A statement was made Friday night at Reiffton.
On a chilly evening, Twin Valley defeated Exeter 56-29 in an out-of-section matchup in Week 9 of the Lancaster-Lebanon League season.
The Raiders (5-0 Section 3, 9-0) earned their 20th consecutive regular-season victory behind three-touchdown performances from both wide receiver Brody Majeski and running back Lucas Myers.
Heading into the Section 2-3 matchup, with District 3 Class 5A playoff seeding implications on the line, each team was focused on itself, not looking down the road.
At first, just glancing over the score, it might seem like it was all Raiders, but that was far from the case early on.
Exeter took an early 14-0 lead, smacking the Raiders in the mouth from the opening whistle.
That, however, did not last long.
“Our kids have been there; they understand the experience, and they know to keep their head down and keep working hard,” Raiders coach Brett Myers said. “They believe in the process of keep chopping and it turned out okay.”
The two Berks County powerhouses combined for 765 yards on offense, each displaying their big-play ability.
But it was the Raiders that had the edge after a slow start. Majeski, a 6-foot-1 senior, recorded just three receptions in the game.
That might not seem like a lot, but each was more impactful than the last.
On RPO (run-pass option) plays, Majeski ran the same slant route from the outside, with no high safety over the top, something the Eagles may now regret.
He caught each target and took them to the house for scores of 45, 23 and 84 yards.
“Reading the coverage, knowing that they’re dropping their free safety down, trying to stop the run all the time, and being able to get that inside edge on their corner every time. Knowing that Gavin (Foster) can get the ball to me, it’s a great, great feeling.”
That’s what happens when the Raiders have an electric ground-and-pound attack in the backfield as well.
Almost impossible to stop both.
Majeski’s connection with sophomore quarterback Gavin Foster, who is in his first season under center, began to develop on junior varsity last season, and that chemistry has certainly shown in 2026.
Foster finished the game 8-of-9 for 270 yards and four touchdowns, including a fourth-quarter score to his older brother, Maverik, on a screen pass that went for 27 yards.
Gavin looked like a well-seasoned upperclassman all night against an Exeter (5-0 Section 2, 7-1) defensive unit that was allowing fewer than 200 yards per game and hadn’t allowed more than 100 points all season.
“Can’t make so many big mistakes in key situations in big games and overcome it,” Eagles coach Matt Bauer said of the loss. “We got a great effort tonight from our kids. We shot ourselves in the foot numerous times and gave up a tremendous amount of big plays.
“Part of the challenge going into this game was limiting those. I don’t think we did that. Thought we got the effort we wanted. I thought we got the physicality we wanted. I didn’t think we had the concentration we needed.”
The Eagles struggled to contain the big plays. Even after holding Twin Valley to minimal yardage on early downs, a big play eventually slipped through the cracks.
On the ground, Myers, a Villanova University commit, rushed for 136 yards on 19 carries, with touchdown runs of 3 and 1 yard, along with a back-breaking 74-yarder late in the third quarter.
“Brody and Lucas, they’re pretty athletic kids,” Brett Myers said of his two playmakers. “They’ve been playing sports their whole lives, and tonight’s not really a shock for either one of them.”
For Exeter, starting running back Josh Jackson carried the offensive load with 109 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries.
Running mate Donovyn Alvarez also made his presence felt, scoring twice and picking up 98 total yards.
“They are tremendous leaders for us. Tremendously unselfish,” Bauer said of his playmaking duo. “They pull for one another, and tonight they had a really nice, strong thing. I wish we could have done a little bit more with them, but again, I’m very pleased with their effort.”
To begin the game, Exeter went 13 plays and 77 yards down the field on its opening drive, asserting itself on its home turf.
Aiden Gerhart faked the play-action, rolled to his right and found Braylon Reinert for an 8-yard score.
After forcing a Twin Valley punt, it took just two plays for Exeter to get back into the end zone.
Donovyn Alvarez was seemingly stopped at the line of scrimmage but bounced off a few defenders, rushing outside en route to a 59-yard touchdown.
The Exeter crowd erupted, and it looked like the Raiders might be in trouble.
“I think it also goes back to the mentality of winning the next play,” senior Jayce Oliver, who led the team with 11 tackles, said. “You lost one play, get it back the next… I feel like trust is the better word. We can count on anybody whenever we need them, and they’re going to do their job when we need it.”
That type of mentality is instilled throughout the Twin Valley program because the Raiders were not fazed.
With 18 seconds left in the first quarter, Gavin Foster sprinted out to his right and connected with a wide-open Brody Majeski for a 55-yard score, their first of the night to get the ball rolling.
After an Exeter penalty on the PAT, the Raiders went for a two-point conversion and converted.
In the second quarter, the Raiders took their first lead. A 56-yard gain on a screen play from Foster to Jayce Oliver set up a 3-yard touchdown run from Lucas Myers.
“We know we can overcome adversity and it’s going to hit us so many times,” senior Grant Moser said. “Knowing we can get through it like that, it just builds so much trust in the team.”
The heavyweights then began to trade blows.
Exeter’s Josh Jackson broke away for a 44-yard score, nearly untouched, but his shine lasted only a moment.
On the ensuing kickoff, Grant Moser returned the ball 95 yards for a touchdown.
The forgotten third phase of the game paid dividends.
After another Exeter penalty on the PAT, Twin Valley converted a two-point conversion to take a 23-22 lead with 3:50 left until halftime.
Then, for the third time in under a full minute of game time, a touchdown was scored.
Following a Donovyn Alvarez fumble deep in Exeter territory, Gavin Foster took advantage.
Majeski scored on a 21-yard reception, beating the corner inside time and time again.
Exeter then got the ball back, looking to respond. But as time ticked off the clock, the Eagles faced a third-and-17 following a Grant Moser sack of Aidan Gerhart.
Instead of trying to take more time off the clock with halftime only a minute away, limiting Twin Valley’s time to respond, the Eagles stayed aggressive.
Gerhart rolled to his right, looking downfield for an open man, but Maverik Foster made a toe-tapping interception to give the Raiders the ball back in plus territory with 53 seconds left.
A crucial mistake.
Gavin Foster connected with Moser over the middle for a 24-yard gain, with Brett Myers sprinting to the inside hash to get his timeout called.
Two plays later, Myers got back into the end zone on a 1-yard run.
“We’re trying to be aggressive,” Bauer said of the decision to try and move the ball downfield. “We’re trying to keep the ball moving. We want to give our kids the best chance of winning. Opportunities are few and far between. We wanted to make the most of each.”
The Raiders went into halftime with a 36-22 lead, outscoring the Eagles 28-8 in the second quarter.
Each defense stepped up, forcing three-and-outs on its opening series.
But with 6:54 left in the third quarter, Foster connected with Majeski for a hat trick on an 84-yard touchdown, once again hitting him on a slant route off an RPO.
The Eagles continued to fight, a trait that is always instilled in Bauer’s teams. Gerhart connected with Alvarez in the flat for a 7-yard score, making it a two-score game again.
And with a surprise onside kick recovery, the momentum shifted instantly.
However, the Eagles’ offense could not move the ball, ultimately punting with a great opportunity in front of them.
With nine seconds left in the third quarter, Lucas Myers closed the door on any late-game comeback with a 74-yard touchdown to complete his hat trick.
In Week 10, Exeter will have a chance to secure its first section title since 2022 if it beats rival Conestoga Valley on the road.
In each of the last two seasons, the Eagles fell to the Buckskins in the regular season before getting their revenge in the playoffs, when it meant more.
For Twin Valley, a win over Cocalico at home in Elverson would lock up its third section title in four seasons.
In the PIAA Class 5A state rankings, the Raiders held the No. 5 spot, while the Eagles sat at No. 10 before Friday night.
Will there be a rematch between these two Berks County powerhouses in a few weeks?