Game Preview - East Stroudsburg

The Golden Rams (6-3, 5-1) host East Stroudsburg (6-3, 5-3) in the final week of divisional play in the PSAC. Regardless of the outcome of the Bloomsburg-Lock Haven game, a West Chester win coupled with a Kutztown defeat of Shippensburg will send the Golden Rams to the PSAC Championship next week at Farrell Stadium. If Shippensburg and West Chester both win, then the Golden Rams have to hope that Bloomsburg also wins, leaving all five teams in a tie for first place, meaning a coin flip will determine which school represents the East in the PSAC Championship. Kickoff at Farrell Stadium is set for 1:00 pm on Saturday.

Series History:
West Chester leads the overall series 57-22. Golden Ram head coach Bill Zwaan is 10-3 against the Warriors, including two wins in the Poconos in 2004. In the first matchup that season, the Golden Rams blocked a PAT in overtime, then scored a touchdown and won the game on Dan Wilbourne’s converted PAT to hand then #7 East Stroudsburg their first loss of the season in front of a homecoming crowd of almost 6,000. The second game came on a frigid and blustery November afternoon in the NCAA regional finals. With a crowd of over 7,200 on hand, current West Chester running backs coach Osagie Osunde ran for 144 yards and three touchdowns as the Golden Rams handed East Stroudsburg their second loss of the season.

The following year, West Chester tipped the #6 ranked Warriors, 18-17, in muddy Farrell Stadium. 2005 was the last season that Farrell Stadium had natural grass. In 2009, East Stroudsburg ruined West Chester’s homecoming 21-20. The Golden Rams failed to convert a PAT early in the game and a 35-yard field goal late in the game. It's the only time that East Stroudsburg has won at West Chester in the past dozen years. The Warriors are led by head coach Denny Douds who is in his 42nd season at the helm.

Last 10 Meetings:

Year	H/A	W/L	Score	Year	H/A	W/L	Score
2005	Home	Win	18-17	2010	Away	Win	35-31
2006	Away	Win	49-28	2011	Home	Win	37-26
2007	Home	Win	30-15	2012	Away	Loss	35-28
2008	Away	Win	34-24	2013	Home	Win	34-20
2009	Home	Loss	21-20	2014	Away	Win	35-24

Last Meeting:

11/08/2014 West Chester 35 - East Stroudsburg 24

West Chester never trailed in the contest, although East Stroudsburg closed to within four points twice, including on the final play of the third quarter. After Tim Brown's second touchdown catch of the day put West Chester up 35-24 midway through the fourth quarter, the Warriors immediately stormed back down the field. But Brandon Pepper intercepted a pass at the West Chester four-yard line and Brandon Monk, Jarel Elder, and the Golden Ram offensive line ran out the final five and a half minutes of the contest.

Monk was tremendous in the game, running 36 times for 257 yards and two touchdowns without being tackled for a loss. Elder chipped in with 44 yards rushing while Brown had a total of three catches for 43 yards. Besides the interception, Pepper also had four total tackles and two pass breakups.

Scouting the Opponent:

East Stroudsburg typically has a potent passing attack and this year is no different. Quarterback Matt Soltes (218 of 393, 3,239 yards, 33 TD’s, 8 int’s) leads the PSAC in passing and is a Harlon Hill candidate again this season. His touchdown numbers are somewhat inflated as, against Shippensburg, he threw nine scores in the four overtime affair which provided a shortened field. Although he only played three quarters against Cheyney, he still managed to throw for 419 yards and seven touchdowns. “Congratulations”. Ironically, he did not throw a touchdown pass in the Warriors’ win over Bloomsburg, but that’s because he’s also mobile and has a net 143 yards rushing.

There’s no doubt that his top targets are 6’6” Jon Schnaars (88 catches, 1,301 yards, 17 TD’s) and Gerard Wendowski (38 catches, 655 yards, 9 TD’s). Running back Robert Healy (132 carries, 698 yards, 1 TD, 42 catches, 620 yards, 1 TD) is a dual threat while Gerald Van De Cruz (94 carries, 330 yards, 12 TD’s) is the guy who puts the ball in the end zone on the ground for East Stroudsburg. Opponents have been able to sack Soltes 21 times through nine games this season.

Defensively, the Warriors are led by outside linebacker Sekou Jones (62 tackles, 7.5 TFL’s) and freshman defensive end Joseph Odebode (23 tackles, 7.5 TFL’s). Strong safety Jimmy Verzicco (54 tackles, 2 int’s, 6 pass breakups) and free safety Chase May (25 tackles, 2 int’s) lead the secondary. Cornerbacks Teron Dobbs (30 tackles, 6 pass breakups) and Jimmy Myers (20 tackles, 7 pass breakups) are both seniors.

Freshman kicker Nicolas Ruiz (40-43 PAT’s, 8-11 FG with a long of 42) hasn’t been as reliable as East Stroudsburg kickers usually are. Redshirt freshman punter Sam O'Brien (38.1 yard average, 7 touchbacks, 11 inside the 20, 5 50+) has had two punts blocked this season. Dobbs is dangerous as a punt returner and freshman Anthony Guarino handles most of the kick return duties.

Analysis:

East Stroudsburg always has been an offensive oriented team. They score 40+ points per game and lead the PSAC with 361 passing yards per contest. West Chester has played well against the pass, including throwing teams like Kutztown and Shippensburg. Seton Hill threw for a lot of yards against the Golden Rams, but they also threw three interceptions. That’s probably the type of game this will be for West Chester. The Golden Rams were effective in taking Bloomsburg out of their running game; it will be interesting to see if they can take East Stroudsburg out of theirs. Under Zwaan, West Chester has only allowed the Warriors to score more than 35 points twice, and both games were in 2004 and both were West Chester victories. So even the most potent offensive East Stroudsburg teams struggled to outscore their opponents. In fact, West Chester is 9-0 when scoring at least 30 points under Zwaan.

So then it turns to West Chester’s offense, which has been inconsistent this year. They played well against Kutztown, poor at Shippensburg, well against Bloomsburg, poor at Cheyney. Is it a game on, game off thing, or a home and away thing? Who knows, but both cycles favor this Saturday at Farrell Stadium. West Chester played without a lot of starters at Cheyney, including Eddie Elliott who serves as one of the team’s top three rushers and receivers. Also missing were Brandon Monk, Jarel Elder and Shannon Mayer on offense, and both Eerin Young and Tim Brown left the game early due to injuries. Fortunately, Mike Class and Anthony Brown have both shown to be capable, although need more battle testing at running back. The Golden Rams have seven players with at least 15 catches, so there’s plenty of targets, it’s just a matter of finding the right combination to put in the game and then for the quarterback to find the open guy.

Game Coverage:

Live Stats   Audio   Video (also check Comcast #253)  

PSAC Site - Football Notes Week 10

East Stroudsburg Athletic Site - ESU Football Game Notes at West Chester

KYW Newsradio - West Chester Hoping To Earn Berth In PSAC Title Game

Morning Call - Week 10 football preview capsules for East Stroudsburg, Kutztown

Allentown Morning Call - ESU at West Chester

D2football - PSAC Columnist - Divisional Titles On The Line In The PSAC