Matt Bauer-Exeter

It wasn’t that long ago that Exeter was riding an eight-game winning streak and ranked in the top 5 in the state in Class 5A. How quickly things can change. #8 seed Hershey rallied from a 21-0 halftime deficit to stun the ninth-seeded Eagles 28-27 in the opening round of the District 3-5A playoffs at Hersheypark Stadium. “Nothing I can say right now is gonna make them feel any better,” said head coach Matt Bauer. Exeter committed four turnovers in the second half. “You can’t make those types of mistakes in November. Those types of mistakes end your season,” stated Bauer. The (8-3) Trojans had miscues of their own in the second quarter. On 4th & 4 from the 10-yard line, sophomore Cameron Sweeney was intercepted by sophomore linebacker Aiden Dauble. On Hershey’s next possession, running back Angel Cabrera fumbled at the Eagles’ 17-yard line. The 225-pound senior entered the night with 1,408 rushing yards and 20 TD. Exeter scored on three consecutive drives in the second period. Sophomore Zumar Boston capped a 71-yard march with a 2-yard run. Riley Martinez hit Carter Redding over the middle for a 22-yard touchdown. Redding avoided three defenders and managed to stay in bounds along the right sideline. Martinez, a 6’3 sophomore, found Redding deep over the middle for a 21-0 advantage with 1:14 remaining before halftime. The string of turnovers for the Eagles began on the opening possession of the third quarter when Martinez was picked off in the end zone by Derek Guzman. About four and a-half minutes later, Exeter fumbled a punt at midfield. Those takeaways resulted in 14 points for the Trojans in the form of short TD runs by Cabrera. The powerful running back finished with an eye-popping 37 carries for 174 yards and 4 TD. Jayden Zandier raced up the gut for a 69-yard score with 3:10 to go in the third period. The Eagles went on top 27-7. They couldn’t get off the extra point due to a high snap. Zandier piled up 222 yards on 25 carries. The speedy junior had a costly fumble that was recovered by Guzman with six minutes on the clock. A few plays later, Sweeney heaved the ball deep down field and Guzman somehow came down with it at the 38-yard line. Cabrera’s fourth touchdown, a 1-yard plunge, tied it up with 2:36 left. Cole Goodman made the PAT for a 28-27 edge. One minute later, safety Anthony Vasquezi intercepted Martinez’s pass and sprinted down the right sideline to Exeter’s 22-yard line. Hershey pulled off its first victory in the District 3 playoffs since 2010. The Trojans are appearing in the tournament for the first time since 2013. The Eagles were the Class 5A runner-up a season ago. Exeter outgained Hershey 426-to-391. The Trojans will travel to top-seeded New Oxford next Friday. The Eagles end up (8-3). “It’s a great bunch of kids. It’s a very unselfish bunch of kids…our kids battled. They gave everything they had,” said Bauer. He added, “Tough times don’t last. Tough people do.”