Karstien-Exeter

Richie Karstien remembers how his freshman season ended and it still doesn’t sit well with him.  “We won our second round of playoffs and the seniors were [acting] like we won the Super Bowl. We’re trying to make this a normal thing, always winning the District ‘chip’. We’re trying to add more banners,” said Karstien.  The 6’1, 215-pound running back is part of an attitude adjustment at Exeter.  It’s no longer just about qualifying for the postseason.  The Eagles want to contend for the championship year in and year out.  They brought home the first District 3 title in program history a season ago.  Exeter is two wins away from going back-to-back in Class 5A.  The (11-0) Eagles were in top form in the quarterfinals on Saturday night at Don Thomas Stadium.  They crushed seventh-seeded Dover 42-12.  Karstien ran for 111 yards in the first quarter.  He had 173 by halftime and finished with 213 yards and a touchdown on 22 touches.  Karstien has rumbled for 1,366 yards and 18TD this season.  He told me that he prefers running through defenders than around them.  “I really take pride in how it takes more than one person to bring me down, and how I can get extra yards after contact,” stated Karstien.  Exeter piled up 276 yards on the ground against (9-3) Dover.  The Eagles also did plenty of damage through the air.  On the third play of the game, Mason Rotelli hit Joey Schlaffer in stride down the middle of the field for a 61-yard score.  It was the tenth touchdown reception of the year for the Penn State commit.  Rotelli was just getting warmed up.  The 6’1, 170-pound senior found Isaiah Choy wide open in the end zone for a 20-yard score with four and a-half minutes remaining in the second period.  After a 17-yard punt by Dover, Exeter took over at its 47-yard line.  6’5, 220-pound junior tight end Zach Zandier hauled in an 11-yard touchdown pass to make it 28-0 with 1:19 left before halftime.  The Eagles weren’t done scoring.  Alex Pineiro intercepted Aric Campbell and returned it 42 yards to the 11-yard line with 41 seconds on the clock.  Rotelli connected with Jovan Hollis on the next play for his fourth touchdown toss of the first half.  The last two quarters were played under the mercy rule.  On Exeter’s opening possession of the third period, Rotelli flipped a shovel pass to Carter Redding who raced 15 yards to pay dirt.  Dover was held to 88 yards in the first half.  Campbell, who entered the night with 2,227 passing yards and 20TD, went 14-of-36 for 204 yards.  Both of his touchdown passes came in the fourth quarter, including a 64-yarder to Thomas Smyser as time expired.  Smyser wrapped up his junior campaign with 59 catches for 1,171 yards and 9TD.  Campbell will also return next season for Dover.  The Eagles reached the District 3 quarterfinals after going (1-9) in 2021.  Exeter limited Gavin Mullins to 44 yards on 11 carries.  He ran for 1,239 yards this year.  Dover had no answers for an Exeter offense that wound up with 409 total yards.  Rotelli was 7-of-12 for 133 yards with 5TD and an INT.  His last four passes resulted in touchdowns.  Rotelli also scrambled for 55 yards.  “We’ve got one of the best lines in the state,” declared Karstien.  I asked him how this year’s team would fare against Exeter’s District 3 championship squad from last season.  Karstien predicted a 42-35 victory for the 2022 Eagles.  We’ll never know how that matchup would turn out, but in a few weeks we’ll know if Exeter can bring another trophy back to Reiffton.