2023 Season Preview Exeter Township

Exeter Township had a magical season last year starting the year 12-0 until it came crashing down when they were upset by Cocalico 34-14 in the PIAA District 3 Championship Game. As upsetting as the loss is for Exeter they still had a very successful year. Exeter won the highly competitive Section 2 of the Lancaster-Lebanon League and started the season 12-0. Both of those things are hard to accomplish. Matt Bauer has been the Head Coach of Exeter since 2009 and he has successfully built one of the best programs in District 3. This season is a rebuilding type of season for Exeter as they lost the bulk of their team, but I expect them to again be competitive in their league again and possibly be in the running for a league title.   Key returning players:    [player_tooltip player_id='557198' first='Zack' last='Zandier']. Zandier is one of the best prospects in District 3 and the State of Pennsylvania. He is projected to play tight end in College Football. He recently committed to play for Coastal Carolina next year. Below is what my colleague [player_tooltip player_id='1156407' first='Vic' last='Castillo'] said about Zandier earlier this year:   Exeter to Coastal, the program continues to churn out excellent college prospects left and right. [player_tooltip player_id='557198' first='Zack' last='Zandier']<a href="https://prepredzone.com/player/zack-zandier/"></a> , often lining up in-line next to tackles, provides quality across both ends of the tight-end spectrum. Down blocking, reach blocking in run sets. Seam benders, capable of stretching the field. A true weapon in the red zone, there is so much to account for when game planning to limit Zandier's production on Friday nights. Coastal will be happy with how far along Zandier is in the process of becoming a complete tight end. Toy and Hohenshelt, we value upside with those two. [player_tooltip player_id='91569' first='Aiden' last='Black']<a href="https://prepredzone.com/player/aiden-black/"></a> , along with Zandier, exhibits a phenomenal floor coupled with career consistency.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/ZackZandier/status/1666220181004206080?s=20 </div></figure>    [player_tooltip player_id='559821' first='Matt' last='McConnell']. McConnell played center for Exeter last year and is the twin brother of Ryan (featured below). He shows good strength as he is able to engage and block defensive linemen well. He does a good job double-teaming defensive tackles and then peeling off to block linebackers. McConnell does a nice job engaging defenders by using his strength and his leverage to make impressive blocks on defenders. During pass blocking, he shows that he has good feet and moves them well. McConnell recently got his 1st offer from Albright University. I expect more offers could be coming for McConnell. I believe he can play at the Division 2 or Division 3 Level of Football.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/MattMcConnell54/status/1672780960302080001?s=20 </div></figure>     [player_tooltip player_id='1105927' first='Gavin' last='Reiking']. Reiking played safety for Exeter last year. Reiking displayed good ability to play both as a strong safety and as a free safety. At both positions he shows the ability to tackle well. Especially in the open field. At strong safety he does a nice job of making plays close to the line of scrimmage. He is not afraid to come screaming upfield to make a tackle. He also showed good coverage skills to drop in the flat and make a play on the ball. At free safety he again shows the ability to come up and make a play. He also showed that he had good coverage skills by playing the ball well on pass plays. Reiking has recently visited with Albright University, Thaddeus Stevens, and Misericordia.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/GavinReiking8/status/1668974830870224899?s=20 </div></figure>    [player_tooltip player_id='559819' first='Ryan' last='McConnell']. Ryan is the twin brother of Matt. [player_tooltip player_id='559819' first='Ryan' last='McConnell'] played left tackle last year. He is very similar to his brother in that he is physical at the point of attack and does a nice job of moving people off the ball. He does a nice job of moving his feet and going out and blocking athletic players on the edge. McConnell has a nasty streak and does a nice job mauling opposing defensive linemen. He is also a good athlete that does a nice job moving his feet, in particular in the passing game. McConnell is also good at double-teaming defensive linemen and extending his arm to control them. Just like his brother, he visited Albright University recently.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/Ryan76McConnell/status/1652725639126958080?s=20 </div></figure>    [player_tooltip player_id='558651' first='Nigel' last='Meekins']. Meekins played cornerback for Exeter last year. He showed he could play man-to-man or zone coverage. He was good at both. One thing I really liked about Meekins is the edge he plays with. You can really see he plays with a chip on his shoulder. That is something a cornerback needs to have since they play on an island so much. In both types of coverages, Meekins shows good athleticism and he can run with any wide receiver he faces. He also showed good ball skills by breaking up pass plays and interceptions. Meekins also showed the ability to tackle in the open field, which is an important skill for cornerbacks to have. Meekins with a strong Senior year should have a good chance of playing College Football.    Nate Pashley. Pashley played cornerback and was one of Exeter's returners last year. At cornerback, he showed good coverage skills and came up to make plays when the ball is in the air and on run support. He showed he can break on the ball and create pass breakups. Pashley is also a dynamic returner. He returned a kickoff for a touchdown and had several other long returns as well. He also returned punts and did a nice job with that as well. Pashley showed some good skills this past season.    Nathan Govan. Govan has limited film but is projected to start at guard this year for Exeter. He shows good strength at the point of attack when blocking defensive linemen. He does a nice job engaging and blocking on double teams to the next level. Govan should be a much bigger contributor this year for Exeter.    [player_tooltip player_id='647289' first='Joel' last='Ummarino']. Ummarino is a 2026 prospect that should have a big year this season for Exeter. Ummarino is someone who got some action last year as a Freshman, but he should get a lot more playing time this year. Here is what I wrote about him earlier this year:   Ummarino played linebacker for Exeter last year. He is a good athlete that you can see growing into the position of linebacker next year. He has good size for the position standing 6'2" tall. He does a nice job reading and reacting to the play and then coming up to make the play. He does a nice job shedding blocks and then making the tackle on the ball carrier. Ummarino is a good prospect that should only get better.    [player_tooltip player_id='281176' first='Jayden' last='Ware']. Ware did not get a lot of Varsity playing time last year for Exeter but did play on Junior Varsity and did a nice job at that level at wide receiver and cornerback. Below is what I wrote about Ware earlier this year:   Ware played wide receiver for Exeter last year, mostly on Junior Varsity. Ware is a good athlete that does a nice job making a play after he catches the ball. He is very good at taking a short pass play and making a bigger play out of it. He runs good routes and does a nice job on deep balls by running past defenders. Another strength of Ware is his ability to catch the ball in tight windows. I expect Ware to get some Varsity catches next year and to continue to get better as a player.    [player_tooltip player_id='402462' first='Riley' last='Martinez']. Martinez is another 2026 player who did not get a lot of playing time last year but should have a chance to be the starting quarterback this year. Below is what I wrote about Martines earlier this year:   This is more of a projection because Martinez does not have a lot of film on him. Martinez does show good strength. He has good size standing 6'1" inches tall. He shows good mechanics throwing the ball and has good footwork in the pocket. He does a nice job setting his feet and throwing the ball. Martinez will have to win the QB battle in the fall, but he showed good skills and should have a chance to be the starting quarterback next year.    [player_tooltip player_id='436973' first='Aidan' last='Dauble']. Dauble is another 2026 player to check out. Below is what I wrote about Dauble earlier this year:   Dauble does not have a lot of film, but he showed good athleticism on the football field. He projects as a tight end and a defensive end. On both sides of the ball, he has good size standing 6'2" inches tall and will probably grow even taller. He has good athleticism and moves well for someone with good size. Dauble should get on the field more his Sophomore year and I expect good things from him.   Final Thoughts: Exeter has won 22 games in the last 2 years which was largely spearheaded by last year's Senior class. So Exeter is rebuilding this year but still brings back a lot of talent. I expect Exeter to have a winning season and possibly have a chance at winning a Section Title and maybe a playoff run as well. Don't count out Matt Bauer's squad.

Exeter Township had a magical season last year starting the year 12-0 until it came crashing down when they were upset by Cocalico 34-14 in the PIAA District 3 Championship Game. As upsetting as the loss is for Exeter they still had a very successful year. Exeter won the highly competitive Section 2 of the Lancaster-Lebanon League and started the season 12-0. Both of those things are hard to accomplish. Matt Bauer has been the Head Coach of Exeter since 2009 and he has successfully built one of the best programs in District 3. This season is a rebuilding type of season for Exeter as they lost the bulk of their team, but I expect them to again be competitive in their league again and possibly be in the running for a league title.