Exeter upsets Shippensburg in semifinals
SHIPPENSBURG – Wender Polanco had just finished playing the game of his life Friday night, but the Exeter senior still had enough energy for another four quarters.
“This is HUGE,” a jubilant Polanco said. “We’ve been talking about this all year. We’ve been practicing, working all summer long for this moment right here to make history. And we did.”
Polanco ran for 161 yards on 30 carries and Sean Henry kicked three field goals as Exeter upset previously unbeaten Shippensburg 16-14 at Veteran’s Stadium to advance to the District 3 Class 5A semifinals.
It was just the fourth district win in the history of the Exeter program, and their second upset win in two weeks. The No. 11 Eagles (9-3) will try for another next Friday when they play at No. 2 Cedar Cliff in the semifinals.
“It’s a huge step forward,” Exeter coach Matt Bauer said. “We’re no longer just happy to be here. I said it last week and I say it again: We want to play our best football in November. And we’re starting to do it.”
The usually pass-happy Eagles had just 70 yards through the air Friday as both teams struggled in the cold November air. Exeter turned its focus to the ground game, where Polanco shined in relief of Jeremiah Nixon, who was limited due to an injury.
Polanco had 91 of his yards in the second half as the Eagles rallied from a 14-10 deficit at the break. He broke loose for a 21-yard gain in the fourth quarter that put Exeter on the Shippensburg 5, setting up Henry’s go-ahead 20-yard field goal with 6:23 to play.
“Honestly, I just played my game,” Polanco said. “I felt confident. I did what I had to do, I followed my blocks, and they just took me to where I needed to be.”
The Eagles forced the No. 3 Greyhounds (11-1) to go three-and-out on their next possession. After stalling on the Ship 34, Exeter punted it away with 1:53 remaining.
Ship quarterback Zack Manning missed on four straight passes, with the last getting picked off by Alex Javier to seal it for Exeter with 1:28 to play.
The Greyhounds turned it over four times overall and finished with just 138 total yards and seven first downs.
“We played as well as we could play defensively,” Shippensburg coach Eric Foust said. “There’s nothing else we could do. We just couldn’t get our offense to work.
“They slowed us down the whole game. We couldn’t get loose tonight.”
Ship had its best moments in the opening half.
After turning it over on a fumble at their
9-yard line midway through the first quarter, the Greyhounds held Exeter to a 21yard Henry field goal. Then they stopped the Eagles on a fourth-and-1 try at the Exeter 34, and cashed in with a Max Kalb touchdown run four plays later.
In the second quarter, Polanco set up a 1-yard Ty Yocum touchdown plunge with a 13-yard carry to the Ship 2. But the Greyhounds raced right back into the lead on their next possession, with Kalb breaking free on a draw for a 24-yard touchdown to make it 14-10.
Ship struggled to generate any offense the rest of the night, finishing with just 15 yards in the second half.
“Our defense played so sound all year,” Bauer said. “We challenged them. We knew this was a very potent offense; they had a lot of weapons. And our kids came out and answered the call. Our kids really answered the bell.”
In the third quarter, Exeter drove 64 yards in 14 plays to set up Henry’s second field goal, a 28-yarder that made it a onepoint game. Polanco carried six times on the drive.
Early in the fourth, Ship was forced to punt from its 26, and Javier ran the kick back 20 yards to the Greyhounds’ 37. Polanco got free for gains of 11 and 21 yards, and after the drive stalled at the 2, Henry booted his third field goal of the night to give Exeter the lead.
“It’s the first time in 10 years,” Bauer said, “that I’ve given a game ball to a kicker.”