Exeter’s Unterkoefler makes grand return in win over Boyertown
EXETER >> It had been a long time coming.
After being forced to watch the 2015 season from the sideline with his legged wrapped up in a cast, Exeter quarterback Brandon Unterkoefler knew his time would come.
On Friday night, exactly 11 months from suffering a broken leg in a game against Pottsville, the junior got back on the field in a big way.
Behind Unterkoefler, Exeter opened its 2016 season with a 21-14 win over Boyertown inside Don Thomas Stadium.
“When I ran through the banner (during pregame), I told myself that this was going to be a special game,” said Unterkoefler. “It was hard to be stuck on the sideline watching for half of the year last year. I knew I would be back here, though. No doubt.”
The win gives Exeter the start the Eagles had been hoping for while Boyertown falls to 1-1 overall (1-0 PAC).
Unterkoefler had a part in all three of Exeter’s touchdowns, racking up two scores through the air and carrying it in for another from 17 yards out for the game’s opening score.
In that moment, all the hard work and the extra rehab he’d put in this past offseason had come to fruition.
“That moment pretty much summed up everything I went through,” he said of his opening touchdown. “It was really hard. I worked harder than I ever had before. This game was on my mind all offseason.”
Unterkoefler threw for 148 yards, completing seven of his 13 attempts. He connected with Gabe Schappell for a 32-yard strike with just over two minutes remaining in the first half. The Eagles then scored on their opening possession of the second half when the QB found Cade Sarlat behind the Boyertown secondary for a 42-yard score.
Running back Nick Sarangoulis carried it 22 times for 117 yards while Schappell racked up 130 total yards. The wide out hauled in five receptions for 78 yards and also carried it four times for 52 yards.
“It’s good to have Brandon back,” said Exeter head coach Matt Bauer. “He brings a lot of leadership and play-making ability to the field. I know he’s been itching to get back out there and he came through in a big way.
“We’re proud of him. I know this game meant the world to him.”
The Exeter defense sacked Boyertown quarterback Jerry Kapp four times and held the Bears’ offense to just 92 yards rushing.
Kapp threw for 192 yards and a pair of touchdowns along with an interception. Nicholas Moccia had five receptions for 93 yards — including a 25-yard touchdown — to go along with 30 rushing yards. Running back Marcus Thomas rushed it 11 times for 63 yards.
“Jerry did a hell of a job tonight,” said Boyertown head coach George Parkinson. “Our pass protection wasn’t there for him, but he wound up making a lot of plays out of nothing. He’s got great awareness and knows how to keep a play alive.”
The loss also provided a small sense of satisfaction for Parkinson and the Bears.
“This game gives me a lot of confidence that we can compete with this new schedule,” he said. “We knew what we were up against. Exeter’s a good program and we hung tough with them for four quarters.”
Turning Point
The Bears were flagged eight times for 55 yards on the night.
None more important came than a false start with just over two minutes remaining with the Bears trailing 21-14.
Boyertown had the ball at the Exeter 26. A three-yard conversion on fourth down suddenly turned into an eight-yard conversion attempt after the flag which resulted in Kapp being sacked. Exeter kneeled it and ran out the clock to close it out on their resulting possession.
“It’s a shame we had a mishap there,” said Parkinson. “The last thing you want in that type of situation is to give five yards away. That’s the kind of stuff that we’ve got to get better at. We can’t give away yards like that, especially that late in the game.”
Return the Favor
Boyertown kick-off return man Daniel Yednock put the Bears in good position each time he fielded it deep.
The senior racked up 65 return yards, and got the Bears out to the 50-yard line following an Exeter penalty assessed onto the kickoff.
Eye in the Sky
Although they came out successful on the scoreboard, Bauer and the Eagles are far from satisfied with the details of Friday’s result.
“We’ve got to clean up a lot of our mistakes,” said Bauer. “We definitely need to improve for Week 2 if we plan to get back to where we were last season.”
“We’ll be in the film room,” said Unterkoefler. “We got the win, but we can’t be satisfied.”
