Brandon Monk carried the ball 36 times – his previous high was 21 times two weeks ago at Kutztown – for 257 yards and two touchdowns. When a running back accumulates massive yards in a game, usually there’s one or two long runs that account for a lot of the yards. But Monk’s longest haul was 33 yards, which means he consistently gained chunks of yards against the porous Warrior run defense. With Eddie Elliott not dressed, redshirt freshman Jarel Elder got his most meaningful collegiate minutes with nine carries for another 44 yards. Even quarterback Sean McCartney had a seven-yard designed carry, and a longer rush that was called back due to a holding penalty. In all, the Golden Rams ran for 299 yards and 15 first downs which led to a time of possession advantage of more than ten minutes.
After getting out to a 21-0 first half lead, the Warriors got a touchdown with just three seconds left in the half. An inspired East Stroudsburg team tacked on ten more points early in the third quarter to narrow West Chester’s lead to 21-17. The two teams would each get another touchdown in the third to set the score at 28-24 going into the final frame. West Chester started the fourth quarter with the ball on their own 35, but promptly lost 25 yards, and punter Rich Bruno only netted 34 yards on his fourth punt of the game. The Warriors had momentum and the ball on the West Chester 44.
But the Golden Ram defense forced a three and out, and, as they had done so twice in the first quarter, East Stroudsburg elected to go for it on fourth and three. Their quarterback fumbled and Shaquil Ryder recovered. Then Monk and the West Chester offense went to work, traversing 58 yards in almost five minutes, culminating on tight end Tim Brown’s second touchdown catch of the game. A key play was East Stroudsburg's failed pick six attempt which turned out to be a 28-yard catch and run for Mike Doty, who ended the game with four catches for 72 yards and a touchdown. The key point of this drive though, was that the 30-point mark was eclipsed.
As far as skirmishes, things went okay in the first half, but on East Stroudsburg’s first drive of the third quarter, the Golden Rams’ Ryder fell prey to the bait as he was tagged for unnecessary roughness and unsportsmanlike conduct on the same play, giving the Warriors first and goal at the three. East Stroudsburg was already in a first and goal situation, so a score was likely, but after surrendering a late touchdown in the first half, this was the last thing that West Chester needed to start the second half.
East Stroudsburg’s first touchdown was set up by Monk’s muffed punt, an area that West Chester has struggled with all season. The Warrior’s most consistently effective offensive play of the day was the West Chester pass interference, as East Stroudsburg gained five first downs via penalty. The pressure that the Golden Ram defense applied to the Warrior quarterback was relentless. Unfortunately, the statistician didn’t account for quarterback hurries which is a shame since Andrew Cohen had at least six and Ryder and Ronell Williams laid big hits on their signal caller. Williams’ pressure led to Al-Hajj Shabazz’s interception while Blaise Schieler and Brandon Pepper also each had a pick. West Chester did not log a sack, as when the quarterback saw the pressure, he merely heaved the ball. Many punters in the PSAC wish they had the hang time that the passes had. But this actually made every pass difficult to defend as the West Chester defensive backs had a hard time timing their breakup. Thus the multiple pass interference penalties and interceptions.
Notes - Linebacker Mike Labor led the Golden Rams with seven tackles while Williams notched six...Don't expect any movement in the national or the more important regional rankings when they are released on Monday...Look for an expanded explanation on the regional rankings and playoff scenarios here on Friday.
West Chester Athletic Site - No. 18 West Chester Staves Off Late East Stroudsburg Rally, 35-24
East Stroudsburg Athletic Site - ESU Football Falls to No. 18 West Chester, 35-24
Daily Local News - WCU hangs on
Pocono Record - ESU's rally falls short in 35-24 loss to Rams
D2football - PSAC Columnist - PSAC Championship Game Set: Slippery Rock hosts Bloomsburg
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