Exeter tops Ephrata

Visiting Exeter took advantage of a few big second-half plays to earn a 20-12 [boxscore] come-from-behind victory at War Memorial Field.

Leading 7-6 in the third, Exeter's Thomas Herb picked up a blocked punt and returned it 30 yards for the touchdown to give the Eagles an eight-point advantage, 14-6.

After Ephrata answered with a 15-yard touchdown pass from QB Jeremy Franck (14-29-1 192 yards) to wideout Evan Weaver (3-49-1) with 4:13 to go in the third, cutting the Exeter lead to 14-12, the Eagles' Brian Beissel picked off Franck early in the fourth and returned the interception for a 31-yard touchdown to make it 20-12 with 4:23 to play.

Ephrata then drove to the Exeter 10 with 1:39 to go. But four Franck incompletions later, Exeter held on for the win.

The Mounts scored the only points of the first half on their initial drive of the season, going 84 yards in just six plays. A 65-yard hookup between Franck and wideout Tucker Keefer (3-74) on the game's second play set up a six-yard touchdown run by fullback Alex Pstrak (5-20).