Shawn Ganter reaches 400 wins as Exeter boys volleyball coach

May 7—After the 2020 volleyball season was canceled because of the pandemic, Shawn Ganter didn't expect to coach the Exeter boys this spring.

Ganter planned to follow the Juniata College team and three of his former players, including his son. That all changed when the Continental Volleyball Conference decided not to allow fans at its matches.

"I honestly needed something to do," Ganter said.

He decided to coach one more season at Exeter and Thursday he registered win No. 400 when the Eagles beat Reading High 3-0 at Geigle Complex.

The 53-year-old Ganter, who began the Exeter program as a club sport, improved to 400-116 in his 25th season as coach at the varsity level.

"It means I've been around too long," he joked before turning serious. "It's great. I think it's a testament to the program and to the kids who have come through it and all the hard work they've put in. They just don't show up. They're there to put some meaning into it and to create a legacy."

The Eagles have won 11 BCIAA championships during his tenure and the PIAA and District 3 Class 3A titles in 2007. They carried a 15-1 record, including 8-1 in Berks I, into a showdown against Wilson Friday night in Reiffton. They're on their way to the county and district playoffs.

"I've enjoyed it a lot," Ganter said. "I didn't see this season coming at all. It kind of worked out. I wish I had them during a regular season. We shut down four times because of (COVID-19) contact tracing within the school.

"When you're getting somewhere and then you're off for five days, you can't come back and pick up where you left off. You have to backtrack and go over repetitions again. It's been tough."

Chase Sturz, who has been a starter since he was a freshman, is the leader of a team that starts two freshmen, Gaige Gabriel and Chase Nugent.

"Chase being on the team was really the thing that drew me the most," Ganter said. "We brought him in when he was younger than the guys who graduated last year. I grew real close with him and some of the other seniors and decided to do it."

Ganter initially had other plans. He wanted to attend as many matches as possible at Juniata, where his son Reese and Exeter classmates Luke Hoffman and Tyler Goldsborough played as freshmen. They reached the conference finals before falling 3-2 to Southern Virginia.

After the conference banned fans because of the pandemic, Ganter resorted to watching video streams of Juniata's matches while continuing to coach Exeter.

"My goal was to finish last year," he said. "We would have been able to do all this (reaching the milestone) last year. There was no way for me to see a (Juniata) match in person. This took my mind off it.

"It helped to have closure. I thought maybe it was the best thing for me."

Ganter said he expects Exeter's winning tradition to continue, no matter who succeeds him.

"The groundwork is there," he said. "Everybody who's been attached to the program understands what my beliefs are and how to run it. I don't think the expectations will change. There are a lot of opportunities there.

"I expect them to continue on. The bar has been set. I'll be a big fan."