Berks Sports Report Paul Roberts
Despite being outgained by nearly 200 yards, Conestoga Valley rallied to beat Exeter 21-17 in a Section 2 battle that lived up to the hype. The fans in Witmer will remember this one for a very long time. Sawyer Esbenshade threw a pair of touchdown passes to Jayden Conaway in the final three minutes. In between those scores, Conaway recovered an onside kick with 2:47 remaining. “I’m just so happy, so proud of these guys. First half we took some hits, but these guys battled back. We stuck together and that’s why I love these guys,” said Esbenshade. The (9-0, 5-0) Buckskins are alone atop the section standings. Meanwhile, the (7-2, 4-1) Eagles have lost their last two games by six combined points. Exeter entered Friday ranked #10 in the state in Class 5A. The Eagles got 332 rushing yards and 2 TD from Leo Brown, but they were hurt by nine penalties including a-half dozen holding calls.
Brown’s 39-yard run set up a 26-yard field goal by Jake Franek on Exeter’s opening possession. Brown made it 10-0 on a 35-yard run with 3:16 left in the second quarter. The 6’, 176-pound senior finished with 33 carries. He has surpassed 1,700 rushing yards for the season with 21 TD. Conestoga Valley was averaging 39.8 points per game coming into the night. The Eagles held them scoreless for the first 24 minutes. “They’re a great D-line. I was getting a lot of pressure, but I think my O-line did a great job of keeping them away for the most part [in the fourth quarter],” replied Esbenshade. Joel Ummarino, a 273-pound defensive tackle, racked up four sacks.
The Buckskins got on the scoreboard in dramatic fashion midway through the third quarter. On fourth-and-11, Esbenshade hit Cordell Bair down the left sideline for a 25-yard touchdown. The 6’3 senior made a tremendous catch after making a key adjustment. “Cordell was supposed to run a comeback [route] there, but he saw what the defense was so he ran a fade,” explained Esbenshade. Bair ended up with five receptions for 57 yards. Esbenshade showed off his accuracy by going 21-of-24 for 219 yards and 3 TD. The 6’, 180-pound senior passed for 2,075 yards and 25 TD last year. He’s closing in on another 2,000 yards this fall.
Exeter responded in the third period with an 85-yard drive. A 25-yard run by Brown got them to midfield. He then went up the middle for 38 yards to extend the Eagles’ advantage to 17-7. Exeter got the ball back quickly and seemed in control when Brown raced 74 yards down the right sideline for another touchdown. However, a holding penalty negated the score with 46 seconds left in the third quarter. Brown wasn’t done. He sprinted 57 yards to put Exeter in the red zone. The Eagles reached the 4-yard line, but didn’t come away with any points after Franek missed a 29-yard field goal that was wide left. Conestoga Valley took over at its 20-yard line with 7:31 to play. The Buckskins utilized the short passing game to march down the field. Esbenshade connected with Conaway for 17 yards. They hooked up again for a 4-yard touchdown when Esbenshade zipped a ball through traffic with 2:49 on the clock. Conaway, a 185-pound junior, made a huge play on special teams by recovering an onside kick at Exeter’s 45-yard line. Esbenshade found Konner Fisher over the middle for 22 yards. He then dumped a pass off to senior running back Teagan Ruble in the right flat. Ruble broke two tackles and gained 15 yards. With 51 seconds remaining, Esbenshade lofted a perfect 16-yard TD pass over the middle to Conaway who made a leaping catch. “He had some big plays out there. I know when I throw it to him, he’s gonna make plays and I know he’s gonna get open,” emphasized Esbenshade. Conaway had a team-high six receptions for 34 yards. Ruble chipped in with five catches for 64 yards on a night when Conestoga Valley couldn’t run the ball. Jayden Ware returned the ensuing kickoff to the Eagles’ 35-yard line with 42 seconds to go. Jake Hafer then completed a 25-yard pass to Franek. Four straight incompletions from the Buckskins’ 40-yard line ended the game. Hafer took over at quarterback after 3-year starter Riley Martinez suffered a shoulder injury at Boyertown in Week 2. Hafer, an East Stroudsburg baseball commit, was 5-of-15 for 86 yards and an interception.
Conestoga Valley was outgained 411-to-218, but found a way to win. “We all trust each other. We trust these coaches. We know the guy right next to us is gonna keep going, pushing hard. That’s what keeps us going,” said Esbenshade. The Buckskins travel to Muhlenberg next week. The (8-1, 4-1) Muhls could force a tie for the Section 2 championship with a win. Exeter will try to regroup after a second straight heartbreaking loss. The Eagles host Elizabethtown next Friday.