5A Dover at Exeter (see below), 5A Shippensburg 8-3 at Solanco 10-0 and 2A Trinity 6-4 at Annville Cleona 7-3 have been moved to Saturday.
District 3: 5A
Exeter 10-0 (2) vs Dover 9-2 (7)
With a streak of 11 consecutive winning seasons, this is just where you ‘might’ expect to see Exeter, especially with a 35-10 mark the last 4 years. This season saw them reload after graduating a great group that went 10-4 and beat Governor Mifflin to win districts. No one saw that coming (!) any more than they saw this year’s success that has exceeded all expectations. Averaging 41ppg and allowing 11 are their best numbers in both categories….ever! They obviously have some skill people but what a surprise at quarterback where Mason Rotelli (6-0, 175, sr) has lit things up, completing 70% of passes for 1256 yards with a 16 to 5 Td/Pick ratio. Add in 406 rush yards on 70 carries for 7 more scores making him a legit dual threat. One of the better kept secrets in the state (not locally) is the exceptional targets he has at tight end in Joey Schlaffer (Penn State) with 31 receptions for 695 yards and 9 Tds, plus Zach Zandier with 347 yards on 20 catches. Schlaffer is 6-6, 215, Zandier 6-5, 210. Hard missing them and even harder defending. Richie Karstien is a bulldozer at 6-1, 220 with 1153 yards rushing and 17 touchdowns behind a line that averages 245 pounds; Matt McConnell 6-1 235, Ryan McConnell 6-0 240, Anthony Caccese 6-6 290, Kyle Lash 6-3 215 and Lucas Palange 6-1 245. Caccese also stands out at DT as does Palange at LB.
Another surprise is Dover since no one expected them to be here after going 1-9 last year. Their won-loss the last 5 years is a dismal 16-30 and 41-57 the last 10 years with only 2 winning seasons. They certainly turned things around this year where with surprising wins at Suburban 35-21 in York, then last week’s playoff opener where they whaled a decent Garden Spot (7-4) team 40-21. But, they have no standout wins as Exeter does against Hempfield and Manheim Central. They do have notable losses against South Western (7-4) 41-13 and New Oxford (8-2) 36-18, both at Dover! Quarterback is Aric Campbell is key to their attack, throwing for 2227 yards at 53% with a 20/10 ratio and rushing for 252 yards on 39 carries. His top receiver is the very quick Thomas Smyser (5-7, 165) with 54 catches for 1037 yards. Gavin Mullins (5-6, 150), another speedster, is the lead back with 1195 yards plus 28 receptions for 397 yards. Stopping him is stopping a big part of their offense. At 29ppg with a defense allowing 20, its doubtful they can keep up with the larger more physical Eagles of Exeter. In fact, they look small on videos and after reviewing the roster. Quickness will not likely get them past this bunch where Exeter should roll….big!
District 3: 5A
Exeter 10-0 (2) vs Dover 9-2 (7)
With a streak of 11 consecutive winning seasons, this is just where you ‘might’ expect to see Exeter, especially with a 35-10 mark the last 4 years. This season saw them reload after graduating a great group that went 10-4 and beat Governor Mifflin to win districts. No one saw that coming (!) any more than they saw this year’s success that has exceeded all expectations. Averaging 41ppg and allowing 11 are their best numbers in both categories….ever! They obviously have some skill people but what a surprise at quarterback where Mason Rotelli (6-0, 175, sr) has lit things up, completing 70% of passes for 1256 yards with a 16 to 5 Td/Pick ratio. Add in 406 rush yards on 70 carries for 7 more scores making him a legit dual threat. One of the better kept secrets in the state (not locally) is the exceptional targets he has at tight end in Joey Schlaffer (Penn State) with 31 receptions for 695 yards and 9 Tds, plus Zach Zandier with 347 yards on 20 catches. Schlaffer is 6-6, 215, Zandier 6-5, 210. Hard missing them and even harder defending. Richie Karstien is a bulldozer at 6-1, 220 with 1153 yards rushing and 17 touchdowns behind a line that averages 245 pounds; Matt McConnell 6-1 235, Ryan McConnell 6-0 240, Anthony Caccese 6-6 290, Kyle Lash 6-3 215 and Lucas Palange 6-1 245. Caccese also stands out at DT as does Palange at LB.
Another surprise is Dover since no one expected them to be here after going 1-9 last year. Their won-loss the last 5 years is a dismal 16-30 and 41-57 the last 10 years with only 2 winning seasons. They certainly turned things around this year where with surprising wins at Suburban 35-21 in York, then last week’s playoff opener where they whaled a decent Garden Spot (7-4) team 40-21. But, they have no standout wins as Exeter does against Hempfield and Manheim Central. They do have notable losses against South Western (7-4) 41-13 and New Oxford (8-2) 36-18, both at Dover! Quarterback is Aric Campbell is key to their attack, throwing for 2227 yards at 53% with a 20/10 ratio and rushing for 252 yards on 39 carries. His top receiver is the very quick Thomas Smyser (5-7, 165) with 54 catches for 1037 yards. Gavin Mullins (5-6, 150), another speedster, is the lead back with 1195 yards plus 28 receptions for 397 yards. Stopping him is stopping a big part of their offense. At 29ppg with a defense allowing 20, its doubtful they can keep up with the larger more physical Eagles of Exeter. In fact, they look small on videos and after reviewing the roster. Quickness will not likely get them past this bunch where Exeter should roll….big!
