Conestoga Valley stays in thick of Section 2 race, ends Exeter’s regular-season unbeaten streak

It was, in his own words, the biggest defensive play of his football career.

“Yes sir,” Conestoga Valley linebacker Seth Morgan said.

With Exeter facing a do-or-die fourth-and-14 at Conestoga Valley’s 23-yard-line with 1:47 to play, Morgan sniffed out the Eagles’ pass play, jumped the route and broke up the pass as CV thwarted Exeter’s last-gasp drive.

End result: Bucks 34, Exeter 27 in a wildly entertaining Lancaster-Lebanon League Section Two game Friday night on Senior Night in Witmer.

Morgan’s play iced it.

“They’d been running their tight end (Zack Zandier, the intended target) over the middle the whole game,” Morgan said. “They threw it to him there and I was sitting there perfectly. He sat and I sat right there with him. Jumped the route. And it was right there. I swatted it down.”

Conestoga Valley vs. Exeter - L-L League Week 9 football [photos]

“We were fortunate to get them in a passing situation,” CV coach Jon Scepanski said. “Big play by a great kid who works so hard. I’m very proud of him.”

Manheim Central (5-0 league, 8-1 overall) now sits alone the section race, with CV (4-1, 7-2) and Exeter (4-1, 8-1) on the Barons’ heels. Central is at Exeter next Friday and the Barons will win the title outright with a victory. CV finishes up next Friday at Muhlenberg.

The Bucks could get a three-way piece of the section pie with a win and if Exeter KO’s Central. The Eagles, who had a 27-26 lead with 8:53 to go here Friday, saw their 20-game regular season unbeaten streak come to a crashing halt against CV, which got the go-ahead 58-yard TD sprint from Jayden Johnson with 6:59 to go.

That TD capped a jaw-dropping fourth quarter, when the Bucks and Eagles combined for five touchdowns in a dizzying five-minute clip.

Exeter had a 12-7 lead at the half and CV took a 13-12 lead when Liam Cheek lobbed a 7-yard TD toss to Josiah Garcia late in the third quarter.

Then things got crazy.

Cheek hit Kyle Jankowski for a 20-yard TD pass and CV had a 20-12 lead. Exeter answered immediately, with Jayden Zandier zooming 53 yards for a TD. The two-point pass made it 20-20 with 9:23 to play.

Isaiah Sensenig returned the ensuing kickoff 88 yards for a TD and CV had the lead right back. Undaunted, Zandier raced 58 yards for a TD on Exeter’s next play from scrimmage and the Eagles had a short-lived 27-26 lead.

That’s because Johnson broke through the line and bolted 58 yards for the go-ahead score with 6:59 to go, putting a bow on the score-fest fourth quarter.

Cue Morgan, who sealed the deal.

“Words can’t even describe this,” Morgan said. “Insane.”

“We go in at halftime and it’s 12-7,” Scepanski said. “How it ended up like that (34-27) … for us to handle the adversity like that, it was impressive to see.”

There was a nice moment during CV's Senior Night festivities before Friday's game, when the school recognized Tyreese Smith, who died in a car accident last June. He was introduced with his classmates, and the crowd stood for a moment of silence in his honor.

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