The categories are:
- Best offensive performance by the Golden Rams - Edinboro.
At halftime, the Golden Rams had 191 yards of offense, which is a respectable amount after 30 minutes of play. But three three-and-outs and three interceptions meant West Chester had only seven points on the scoreboard. The second half was a frantic comeback by the offense which led to two overtime periods being played. In accounting for 51 points, the offense rushed for 199 yards, with Jarel Elder accounting for 191 of them, and Andrew Derr threw the ball 70 times for 559 yards. That's a total of 758 yards, 39 first downs and 51 points. Unfortunately, it was three point shy of the Fighting Scots.
- Best offensive performance by an individual Golden Ram - Tyler Karpinski at Edinboro.
Okay, it seems obvious that the most productive individual offensive performance would come in the most productive offensive game for the team, but get this - Derr targeted Karpinski a total of nine times in the game and none of those came in the third quarter while Karpinski dealt with a rib injury. Of those nine targets, he made nine catches for 178 yards. While only one was for a touchdown, the other eight receptions all resulted in first downs. - Best offensive performance by an opposing team - Edinboro.
Yes, the game went to two overtimes and yes, other opponents had more yards, but no opponent's offense was more efficient than Edinboro. While the Fighting Scots were held to just 60 yards on the ground, a paltry 39% pass completion rate, and converted only 3 of 18 (16%) third downs, Edinboro was perfect on their seven trips into the red zone. Granted, three of those trips into the red zone were as a result of returns - one interception, one punt and one kickoff - and two happened in the short-field overtime, but the Fighting Scots converted each trip into points, including five touchdowns, which was key to their victory. - Best offensive performance by an opposing individual - Jake Sisson - Edinboro.
For the second year in a row, the Golden Rams got abused by a quarterback in the northwest corner of the state. While Sisson completed only 40% of his pass attempts, his 22 completions went for 289 yards and six touchdowns. On Edinboro's possession in the first overtime, he took only two pass plays to get the Fighting Scots into the end zone. In the second overtime, with West Chester leading 51-48, Edinboro was facing a fourth and one from the West Chester 16. Rather than get the first down and extend the contest, he tossed the game-winning touchdown into the back of the end zone. Sisson was named PSAC West Co-Offensive Player of the Week for the game. - Best defensive performance by the Golden Rams - Bloomsburg.
Although Cheyney was held to just 151 total yards and Millersville was held to zero points, those two opponents finished with a combined record of 3-19. So for the second consecutive year, the team defensive performance goes to the game against Bloomsburg. The Husky offense that averaged 170 yards rushing per game in 2016 was held to just 100 yards in this game. Of Bloomsburg's 246 yards of total offense, 157 of those came on their final two possessions after the Golden Rams were up 27-0 and the reserves were getting an opportunity for significant playing time. Nine of Bloomsburg's 59 offensive plays resulted in a loss and half of the Husky possessions ended in a three-and-out. - Best defensive performance by an individual Golden Ram - Steven Denby vs Shippensburg.
In West Chester's 31-15 win over the Raiders, Denby logged seven solo tackles and four assists for 11 total tackles. Included was an eight-yard sack and another tackle for a loss of four yards. Denby was named PSAC East Defensive Player of the Week for the game. - Best defensive performance by an opposing team - Kutztown.
The Golden Bears held West Chester to a season low 14 points in the game. The Golden Rams were limited to 111 yards rushing and 248 yards passing. Although West Chester only punted four times, Kutztown also snagged three interceptions. Ten of West Chester's 69 plays ended in a loss. - Best defensive performance by an opposing individual - DeVon Groves - Edinboro.
The junior free safety registered six solo tackles and assisted on another seven for 13 total tackles in the game. He assisted on a tackle for loss and had a pass breakup in the second quarter. But he made two plays that significantly impacted the game. Late in the first half, West Chester had a first down at the Edinboro 11-yard line. Groves intercepted a pass at the goal line and returned it 69 yards setting up a field goal attempt by the Fighting Scots. Then with less than a minute left in the fourth quarter, with the score tied at 41, Groves picked off his second pass of the game at the West Chester 44 thwarting the Golden Rams scoring drive. - Most memorable game - Edinboro.
Sure Edinboro was 2-0, but their two wins came against St Joseph's which finished 5-6 and Lock Haven which finished 4-7. And the Fighting Scots were 0-11 just last season. So Golden Ram fans were bewildered when trailing 24-7 at halftime. West Chester nibbled back in the third quarter to close the score to 24-14. But that's when the fireworks started. After a Brendan Paulison field goal early in the fourth quarter, the two teams traded touchdowns, then field goals, then touchdowns again to make the score 41-34 in favor of Edinboro. An onsides kick was recovered by West Chester and the Golden Rams cashed in to tie the game at 41. Although the West Chester defense forced a quick three-and-out, the Golden Rams threw their fourth interception of the game, however Ted Patton intercepted the ball right back. West Chester would drive the field, but a potential game-winning field goal sailed wide right. The game would go to two overtime periods, with Edinboro ending the contest on a game-winning touchdown pass on fourth down. - Most memorable single offensive play - Matt Sharp touchdown catch versus Cheyney.
It wasn't at a critical point in a game, or even a critical game for that matter. But when the senior defensive end converted to tight end from the United Kingdom leaked into the back left corner of the end zone and hauled in a pass from Alec Werner, it was one of the most rewarding moments this season. Sharpe's only collegiate reception was a touchdown. - Most memorable single defensive play - Nydair Rouse pick six at Bentley.
The Golden Ram offense was scuffling, and West Chester trailed 24-14 entering the fourth quarter. Shannon Mayer caught an 11-yard touchdown pass from Andrew Derr and Brendan Paulison converted a 29-yard field goal to tie the game at 24 with eight minutes left in the game. The question was whether the comeback momentum would continue or become exhausting. But with four minutes left and the Falcons with the ball on their own 34, defensive end Josh Ganzelli batted a ball that Rouse plucked out of the air and raced into the end zone for the game-winning score.
- Most memorable single special teams play - Brendan Paulison onside kick at Edinboro.
The Golden Rams were in the midst of a massive comeback, having closed a 24-7 halftime deficit to a 41-34 gap. But with less than four minutes left, would there be enough time to tie the game? On the ensuing kickoff, Paulison booted the ball hard off one of the Edinboro front line players. The ball ricocheted right back to Paulison who landed on it at the West Chester 37-yard line, giving the Golden Rams' offense the ball and the game tying touchdown drive. - Most frustrating moment - Missed field goal at Edinboro.
The Golden Rams fought back from a 17-point halftime deficit to a team that finished winless the previous season, only to tie the game with less than two minutes to play. Momentum continued when the defense forced a three-and-out, waned when Edinboro picked off a pass, when swelled again when Ted Patton intercepted the ball back, giving West Chester a possession at their own 42-yard line with 40 seconds left to play. Andrew Derr completed two passes to Tyler Karpinski and one to Lex Rosario to get down to the Edinboro 13 with seconds left. But Brendan Paulison's game winning, 30-yard field goal slipped wide right with three seconds left sending the game into overtime where the Fighting Scots pulled out the victory. - Best coaching decision - Winning last six games of the season.
On the second day of October, the Golden Rams record stood at 2-3. With the way the teams in the region shaped up, the chances for an NCAA playoff bid was extremely remote. And since the team just fell to division rival Kutztown, any chance for a PSAC East championship would require help. And tough games were on the horizon - a home game against 4-1 Shippensburg and road games to division rivals Bloomsburg and East Stroudsburg. But despite the tough road ahead and little possibility to reach the postseason, the coaches kept the team motivated and focused, winning the last six games by an average score of 39-10. It's the longest winning streak since 1999 when Rick Daniel's squad started 0-3 and finished 7-3. - Worst coaching decision - Field goal attempts at Kutztown.
Points were hard to come by at Kutztown, and the Golden Bears led 20-14 midway through the third quarter. The West Chester offense moved down to the Kutztown 19, but a holding call and a sack pushed the Golden Rams back. A nine-yard pass play was enough to offset the losses, so the Golden Rams were faced with a fourth-and-nineteen from the Kutztown 28. But a 45-yard field goal attempt into a noticeable wind fell short. Early in the fourth quarter, on West Chester's next possession, still needing six points to tie the game, another 45-yard attempt for three points sailed wide right. - Unsung offensive Golden Ram - Eerin Young
He's not the top one or two ball carriers, nor is he the first or second target for the quarterback, but Young is third in both of those categories. The Rhode Island transfer from Imhotep has the versatility to help the West Chester offense in multiple ways. This past season, he picked up 333 yards on the ground and pulled in 283 yards on 28 catches. He also returned four kickoff returns for 80 yards and didn't fumble in just over a hundred touches this season. - Unsung defensive Golden Ram - Kevin Duggan
Yes, Duggan started every game this season at linebacker, and yes he finished second on the team in tackles with 53. But his unassuming personality and simply steady play every game causes him to get lost in the background when in fact he's in the center of the Golden Ram defense. Duggan was named second team All-PSAC East. - Most impactful newcomer - Steven Denby
Granted Denby was on the roster in 2015, but he did not receive any playing time - not one play. This year, he got on the field for each of the first three games, but registered a total of two tackles during that time. But since captain Ralph Reeves got injured in that third game at Edinboro, Denby saw his playing time increase for the next two contests and then moved into a starting role for the final six games. He finished fourth on the team with 44 tackles, including 6.5 tackles for loss. Denby had 11 tackles in the win over Shippensburg and was recognized as the PSAC East Defensive Athlete of the Week. - Special Teams MVP - Brendan Paulison
For the second consecutive season, the sophomore led West Chester in scoring, this year with 70 points. Paulison was 8 of 15 on field goals, with a career-long 42 against Shippensburg. His 46 PAT's came on 51 attempts. Paulison also served as the punter, averaging almost over 37 yards per punt with 14 inside the opponent 20 yard line. He also kicked off 56 times this season including 15 touchbacks. Paulison was named first team All-PSAC East as a kicker and second team as a punter. - Offensive MVP - Doug Gilbert
No individual statistics here, but the captain was a three-year starter at left tackle, earning first team all league honors in all three of those years. The Golden Rams ran for almost 2,200 yards and threw for over 3,000 yards this season. West Chester finished fourth in the PSAC in fewest sacks allowed with 16. - Defensive MVP - Ch'aim Smith
In 2015, Smith played in all 11 games, but totaled just four tackles. This past season, the sophomore started all 11 games and led the team in tackles, tackles for loss and sacks. He finished 2016 with 57 total tackles, 11.0 tackles for loss, and 6.0 sacks. Smith was also credited with two pass breakups, three quarterback hurries and two blocked kicks.
See you at the banquet on January 28 when the real team awards will be presented.
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