Game Report - Gold 24 - Purple 20

Before nearly 1,000 fans on a beautiful spring evening, Gold knocked off Purple in West Chester's annual spring game in Farrell Stadium. Quarterback Sean McCartney led the first team offense and was 10 for 16 for 137 yards. For Purple, Mike Mattei was 8 for 17 for 247 yards and two touchdowns and one interception. While McCartney's performance was pedestrian, Mattei's was notable on both extremes. First he connected on two long "catch and run" touchdown passes - a 75-yarder to Jimmy Kelly and a 70-yarder to Dwight Williams - to account for Purple's two trips into the end zone. However he also delivered Demrick Cook a present. In his attempt to elude tacklers in his own end zone, Mattei tossed the ball forward, but it fell into Cook's hands and the 305lb defensive lineman rumbled eight yards for a touchdown. After scoring, Cook flung the ball in the air which drew an unsportsmanlike penalty, but who could blame him?

The game was exciting and competitive til the end. Up 24-20 with two and a half minutes to play, Gold was unable to run out the clock and Purple forced a Gold punt. Behind red-shirt freshman QB James Rusenko, Purple got a first down and a play out of bounds, but the clock stopped on neither play. With time running out, the final play was a catch and lateral that was stopped in Gold territory.

Notable performances - Purple - red-shirt freshman defensive back Brandon Pepper used his speed to track down and make a nice leaping interception...Eric Edwers had ten total tackles and two sacks...QB turned nickleback Matt Carroll had five tackles including a sack and fumble recovery...red-shirt freshman Dwight Williams had four catches for 149 yards and a touchdown...kicker Shawn Leo nailed a 47-yard field goal...Ronell Williams had six tackles including a sack and an interception. Gold - LaRonn Lee had seven catches for 104 yards...Rondell White threw from the wildcat position, completing a 13-yard touchdown "pass" to QB Sean McCartney...red-shirt freshman linebacker Brian Butler had six tackles and three sacks...Chris DiValentino had six tackles and two sacks...punter Will Huff tracked down a snap over his head and managed to get off a booming punt.

Gold RB Rondell White uses LaRonn Lee's block to get around Lorenzo Adams for a five-yard touchdown run
Purple QB Mike Mattei looks down field for a receiver
Purple RB Chris Smallwood escapes the grasp Chris DiValentino

Box Score

West Chester Athletic Site - Gold Tops Purple, 24-20, In Spring Game

Daily Local News - No clear-cut winner in West Chester’s quarterback derby

Daily Local News - Photo Gallery

Team News - 2012 Captains Identified

As Coach Zwaan indicated in the April issue of Coach's Corner, senior defensive backs John O’Donnell and Carl Barnes were selected as two of the team's captains for next year. Joining them in the role will be senior quarterback Mike Mattei and senior wide receiver Sean Beahan. Coach Zwaan will look to these four men to provide leadership for the 2012 season.

2012 West Chester University Golden Ram Captains - #89 Sean Beahan, #6 Carl Barnes, #17 Mike Mattei, #9 John O'Donnell

Team News - 2012 Second Scrimmage Report

The Golden Rams' second spring scrimmage was certainly more crisp than the first. A lot of progress was achieved in just one week. With incumbent running back Rondell White already a well-known entity, red-shirt freshman Brandon Monk and transfers Chris Smallwood and James Rosseau got a bulk of the carries. All had success which is likely due to an offensive line that is getting used to working together. This stable of capable ball carriers will challenge the coaching staff in how to use all of them effectively in what should be an improved running game in 2012.

The defense gave the quarterbacks very little room to find receivers. It's not clear whether this was from the linebackers and defensive backs being more experienced from last season, the new defensive alignment, or the fact that they are quite familiar with the offense that West Chester runs, but there were several interceptions and many more passes that could have been picked off.

The spring game is scheduled for Thursday, April 19 at 6:00 pm in Farrell Stadium. As Coach Zwaan mentioned in his spring letter, Barnaby’s will donate a percentage of their night’s receipts to the WCU football program, so stop by for pre- and post-game refreshments.

QB Sean McCartney leads the team from the shotgun

Kicker Shawn Leo converts a PAT out of the hold of John O'Donnell

Alumni News - Dick Richards to Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Former Golden Ram offensive lineman Dick Boccelli '49, better known as Dick Richards, will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame tomorrow. Boccelli played three years for legendary head coach W. Glenn Killinger, including the 1947 squad that participated in the Cigar Bowl. Also a baseball player in college, he is a member of the West Chester University Hall of Fame.

Boccelli later became the original drummer with Bill Haley and the Comets who are best known for their hits "Rock Around the Clock" and "Shake, Rattle and Roll".

OceanCityPatch - 59 Years Later, Dick Richards Still Rocks Around the Clock

Coach's Corner - April 2012

Golden Rams,

After a couple of disappointing seasons we have another very important spring for our program. We are making some changes to our scheme and we are trying to get some of our young players to take over important roles on our team in the fall. We are looking for some genuine leadership to help our young guys come together as a team. We selected two of our captains going into spring,
John O’Donnell and Carl Barnes, and will pick two more at the end of spring. We have a great group of seniors and it is now their time to take us back to the playoffs and to the PSAC championship before they leave. After the past two seasons, no one is safe in their jobs, so we have a ton of competition all over the field.

Mike Mattei and Sean McCartney will battle for the starting QB position. They have both played well at times in their careers, but we had too much inconsistency at that position the past couple of years. Rondell White will carry the load at running back and he looks really good so far this spring. Delly played for the basketball team during the winter and he is chomping at the bit to get going with the season. We have a ton of depth at the running back position with Brandon Monk backing up and adding transfers Chris Smallwood, James Rosseau, and Eric Petransky to the mix. The receiving corps is really strong with LaRonn Lee, Tim Keyser, Sean Beahan and Eric Brundidge returning. Adam Dempsey and Jay Jabat are two young guys to look for some playing time in the fall. Brundidge is out with a shoulder injury right now, but he will return for September. We are reshaping the O-Line with the senior group leaving. Brian Margetich, Blair Gower, Trey Farmer, Eric Pratt and Adam Citko are running with the first group. Look for James Colivas, Justin Bathurst and transfer Derek Schatz, and Nick Garcia coming over from defense, to get playing time. Justin Curry is running at tight end with some good young guys fighting out for the backup roles. Jared Bonacquisti is starting at fullback.

Defensively, we are moving to a four-man front this spring. Lew Esposito, Eric Edwers, Josh Coulter and John Kilpatrick will handle the end positions. We moved Anthony McCloskey to nose guard and we have Mike Martin, Demrick Cook, Tylor Unger and James Groce battling at tackle spots. We are playing with two linebackers and Mike Labor and Ronell Williams are starting there. Drew Persa and Mike Culbreath are backing up there. John O’Donnell, Carl Barnes, Shawn Krautzel and Bob Sabol return in the secondary. Dante Devine and Ali-Haj Shabazz are running with the first group on the corner. Mike Lonergan and a group of offensive guys moving to defense - Matt Carroll, Pete Hurley and Brandon Pepper - are competing for playing time.

Shawn Leo and Rich Bruno return at kicker and punter so we feel really strong there.

We are running the National Marrow Donor Program registry again this year to coincide with the spring game. You can check out info on the website.

We had a really good recruiting class this year and we are finding out this spring what our past couple of recruiting classes look like.

THE SPRING GAME WILL BE THURSDAY NIGHT, APRIL 19th at 6PM. We are planning on going to Barnaby’s for pre- and post-game refreshments. Barnaby’s will donate a percentage of the night’s receipts back into the program. Try to go. Hope to see you all there.

Coach Zwaan

Team News - 2012 First Scrimmage Report

The Golden Rams held their first scrimmage of the spring this past Saturday and it looked, well, like the first scrimmage of the spring. The offensive line looked confused at times, there were balls thrown to nowhere and when balls were thrown well, there were more drops than most would like to see. But that's all to be expected when working off the winter's rust.

Rising junior running back Rondell White had a sparkling run down the right sideline that drew an ovation from the fans in attendance. And new arrival James Rosseau made a notable impression. The 5'9" 210lb transfer running back from Delaware State not only carried the ball, but also a few would be tacklers which raised eyebrows all around Farrell Stadium.

The second spring scrimmage is scheduled for Saturday, April 14 at 9:00 am on the defensive practice field. The Fans of Golden Ram Football facebook page is reporting that there will then be a fundraising lunch at Timothy's of West Chester from 11:30 am to 2:00 pm.

QB Drew Loughery prepares to run a play

WR LaRonn Lee eludes tacklers

Alumni News - Harbach Earns Hall Honors

Former West Chester football player and coach Bruce Harbach will be inducted into the Berks County Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame on Sunday, April 15. Harbach played defensive back for the Golden Rams from 1975 to 1976 under head coach John Furlow. He then served as a graduate assistant coach for secondary coach Walt Buechele from 1976 to 1979 while earning his M.Ed. in Physical Education from West Chester.

Harbach has served as the head football coach at Lancaster Catholic since 2002. During his tenure there, the Crusaders have won four PIAA District III Class AA championships and two PIAA Class AA state championships in 2009 and 2011. He's a six-time Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 3 Coach of the Year, and after last season's 16-0 campaign, Harbach was named Nike Small School Pennsylvania Coach of the Year for the second time.

(photo crusaderfootball.vicid.com)

Player News - Joe Smith Joining the Golden Rams

Joe Smith (Malvern Prep) is among the players named in the official recruiting class release. The 6-2, 270lb center manned both sides of the trench for the Inter-Ac Conference champion Friars.

- 2011 Second Team All-Inter Ac
- 2011 Second Team All-Main Line

2011 Highlight Video

Player News - Greg Herrmann Coming to West Chester

Greg Herrmann (Central Bucks East) is among the players named in the official recruiting class release. The 6-1, 150lb placekicker was the recipient of his team's Special Forces award for his eight-point effort in the Patriot's first game of the season. For the season, he converted seven field goals, including a 37-yarder, and was perfect on his 15 PAT's for a total of 36 points.

- 2011 Pennsylvania Football Network All-Academic Bronze

Player News - Grant Garbutt Becomes a Golden Ram

Grant Garbutt (Conestoga) is among the players named in the official recruiting class release. The 6-3, 215lb linebacker was quite versatile for the Pioneers as he also lined up at defensive end, tight end and fullback. Also a ranked wrestler, he tallied 120 tackles in his senior season, along with ten sacks, five forced fumbles and four pass breakups. Golden Ram fans can catch Garbutt in action at the 14th Annual Valor Bowl on May 31, 2012 at West Chester East High School.

- 2011 Honorable Mention All-Central League
- 2011 Honorable Mention All-Main Line

Highlight Video

Team News - 2012 Recruiting Class Officially Announced

Head coach Bill Zwaan released West Chester's official 2012 recruiting class.

Name	Pos	Ht	Wt	Hometown/School
Andrew Cohen	DL	6-3	265	Holland, PA/Council Rock South
Tyler Conde	OL	6-4	235	Hummelstown, PA/Bishop McDevitt
Del'Vaughn Dennis	TE	6-3	245	Enola, PA/East Pennsboro
A.J. DiPietro	WR	6-2	190	Glen Mills, PA/Garnet Valley
Andrew Derr	QB	6-2	210	Willow Grove, PA/Upper Dublin
Eddie Elliot	RB	5-11	185	Allentown, PA/Freedom
Grant Garbutt	LB	6-3	205	Berwyn, PA/Conestoga
Doug Gilbert	OL	6-5	315	Mount Laurel, NJ/Lenape
Greg Herrmann	P/PK	6-1	150	Doylestown, PA/Central Bucks East
Jim Hurley	WR	6-1	190	Wayne, PA/St. Joseph's Prep
Kavon Johnson	DL	6-2	265	Conshohocken, PA/Plymouth-Whitemarsh
Ken Massey	OL	6-3	280	West Grove, PA/Oxford
Kevin Malone	DB	6-0	185	Philadelphia, PA/West Catholic
Shannon Mayer	WR	6-1	185	Norristown, PA/Norristown
Tyler Morrisey	LB	6-4	245	Springfield, PA/Springfield (DelCo)
Nasheed Parker	DB	6-0	170	Philadelphia, PA/Imhotep
Tom Phelan	OL	6-2	275	West Chester, PA/East
Jaleel Reed	DB	6-2	190	East Lansdowne, PA/West Catholic
Ralph Reeves	LB	6-1	230	North Wales, PA/North Penn
Shaquille Ryder	DL	6-3	265	Philadelphia, PA/Imhotep
Blaise Schieler	DB	5-10	170	Lansdowne, PA/West Catholic
Joe Smith	OL	6-1	285	Glen Mills, PA/Malvern Prep
Malcolm Sweeting	WR	5-10	170	Scranton, PA/West Scranton
Kenny Williams	DB	5-10	180	Conshohocken, PA/Plymouth-Whitemarsh

Pictures - Spring Practice 2012

The Golden Rams opened spring practice last week in preparation for the 2012 season. Practices will continue this week prior to the first spring scrimmage set for Friday, April 6 at 4:00 pm.

(photo Geoff Ruth)