The losses on the other side of the ball are more significant. Edge rusher Kayo Bakare (27 total tackles, 2.0 sacks, 1 fumble recovery) played in all 15 games and was expected to play a more significant role this season. Also no longer listed is defensive linemen Kavon Johnson and Brian Butler. As a redshirt freshman last year, Johnson logged two tackles a sack and a fumble recovery. As a sophomore, Butler tallied five total tackles and a sack. For a defensive line that already lost Anthony McCloskey, Eric Edwers, Chris DiValentino, and Demrick Cook to graduation, these additional losses could be very telling.
Also departed from the defense is linebacker Drew Persa. In 2012, Persa notched 14 tackles before getting injured at East Stroudsburg and missing the remainder of the season. Last year, he registered five tackles, including one tackle for loss, and a fumble recovery.
The roster also shows some incoming transfers. Likely to make a contribution right away is wide receiver Mike Doty. A first-team all-area selection by the Philadelphia Inquirer in 2008 at Central Bucks South, he redshirted in 2009 at Maine with former Golden Ram captain Shawn Krautzel. Like Krautzel, he left Orono for the Delaware Valley after just one season, choosing to go to Temple. He did not play for the Owls in 2010, and in 2011 he served on special teams as the holder. He left the Owls prior to the 2012 season. As a senior in high school, Doty had 11 catches for 210 yards for the North in the Bucks County Lions Club All-Star game. The quarterback for the North in that contest? How about Big Red Sean McCartney.
Also joining the offense is quarterback Alec Werner who comes to West Chester from nearby Kutztown. At Bishop McDevitt High School, Werner threw for 54 touchdowns and almost 7,000 yards. He led the Crusaders to District 3 AAA championships, a PIAA AAA semi-final and final. He garnered third team all-state as a junior and second team all-state as a senior. Last year at Kutztown, he started the first seven games of the season as a true freshman, including the 22-21 last minute loss at West Chester. However, he got lifted on the first drive of the second half of the Shippensburg game and didn’t see the field again for the Bears.
There are a couple of big additions - as in 6'2" - in the secondary, and since they only have one season of eligibility left, expect to see them play right away. Cornerback DeOliver Davis, from nearby Flourtown, graduated this past spring with a degree in economics from Lafayette College. As a freshman in 2010, he played in four games, including two starts, before a toe injury caused him to miss several games. In eight games as a sophomore, he recorded 13 tackles and five pass breakups. Shoulder surgery caused him to miss the 2012 season. But he bounced back last year when he played in all 12 games, including nine starts, finishing seventh on the team in tackles with 38. He also notched two interceptions and seven pass breakups for the Patriot League champion Leopards.
The other is graduate student Cory Scott from Delaware State. Scott redshirted in 2010 and played sparingly in 2011 and 2012. But last season, he finished with 60 tackles which was good for fourth on the Hornets. He also had four tackles for loss, an interception and two pass breakups. Scott also had a 55-yard fumble return for touchdown to put the game out of reach in the Hornets’ 29-21 win over Florida A&M. In high school, Scott was a standout wrestler.
The final transfer is defensive back Russhon Phillips who has two years of college football eligibility remaining. Phillips was Plymouth-Whitemarsh’s leading receiver as a sophomore, but moved to quarterback due to his athleticism and the team’s need at that position. He earned second team All-Suburban One American Conference as a junior and first team as a senior, sharing those honors with current Golden Ram quarterback Andrew Derr. The Colonial team captain, MVP and honor roll student then chose Lehigh over Lafayette, Villanova and West Chester. At Lehigh, Philips was a defensive back and saw action in one game a freshman and the first two games of his sophomore season. However, in the week between the second and third game of the season, Phillips was involved in a fight, arrested and suspended from the team. He subsequently pled guilty to the charges, was sentenced to one to two months in jail and expelled from Lehigh. With the additions of the aforementioned Davis and Scott to the team, expect Phillips to redshirt this season and hopefully this good student and good athlete will find a new beginning with the Golden Rams.
Name | Pos | Ht | Wt | School |
CB |
6-2 |
200 |
The Hun School/Lafayette | |
WR |
6-3 |
210 |
Central Bucks South/Temple | |
DB |
6-2 |
195 |
Plymouth-Whitemarsh/Lehigh | |
DB |
6-2 |
200 |
Mt Vernon (NY)/Delaware St | |
QB |
6-0 |
190 |
Bishop McDevitt/Kutztown |
Daily Local News - Transfers making noises at West Chester
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