Exeter Township's Gaige Gabriel holds the trophy aloft after the Eagles' three-set victory over Brandywine Heights in the Berks boys volleyball final Tuesday in Exeter. (Bill Ulrich – Leading Eagle)
Exeter's perfect season continued Tuesday night in Rifton as the Eagles defeated Brandywine Heights 3-0 in the Berks Boys Volleyball League championship match.
The top-seeded Eagles (19-0) won with game scores of 25-14, 25-14, and 25-17.
Exeter is currently on a back-to-back title run under coach Matt Hadley, with the senior class winning the title in three of the four years.
“It just feels good,” Hadley said. “It's always a good feeling when you can win a championship. They've worked hard all year, so I'm very happy. This is just the beginning. We still have a long way to go. We have a lot of goals to hopefully accomplish, but I'm very happy for them. I'm proud of how they played tonight.”
It looked like just another match for Exeter, who took a 14-6 lead in the first set.
Berks II champion Brandywine Heights (15-3) couldn't stop the Eagles' offense and continued to pile up the points.
Leading 17-11, Exeter closed out the set with a 9-3 run, with co-captain Gage Gabriel making a nice block and a kill after the next serve.
“This has been our goal since entering high school,” Gabriel said. “You want to come back to a place like this every year. The way we come in and work hard shows that.”
The second set was exactly the same as Barrett had no answer.
The third set was a close battle with both teams separated by 15 points.
At that time, Exeter saw an opportunity for a shutout and went on to win back-to-back games with a 10-2 record and claim another title.
“It feels great, but I wish we had four (titles),” senior co-captain Chase Nugent said. “I just kept at it, stayed focused, understood what I had to do, and moved on.”
Nugent had eight kills, three digs, one ace and one assist for the Eagles. Jack Foley had three kills, six digs and 34 assists. Ashton Wilson had six kills, four digs and one ace.
Exeter has only lost one set this season, against Downingtown West in March. The Eagles hope to continue their strong run in the District 3 playoffs.
“We've been working hard in practice and we're trying to bring that to the game,” Hadley said of the team's lack of complacency. “We talked about it, but this situation could end at any time. They need to stay motivated, stay fresh and want it…. They need to stay focused We'll do our best for them. It shows all year how dominant they've been all year.”