Exeter at Gov. Mifflin

Friday, October 18, 2019 @ 7:00 PM

1st Qtr 2nd Qtr 3rd Qtr 4th Qtr Final
Exeter 0 17 7 3 27
Gov. Mifflin 14 19 0 0 33
Highlights: Exeter's top-rated defense took too long to emerge.

The Eagles effectively stuffed Nick Singleton and Gov. Mifflin in the second half but didn't have enough to overcome a big halftime deficit and fell to the Mustangs 33-27 at Mifflin Stadium. Singleton ran all over the Eagles (4-1, 6-3) in the first half, giving the Mustangs (5-0, 6-3) enough of a cushion to hold on and take over sole possession of first place in Section 1 of the Berks Football League. Mifflin can claim the title next week by closing out the regular season with a win over Conrad Weiser.

The Eagles nearly overcame a 16-point halftime deficit and a rash of penalties to pull it out in the final minutes. They took possession with 4:13 left and drove to a first down at the Mifflin 20. They faced a fourth-and-4 at the 14 but quarterback Gavin McCusker's sprint around right end came up a yard short and the Mustangs took over with 1:44 left.

“You've got to give it to their kids, they battled,” said Mifflin coach Jeff Lang, “they're tough-nosed football players.

“I'm very proud of the resiliency of our kids to suck it up, because we did stop them a couple times. It took a while, but we did stop them.”

The Eagles dominated the second half, holding the Mustangs scoreless. They pulled within 33-27 on Sean Henry's 36-yard field goal – his second long strike of the night – with 7:59 remaining.

Exeter fumbled it away on its next possession, at midfield with 6:05 remaining.

A huge comeback was needed after Singleton turned the first half into his personal showcase. The sophomore flash broke loose for a 57-yard touchdown on the second play from scrimmage. He added first-half TD runs of 13 and 53 yards, the second giving the Mustangs a 21-7 lead eight minutes before halftime.

Singleton finished the first half with 176 yards on just nine carries.

“He's amazing,” Lang said. “Putting Brandon (Strausser) in the fullback position and getting Nick back in the I, that paid dividends in the first half.”

The Eagles, who had been yielding just 50 rushing yards per game, stiffened in the second half and allowing Singleton to gain just 15 yards, on eight carries, in the second half. Singleton's three TDs pulled him within one of Mifflin's single-season mark, shared by Isaac Ruoss and Andy Cavorsi.

The Mustangs reached the end zone on each of their five first-half possessions, but Exeter took over in the second half, limiting them to 65 yards.

Mifflin piled up 303 first-half yards, including 219 on the ground.

For a more indepth report, read Mike Drago's story on readingeagle.com.
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Scoring Summary 
TeamPlay ByYardsFromExtra Point ByExtra Point
Gov. MifflinSingleton57 run Grillokick
Gov. MifflinSingleton13 run Grillokick
ExeterJavier32 pass fromMcCuskerHenrykick
Gov. MifflinSingleton53 run Grillokick
ExeterJavier1 run Henrykick
Gov. MifflinC. Stewart64 pass fromReeserGrillokick failed
ExeterHenry38 FG  N/A
Gov. MifflinStrausser20 pass fromReeser pass failed
ExeterMcCusker10 run Henrykick
ExeterHenry36 FG  N/A
Team Statistics
Category Exeter Gov. Mifflin
First downs 20 18
Rushes-yards 49 - 253 44 - 263
Passing yards 151 96
Total yards 404 359
Passes 9 - 18 - 0 3 - 7 - 0
Fumbles-lost 1 - 1 4 - 0
Punts-avg. 1 - 36.00 4 - 24.00
Penalties-yards 15 - 128 7 - 73
Exeter Passing 
PlayerCOMP.ATTINTYDSTDsRating
McCusker91801511139
Gov. Mifflin Passing 
PlayerCOMP.ATTINTYDSTDsRating
Reeser370962252
 
Exeter Rushing
PlayerCarriesYardsAvgTDs
Nixon191015.30
McCusker15795.31
Scott3279.00
Strauss6274.50
Javier4174.31
Yocum122.00
Polanco10.00
Gov. Mifflin Rushing
PlayerCarriesYardsAvgTDs
Singleton1719111.23
Strausser14543.90
Reeser6294.80
Quiles20.00
Thompson10.00
 
Exeter Receiving
PlayerCatchesYardsAvgTDs
Javier58116.21
Yocum2168.00
Schlaffer13030.00
Scott12424.00
Gov. Mifflin Receiving
PlayerCatchesYardsAvgTDs
C. Stewart16464.01
Strausser12020.01
Thompson11212.00
 
Exeter Interceptions 
Player#
Gov. Mifflin Interceptions 
Player#
 
Exeter Field Goals 
PlayerDistanceMade
Henry38Y
Henry36Y
Gov. Mifflin Field Goals 
PlayerDistanceMade