Selflessness fuels Exeter's championship drive as the boys basketball team seeks first PIAA title

Mar. 23—When he stepped off the football field with his teammates for the last time in the fall, Exeter senior Anthony Caccese was left wanting more.

Needless to say, a 34-14 loss to Cocalico in the District 3 Class 5A championship game was not how the University of Delaware football commit wanted a season filled with title hopes to end.

However, just a few months later, Caccese has a shot at redemption on the basketball court. District 3 champion Exeter (27-6) will face District 12 and defending champ Imhotep Charter (29-3) in the PIAA Class 5A final at 8 p.m. Friday at Giant Center in Hershey.

After winning its first division title since 1984, its first District 3 title in program history and advancing to the PIAA championship game for the first time since 1974, Exeter's dreamlike run remains alive.

"I'm speechless; this is insane," Caccese said following the Eagles' 51-47 semifinal win over Erie Cathedral Prep. "I'm so happy for our guys and happy for our school. It means the world, especially since we couldn't get there on the football field, this is a dream come true.

"This (playing in championships) is going to be a regular thing. The old Exeter who you expect to lose all these big games, that's not how it is. Sports are a big deal for us and we got a lot of underclassmen who are ready to take it just as serious."

Following the semifinal win, the Eagles revealed something fourth-year coach Matt Ashcroft told them in January involving playing the Panthers and senior Justin Edwards, a 6-7 small forward and the top-ranked senior in the country by ESPN.

"Our coach in midseason said we're going to get to the state finals and we're going to play Justin Edwards," freshman Aidan Dauble said.

The Eagles, PIAA qualifiers and seventh-place finishers from District 3 a year ago, and their impassioned head coach knew they had the potential to return to the postseason with force.

"We did (say that)," Ashcroft said regarding his prediction. "We think we're a really good basketball team. We don't think there are many teams out there who are as efficient as we are on both ends of the floor, and we saw that late last year.

"We saw that with Plymouth Whitemarsh (in a non-conference game) last year. We lost the game, Colin (Payne) almost brought us back (with a game-high 27 points) and we just saw something that day where it clicked. We lost the game but we boxed out and rebounded like maniacs; we moved the ball beautifully. And we said then there's not many teams out there that play both ends of the floor that well.

"We feel we're one of the best teams in the state on both ends of the floor. We really do."

But it's not chips on the shoulder or championship predictions that fuel this Exeter team. Rather, it's selflessness.

"All three of our senior captains (Zyion Paschall, Teddy Snyder and Caccese), all they care about is having more points than the opposition," Ashcroft said. "They're just tremendously unselfish. Zyion and Teddy were going crazy on the bench (in the semifinal). They're unbelievable and a special group of kids."

When asked how he wanted his legacy as an Eagle to be defined, Caccese, an All-Berks lineman in football and an All-Berks center in basketball, responded in a way that embodies Exeter's team-first culture.

"If I could define my legacy, I'd want to be called a winner, a sportsman and a great teammate; someone who put winning for the school over themselves," Caccese said. "That's what I'd like to be remembered for."

Indeed in unselfish fashion, the Eagles rely on a balanced offense that has consistently found ways to win.

Four of Exeter's starters average between 10 and 13 points per game. The 6-6 Caccese averages 13.2, Paschall, an All-Berks point guard, averages 10.5, junior forward Reece Garvin averages 11.6 and junior forward/guard Kevin Saenz averages 11.1.

Time and time again, different members of a resilient Eagles' squad have stepped up.

Garvin and junior guard Alex Kelsey each have scored career highs during this state run. Kelsey scored 13 to lead the Eagles to a 62-57 win over Fox Chapel and Garvin had 21 in a 66-49 second-round win over Mechanicsburg.

Saenz converted a three-point play to force overtime, then scored the last six points in OT in a 75-72 quarterfinal win over Peters Township after Caccese, Paschall and Kelsey fouled out.

Kelsey and Dauble came up with big-time steals and were a part of key scoring plays down the stretch in the PIAA semifinal win.

Whether it be the product of solid defense or a dynamic offense, Exeter has developed a well-rounded and gritty identity.

"I think it (our identity) is tenacious defense," Ashcroft said prior to the Eagles' PIAA quarterfinal. "We know at this point that we are the best rebounding team out there. So we're gonna win the battle and box out.

"We're going to share the ball. We're very balanced and that's part of our identity. We're going to get all of the loose balls. We're just going to play harder and we're going to be fundamental in our approach."

That approach surely will be necessary against Edwards and the firepower that Imhotep Charter, ranked 11th in the country by ESPN, brings to the table.

Edwards is averaging 17.9 points per game, junior Ahmed Nowell 13.3 and Florida Gulf Coast commit Rahmir Barno 12.0.

Nowell scored 23 points, and Edwards and Barno each had 14 in the Panthers' 72-50 win over Archbishop Ryan in the semifinals.

Edwards had a game-high 19 points in a 68-32 win against Muhlenberg in the second round.

Under head coach Andre Noble, Imhotep Charter has won eight state titles since 2009.

"He's the best player in the nation," Caccese said of Edwards. "The kid is a monster, so it's going be really hard to guard him obviously. It's gonna be tough, but you've just got to lock down and be physical and have grit."

Grit in the face of adversity should be no problem for an Exeter team that has learned from past defeats, according to Ashcroft. After finishing 3-14 in 2020-21, the Eagles have shown significant improvement in a short span of time.

"I think you have to lose your share of games in order to learn to be able to refer to that down the road," Ashcroft said. "We lost some heartbreakers in non-conference (play) over the years. I think you have to do that and you have to challenge yourself in the non-conference.

"You have to lose in order to learn how to win."

For Ashcroft, having a leader like Caccese, who has seen his fair share of success as well as disappointments, is invaluable ahead of the largest stage any of the Eagles have played on. Caccese was on the Exeter football team that won its first District 3 title over Gov. Mifflin in 2021 and reached the PIAA Class 5A semifinals.

"To have a kid that has that much experience, nothing rattles him," Ashcroft said. "He's a natural-born leader and he's a calming presence in the huddle. He has a calming presence in practice, and boy has he played with confidence out there. He's one of the most unselfish players I've ever been around.

"Whether he's getting 22 (points), whether he's blocking shots or whether he's rebounding, he doesn't care. He only cares about winning."

High school careers will culminate to a single moment Friday night in Hershey, giving the Eagles a chance to solidify the greatness they believed was there all along.

"I really feel like ever since our class kind of came up I had that feeling," Caccese said. "We won from youth on up. We were so close and we were all so into sports, so I just knew once we got to the high school level that we were gonna keep winning.

"And that's what we've been doing. Everyone works so hard and everyone deserves this. These guys work so hard."