Before it was in his hands and only empty space was in front of him, Gio Nowotarski knew.

This could be it. This could be the clincher.

“They were trying to test us all game,” Exeter’s defensive back said. “They were going backside. I knew eventually, at one point, it was going to come my way. As soon as I saw the ball up in the air, I was like, ‘This is game.’ I took it right to the crib.”

Nowotarski’s interception helped Exeter pull away from Central Dauphin East 27-7 in non-league football at Don Thomas Stadium Friday night.

For the second week in a row, victory was secured by the defense. Although it wasn’t quite as dramatic as Jacob Wolfe’s OT-ending interception last week against Hempfield, it was just as effective.

Exeter got in its own way at times. Costly turnovers stalled drives. Despite controlling play for much of the night, the Eagles’ lead was just seven points entering the fourth quarter.

Even worse, CD East had the ball and one bounce or one break could make it really dicey.

Nowotarski’s pick and 37-yard return for a score changed that calculation. It raised the lead to 13 with 6:32 left. It was a satisfying moment.

“I love my team,” Nowotarski said. “This is what we’ve been working for all summer. I’m glad to be here with them.”

Exeter intercepted four passes. Lucas Palange and Gavin McCusker each had one. The final INT came from Wolfe, who ended another late drive.

After allowing 34 points against Hempfield last week, the Eagles clamped down.

“We have a lot of fast guys to get to the ball,” defensive back Colin Payne said. “We knew our job on defense. We had to come out and hit them in the mouth. We were doing great in the first half. We had to keep it going.”

Exeter’s high-powered offense had its moments.

McCusker found Joey Schlaffer for five receptions and 125 yards. Eric Nangle rushed 27 times for 139 yards and a touchdown. McCusker had two keepers for short TDs.

Exeter is 2-0. Neither was a perfect performance. Each, as far as the Eagles are concerned, had a perfect result.

“It’s the best way to start out,” Nowotarski said. “We know they’re only taking a few teams to the playoffs this year. We’ve doing what we can to get ourselves in there.”