The 2015 West Chester University Golden Ram football team was honored at the 50th annual team banquet sponsored by the Golden Ram Football Club last night at the Concordville Inn in Concordville, PA.
For their performance in each game this past season, the following were selected as the Killinger Players of the Game:
Lenoir-Rhyne - A.J. DePietro -
DePietro (Jr., Garnet Valley) accounted for half of West Chester's four touchdowns in the game. The first came on a nine-yard pass from Pat Moriarty to cap an 11-play, 85-yard drive. The second was on a 45-yard catch from Alec Werner.
Mercyhurst - Adam Dempsey -
Dempsey (Sr., Cardinal O'Hara) had a 29-yard reception in the first quarter that led to a West Chester touchdown. Towards the end of the second quarter, he scored on a 21-yard run to extend the Golden Rams' lead to 11 points. He then had a crucial 22-yard catch on a third and 15 with nine seconds left to setup a game-winning field goal attempt.
Seton Hill - Jarel Elder -
Out of West Chester's 82 offensive plays, Elder (So., Parkland) touched the ball 33 times. He had 25 carries for 247 yards and 3 touchdowns and 8 catches for 84 yards and another score. After considering kickoff returns, Elder amassed 365 all-purpose yards and was named PSAC East Offensive Player of the Week as the Golden Rams earned their first victory of the season.
Millersville - Barry Lyons -
Lyons (Sr., Cumberland Valley) had one solo tackle and four assisted tackles for five total tackles. More significantly, 2.5 of those tackles resulted in losses for the Marauders.
Lock Haven - Nydair Rouse -
Rouse (R-Fr., Simon Gratz) had a team high six solo tackles and seven total tackles. He also registered two pass breakups in the game. But the highlight was an interception that he returned 21-yards and led to a Golden Ram touchdown on a cold, rainy day in Lock Haven.
Kutztown - Pat Moriarty -
Moriarty (So., Harriton) had his best game of the season in the 44-14 victory over the Golden Bears. Out of 40 attempts, he completed 30 passes to ten different receivers for 437 yards. He also threw five touchdown passes to four different receivers and racked up a season-high 208.0 QB efficiency rating for the game. Moriarty was named ECAC Offensive Player of the Week for his efforts.
Shippensburg - Ralph Reeves -
Reeves (Jr., North Penn) had seven tackles in the game, all of which were solo stops. Included in that was a sack for a loss of 13 yards that forced the Raiders into a long field goal attempt that missed at the close of the first half. On Shippensburg's first possession of the second half, he forced a fumble that was recovered by West Chester.
Bloomsburg - Tim Brown -
In a critical division game in front of a homecoming crowd, Brown (Sr., Upper Darby) had a game-high six receptions for 84 yards. Four of his catches resulted in first downs and another resulted in a touchdown. Trailing late in the fourth quarter and facing third and six, Brown hauled in a pass and rumbled 24 yards to the Bloomsburg four-yard line to set up the game-winning touchdown.
Cheyney - Eerin Young -
With West Chester short on running backs, Young (So., Imhotep Charter) made sure the Golden Ram offense never skipped a beat. He had 13 carries for a game-high 131 yards for a 10.1 yards/carry average. He also hauled in a reception and returned two kickoffs for 50 yards for a total of 183 all-purpose yards in the game.
East Stroudsburg - Brandon Monk -
East Stroudsburg will be thankful that Monk (Sr., Avon Grove) will graduate. After rushing for 257 yards and two touchdowns last season against the Warriors, he went for 170 yards and two more touchdowns in this year's game. His average gain per carry of 7.1 yards was identical to last year's game which was played in the Poconos. Monk was named PSAC East Offensive Player of the Week and MNYFW Offensive Player of the Week for the game.
Slippery Rock - Andrew Cohen -
In the PSAC Championship Game, Cohen (Sr., Council Rock South) made six solo tackles and assisted on three others for nine total tackles. He also registered two solo sacks for a total of seven yards in addition to another tackle for loss in his final collegiate game.
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West Chester Football Scholar Athlete of the Year - Kyle Keyser - At the PSAC Football Championship game, Keyser (Jr., Garnet Valley) was named the PSAC Football Champion Scholar for his 3.887 grade point average in finance. He was also named to the Philadelphia Inquirer Academic All-Area Football Team as voted by the sports information directors of the 28 colleges and universities in the Philadelphia area.
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The following players were selected by the coaches for their efforts this season:
Offensive Scout Team in memory of Mark Killinger - Paul Dooley - Dooley (Fr., Springside-Chestnut Hill) was a three-time all-conference and Inter-Academic Player of the Year as a senior for the Blue Devils. Over his final two seasons, he threw for almost 4,000 yards and 49 touchdowns. He also was twice named to his conference's all-academic team.
Defensive Scout Team from Dave Williams - Joe DeSanto - DeSanto (Fr., Plymouth-Whitemarsh) was a first team all-conference performer on both offense and defense as a junior. As a senior, he had 4.5 sacks in a single game while earning all-league and all-area honors.
Ted Novak Memorial Coaches' Award - Brandon Monk - Fighting injuries all season, Monk (Sr., Avon Grove) still amassed over 1,100 all-purpose yards this season. Monk was injured early in the game at Mercyhurst which also caused him to miss the following week against Seton Hill. He then missed most of the second half against Bloomsburg and was held out the following week at Cheyney. For the season, he ground out 546 yards and five touchdowns on 115 carries and notched another 100 yards on ten receptions. Monk was the team's leading punt returner and had a 96-yard kickoff return for touchdown at Lock Haven. He was named PSAC East Special Teams Player of the Week for that Lock Haven game, PSAC East Offensive Player of the Week after East Stroudsburg, first team All-PSAC East and honorable mention All-ECAC for the season.
Mark and Julie Drochek Coaches' Award - Adam Dempsey - The diminutive Dempsey (Sr., Cardinal O'Hara) is the only Golden Ram who had a catch in every game this season. Acting as a coach on the field, Dempsey had 28 catches for 345 yards and a touchdown while also logging five carries for 21 yards and one score. Fans will best remember Dempsey for his many over the middle catches that were almost also in traffic and incurred a big hit.
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The following players were selected by their teammates for their performance for the season:
Kelly's Sports Unsung Hero - Charles Kuklinski - You won't find Kuklinski's (Sr., Central Bucks West) name in the box score other than participation, but as the dedicated long snapper, he played a big role for the Golden Rams for the past four seasons. It's not hard to think of games when the opponent lost valuable field position or even points due to bad snaps on punts, field goals or PAT's.
Bill Vansant Memorial Special Teams Award - Pete Galiano - Galiano (Jr., Camden Catholic) didn't account for any points like a kicker would or yards like a punt or kickoff return man would, but he played an important role on punt and kickoff coverage teams. He finished the season fourth on the team in total tackles with 43, and as a reserve defensive back, it's safe to assume that many of those came on special teams coverage.
Muz and Lew Peck Offensive Player of the Year - Tim Brown - It was a tough season for tight end Brown (Sr., Upper Darby) since he missed the first two games as the NCAA sorted out his eligibility issue and the final two and a half games due to an injury incurred in the first half of the game at Cheyney. Despite playing in just seven games, he still led the Golden Rams in receptions (33), receiving yards (444), and receiving touchdowns (5) and points (102). In games in which Brown played, West Chester was 6-1 this year and 25-5 in his three years in purple and gold. After the 2015 season, he was named first team All-PSAC East, honorable mention All-ECAC, and second team Dan Hansen Football Gazette Super Region 1.
Timothy's of West Chester Defensive Player of the Year - Andrew Cohen - Cohen (Sr., Council Rock South) finished the season second on the team in total tackles with 57. He led the entire PSAC with 1.82 tackles for loss per game and 1.23 sacks per game. Cohen led the team in tackles for loss 20.0 and sacks with 13.5. He notched at least one sack in every game this year and was named PSAC East Defensive Player of the Year.
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Senior defensive end Andrew Cohen was named both the Golden Ram Football Club Player of the Year and WCU Football Athlete of the Year as chosen by the players.
Cohen will go down as one of the most decorated players in West Chester University football history. After leading the entire PSAC with 13.5 sacks for 91 yards and 20.0 tackles for loss this season, he was named PSAC East Defensive Athlete of the Year. His 1.23 sacks/game is good for fifth in the country and he set the career PSAC sack record with 33.5. This season, Cohen had 39 solo tackles and 18 assists for 57 total tackles. He registered at least one sack in every game this season and was credited with two forced fumbles at Mercyhurst.
Cohen was also named first team All-PSAC East, first team Don Hansen Football Gazette All-Super Region One, first team CCA All-Super Region 1, first team USA Football Network All-American, second team D2football.com All-American, second team AP All-American, All-ECAC, and Philadelphia Inquirer Academic All-Area. Cohen was also a finalist for the Gene Upshaw Award, a finalist for the Cliff Harris Award and a nominee for the Harlon Hill Trophy.
Sunday, January 31, 2016
Head Coach Bill Zwaan presents Brandon Monk with the Ted Novak Memorial Coaching Staff Award (Photo Mary Gilbert)
Head Coach Bill Zwaan took the liberty to present Adam Dempsey with the Mark and Julie Drochek Coaches Award (Photo Mary Gilbert)
Jim Vansant presents Pete Galiano with the Special Teams Award 
Head Coach Bill Zwaan elected to make the presentation of the Muz and Lew Peck Offensive Player of the Year Award to Tim Brown (Photo Mary Gilbert)
Head Coach Bill Zwaan presents Andrew Cohen with the Defensive Player of the Year Award (Photo Mary Gilbert)
Golden Ram Football Club President Richard Greenwood presents Andrew Cohen with Player of the Year Trophy (Photo Mary Gilbert)
Saturday, January 30, 2016
Team News - 2016 Announcements
At the 50th annual team banquet sponsored by the Golden Ram Football Club, head coach Bill Zwaan introduced the 2016 team captains:
The event program also revealed that West Chester will open the 2016 season in Waltham, MA against Bentley on Labor Day Weekend. The Falcons of the Northeast-10 Conference finished 2015 with a record of 5-6.
- left tackle Doug Gilbert
- linebacker Ralph Reeves
- safety Kevin Malone
The event program also revealed that West Chester will open the 2016 season in Waltham, MA against Bentley on Labor Day Weekend. The Falcons of the Northeast-10 Conference finished 2015 with a record of 5-6.
Day
|
Date
|
Opponent
|
Time
|
Notes
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Saturday
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September 3
|
12:00 pm
| ||
Saturday
|
September 10
|
12:00 pm
| ||
Saturday
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September 17
|
12:00 pm
| ||
Saturday
|
September 24
| vs
Lock Haven
| TBD
| |
Saturday
|
October 1
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at Kutztown
| 6:00 pm
| |
Saturday
|
October 8
|
vs Shippensburg
| TBD
| |
Saturday
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October 15
|
at Bloomsburg
|
TBD
| |
Saturday
| October 22
|
vs Cheyney
| TBD
| |
Saturday
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October 29
| 1:00 pm
| ||
Saturday
| November 5
|
vs Millersville
| TBD
| Senior Day |
Saturday
|
November 12
|
at Clarion
| 12:00 pm
|
Friday, January 29, 2016
Player News - Cohen Receives Another Honor
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Cohen was also named first team All-PSAC East, first team Don Hansen Football Gazette All-Super Region One, first team CCA All-Super Region 1, first team USA Football Network All-American, second team AP All-American, All-ECAC, and Philadelphia Inquirer Academic All-Area. Cohen was also a finalist for the Gene Upshaw Award, a finalist for the Cliff Harris Award and a nominee for the Harlon Hill Trophy.
As a junior, when the Golden Rams advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division II playoffs and finished 11-2, Cohen was named first team All-PSAC East, third team Don Hansen Football Gazette All-Super Region One, All-ECAC, and Philadelphia Inquirer Academic All-Area. He was named second team All-PSAC East as a sophomore.
West Chester Athletic Site - Andrew Cohen Named Second Team All-America By D2Football.com
Wednesday, January 27, 2016
Player News - Omar Peterkin Tweets WCU
- 2015 Fourth Team All-Southeastern PA (Defense)
- 2015 Bucks County Courier Times Golden Teams First Team (Defense)
- 2015 Third Team Philadelphia Daily News All-City (Defense)
- 2015 First Team All-Catholic AAA Division (Defense)
- 2015 Second Team All-Catholic AAA Division (Offense)
- 2014 First Team All-Suburban One National (Defense)
- 2014 Second Team All-Suburban One National (Offense)
I'm blessed and honored to say that I have committed to West Chester University!! 🐏🏈 pic.twitter.com/xNYxZuZN3t
— Omar Peterkin (@Omar_Peterkin) January 23, 2016
Pa Prep Live - Archbishop Wood chasing three-peat while reloading
Team News - 2015 Season Review - Overall
What a roller coaster season. The 2015 campaign opened with a Thursday night whipping by Lenoir-Rhyne at home then followed by a heartbreaking, late-game loss at Mercyhurst in Erie. It was really not unexpected from such a young team that was still finding its way. The Golden Rams then executed as they should have the next three weeks, thrashing Seton Hill, Millersville and Lock Haven, three teams that combined for seven wins in 2015. Sitting at 2-1 in the PSAC East, Kutztown was the first real test as the Golden Bears were also 2-0 in the division. West Chester provided an all-around convincing 44-14 win, thus offering fans a glimpse of what this team could actually be.
But as convincing as the Kutztown win was, it didn't appear the team mentally traveled to Shippensburg the following week in a loss that was not as close as the final 27-11 score. The ups and downs of the season continued with a sound homecoming victory over rival Bloomsburg. The loss of focus at Cheyney the next week was not reflected in the standings as West Chester went on to grab a victory.
There was a lot riding on the last week of divisional play as the Golden Rams hosted East Stroudsburg while Shippensburg visited Kutztown. Going into that Saturday, West Chester and Shippensburg were tied atop the division at 5-1, but the Raiders held the tiebreaker due to the head-to-head outcome. West Chester forced five turnovers in defeating the Warriors while Kutztown handled Shippensburg from start to finish. At the end of the day, the Golden Rams claimed their first outright PSAC East Championship since back-to-back titles in 2007 and 2008.
Head Coach Bill Zwaan had his 11th winning campaign in 13 seasons
at West Chester University (Photo Bert Garbutt)
Unfortunately, Slippery Rock, which went on to advance to the NCAA Division II Super Region I finals, showed why they were the class of the PSAC in 2015 with a 61-12 flogging of the Golden Rams in the PSAC Championship game at Farrell Stadium. It was West Chester's worst lost under head coach Bill Zwaan at West Chester.
The Golden Rams reached the PSAC championship game
for the first time since 2008 (Photo Ron Hockman)
But after starting 0-2, it was a great accomplishment for this team to win the division and finish the season 7-4.
But as convincing as the Kutztown win was, it didn't appear the team mentally traveled to Shippensburg the following week in a loss that was not as close as the final 27-11 score. The ups and downs of the season continued with a sound homecoming victory over rival Bloomsburg. The loss of focus at Cheyney the next week was not reflected in the standings as West Chester went on to grab a victory.
Captains Andrew Cohen, Brandon Pepper, Brandon Monk and Tim Brown provided leadership throughout the season (Photo Bert Garbutt)There was a lot riding on the last week of divisional play as the Golden Rams hosted East Stroudsburg while Shippensburg visited Kutztown. Going into that Saturday, West Chester and Shippensburg were tied atop the division at 5-1, but the Raiders held the tiebreaker due to the head-to-head outcome. West Chester forced five turnovers in defeating the Warriors while Kutztown handled Shippensburg from start to finish. At the end of the day, the Golden Rams claimed their first outright PSAC East Championship since back-to-back titles in 2007 and 2008.
Head Coach Bill Zwaan had his 11th winning campaign in 13 seasonsat West Chester University (Photo Bert Garbutt)
Unfortunately, Slippery Rock, which went on to advance to the NCAA Division II Super Region I finals, showed why they were the class of the PSAC in 2015 with a 61-12 flogging of the Golden Rams in the PSAC Championship game at Farrell Stadium. It was West Chester's worst lost under head coach Bill Zwaan at West Chester.
The Golden Rams reached the PSAC championship gamefor the first time since 2008 (Photo Ron Hockman)
But after starting 0-2, it was a great accomplishment for this team to win the division and finish the season 7-4.
Monday, January 25, 2016
Event News - ECAC Announces Banquet Date
Thursday, January 21, 2016
Alumni News - Former Golden Ram Vince McAneney Dies
Former West Chester football player Vince McAneney died on January 20. McAneney, a member of the Killinger Hall of Fame, graduated from LaSalle High School in 1947 before attending West Chester. He was a two-year starter before suffering a career-ending knee injury as a sophomore. As a junior, he turned to coaching the junior varsity backfield.
He graduated from West Chester in 1953 and spent 42 years as a teacher and 36 years as a high school football coach. He led Philadelphia West Catholic from 1957-1964, winning the Philadelphia Catholic League title in 1962 at Franklin Field. He spent 1967-1969 at Cherry Hill West before finishing his career with Pennsauken from 1970-1994. His teams won twelve conference championships and three South Jersey Group 4 championships, including undefeated seasons in 1984 and 1986. Eight players that McAneney coached at Pennsauken reached the NFL, including wide receiver John Taylor of the San Francisco 49'ers and linebacker David Griggs of the San Diego Chargers who started against each other in Super Bowl XXIX. On September 13, 2008, Pennsauken High renamed its football stadium Vince McAneney Football Field.
He graduated from West Chester in 1953 and spent 42 years as a teacher and 36 years as a high school football coach. He led Philadelphia West Catholic from 1957-1964, winning the Philadelphia Catholic League title in 1962 at Franklin Field. He spent 1967-1969 at Cherry Hill West before finishing his career with Pennsauken from 1970-1994. His teams won twelve conference championships and three South Jersey Group 4 championships, including undefeated seasons in 1984 and 1986. Eight players that McAneney coached at Pennsauken reached the NFL, including wide receiver John Taylor of the San Francisco 49'ers and linebacker David Griggs of the San Diego Chargers who started against each other in Super Bowl XXIX. On September 13, 2008, Pennsauken High renamed its football stadium Vince McAneney Football Field.
philly.com - Former Pennsauken coach Vince McAneney dies
Courier-Post - Football community mourns legendary Coach Mac
La Salle College High School - La Salle College High School Football:In Retrospect
Wednesday, January 20, 2016
Teams News - 2015 Season Review - Defense
West Chester's defense ranked third in the conference and 36th in the country in yards allowed with just 332 per game. But good field position for their opponents meant 27 points per game which was sixth in the PSAC. As much as a team hopes to get everything figured out in summer camp, the defense was on its heels for the first three games, giving up 41, 37 and 38 points while the team went 1-2. They then played as expected against Millersville and Lock Haven and completely dominated Kutztown. The defense was key in significant wins over rivals Bloomsburg and East Stroudsburg, the latter clinching the division championship. But the season ended with Slippery Rock posting more points than any West Chester opponent in the last dozen year.
The balance of yards allowed per game - 159 rushing and 173 passing - is skewed due to Lenoir-Rhyne which completed one of their only two pass attempts for six yards. But even with that consideration, the passing defense was great as it allowed a league low 6.2 yards per attempt. The Golden Rams were fifth in the conference in both sacks with 31 and interceptions with 14.
After playing 2014 as a true freshman, Sean Steinmetz redshirted this past season.
The balance of yards allowed per game - 159 rushing and 173 passing - is skewed due to Lenoir-Rhyne which completed one of their only two pass attempts for six yards. But even with that consideration, the passing defense was great as it allowed a league low 6.2 yards per attempt. The Golden Rams were fifth in the conference in both sacks with 31 and interceptions with 14.
Defensive Line
Andrew Cohen with one of his 13.5 sacks this season (Photo Bert Garbutt)
Josh Ganzelli had 7.5 TFL's this year (Photo Bert Garbutt)
Barry Lyons makes short work of the Rock runner (Photo Ron Hockman)
George Shipp with one of his 2.5 sacks versus Bloomsburg (Photo Bert Garbutt)
Kavon Johnson envelopes the Bloomsburg QB (Photo Bert Garbutt)
John Dubyk registers a sack at Lock Haven (Photo Ron Hockman)Linebackers
Ralph Reeves led the team in tackles (Photo Ron Hockman)
Kevin Duggan with a TFL on homecoming (Photo Bert Garbutt)
Zack Hockman played a lot as a true freshman (Photo Bert Garbutt)
Brandon Pepper adjusted to a new position this year (Photo Bert Garbutt)
Nydair Rouse had three picks this season (Photo Ron Hockman)After playing 2014 as a true freshman, Sean Steinmetz redshirted this past season.
Secondary
Ted Patton had four interceptions this year (Photo Ron Hockman)
Corey Kelly saw time at corner as a redshirt freshman (Photo Ron Hockman)