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Wednesday, January 31, 2018

Team News - Players Honored at Year End Banquet

The 2017 West Chester University Golden Ram football team was honored at the 52nd annual team banquet sponsored by the Golden Ram Football Club Saturday 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:


Bentley - Tyler Morrissey - In a game where the opponent didn't score a touchdown until the final play of the game, Morrissey (Jr., Springfield) registered four solo stops. More importantly, he forced two Bentley punts when he notched third-down sacks which resulted in a total loss of eleven yards.

Slippery Rock - Jarel Elder - At Slippery Rock, Elder (Sr., Parkland) registered a total of 250 all-purpose yards. He had 102 yards on five kickoff returns and 148 yards rushing on 25 carries. He also scored three touchdowns on runs of 3, 5 and 39 yards.

Edinboro - Kevin Duggan - In West Chester's 62-28 win over Edinboro, Duggan (Sr., Central Bucks West) logged four tackles and a quarterback hurry. But he experienced every defender's dream by directly contributing to the scoreboard when he intercepted a pass and returned it 31 yards for a touchdown.

Lock Haven - A.J. Long - After seeing limited action in West Chester's first three games, Long (So., Friendship Christian (TN)) got the start at Lock Haven and made the most of it. He completed 12 of 26 passes for 198 yards and two touchdowns in addition to running 15 times for 181 yards and two more scores. His 181 yards rushing was a single game, season high for the Golden Rams. Long was named PSAC East Offensive Athlete of the Week for his performance in the Golden Ram victory.

Kutztown - Rasheem James - James (R-Fr., Ben Franklin) overcame a rough start to have a career game in the Golden Ram win. In the first half, he had two catches for eight yards on six targets including two drops. But he finished the game with six catches for 142 yards including an 85-yard touchdown. For his efforts in the game, he was named both PSAC East Offensive Athlete of the Week as well as ECAC Rookie of the Week.

Shippensburg - Tyler Karpinski - the Raiders had no answer for Karpinski (Sr., Manheim Township) who made eight catches for 130 yards. Although he didn't get into the end zone, five of Karpinski's receptions resulted in first downs including a 25-yard pickup on third and 19 from West Chester's own one-yard line in the fourth quarter when the score was tied.

Bloomsburg - Jarel Elder - Despite a loss to the Huskies, Elder (Sr., Parkland) provided 50% of the offense and all of the scoring for the Golden Rams. Elder rushed for 171 yards on 23 carries in a game where West Chester gained a total of 356 yards on offense. Elder scored touchdowns on runs of one, 10 and 20 yards.

Cheyney - Josh Ganzelli - Ganzelli (Sr., Downingtown East) made two solo stops and two assisted tackles for four total tackles at Cheyney. Among those stops were 2.5 tackles for loss including a solo sack for a loss of 12 yards.

East Stroudsburg - Paul Dooley - In West Chester's hard fought win over the Warriors, Dooley (So., Springside-Chestnut Hill) was 14 of 24 for 166 yards and a touchdown passing. Additionally, he ran the ball 14 times for 106 yards and two more touchdowns.

Millersville - George Shipp - In a game where West Chester only led for six minutes in the contest, the Golden Rams had to rely on the defense. Shipp (Sr., North Penn) made a game-high nine total tackles including seven solo stops. He registered 2.5 sacks that totaled 20 yards and participated in additional 1.5 tackles for loss.

Indiana - Tyler Morrissey - Morrissey (Jr., Springfield) was one of the few bright spots for the Golden Rams in the PSAC Championship game. He notched 20 total tackles including ten solo stops in the game, as he was seemingly all over the field for the West Chester defense.

Shippensburg - Brendan Paulison - Paulison (Jr., Delaware Valley) was only called on to punt four times in the deluge at Shippensburg, but he maximized his opportunities. His punts went 41 yards (fair catch), 64 yards (downed at the one), 37 yards (downed at the two), and 44 yards (-4 yard return, fumble). Paulison also kicked off five times for a total of 291 yards for a 58.0 yard average.

Indiana - Brendan Paulison - Paulison (Jr., Delaware Valley) averaged almost 46 yards on six punts in the second round of the NCAA Division II playoffs. He dropped three of those punts inside the opponent 20-yard line and boomed two of them over 50 yards. Of his six kicks, only two were returned for a total of just five yards.




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West Chester Football Scholar Athlete of the Year - Justice Smith


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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 - Trael Seegers - Seegars (Fr., Susquehanna Township) was a two-time all-conference running back and a recognized scholar-athlete in high school.


Dave Williams Defensive Scout Team - Nyeem Jones - Although Jones (Fr., Ben Franklin/Chester) was an All-Delco running back at Chester prior to transferring to Ben Franklin, he has settled in as a defensive back in the Golden Ram secondary.


Ted Novak Memorial Coaches' Award - John Dubyk - Due to a foot injury, Dubyk (Sr., Pennridge) missed the first eight games of the season. He returned to play the final five games, including starting both games against Indiana. He finished the season with eight total tackles, including 0.5 tackles for loss and a pass breakup.


Mark and Julie Drochek Coaches' Award - Josh Ganzelli - As a captain, Ganzelli (Sr., Downingtown East) was one of just two defensive linemen and one of just six defenders to start every game this past season for the Golden Rams. From his defensive tackle position, he logged 30 total tackles including 6.0 tackles for loss and 3.0 sacks.

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The following players were selected by their teammates for their performance for the season:

Kelly's Sports Unsung Hero - Alex Host Host (Sr., Haverford) provided senior leadership to a line that provided protection for an offense that gained over 400 yards per game.


Bill Vansant Memorial Special Teams Award - Brendan Paulison - Paulison (Jr. Delaware Valley) finished the season with the fourth best punting average (44.1 yards per punt) in all of Division II and tops in the PSAC. He led the conference in punts over 50 yards with 17, dropped 23 punts inside the opponents' 20-yard line, forced 16 fair catches and only four touchbacks. On his 62 punts, opponents averaged just 2.3 yards per return giving West Chester the best net punting average (41.2 yards per punt) in the PSAC. He was named first team All-PSAC East, first team CCA All-Super Region 1, first team All-ECAC and second team CCA All-American.


Muz and Lew Peck Offensive Player of the Year - Tyler Karpinski - For the second year in a row, Karpinski (Jr., Manheim Township) was West Chester's leading receiver, this year with 55 catches for 787 yards and seven touchdowns. He finished second on the team in all-purpose yards and scoring. He registered 100 yards receiving against Slippery Rock (107), Shippensburg (130) and Cheyney (173). Karpinski was named first team All-PSAC East, first team All-ECAC and Philadelphia Inquirer Academic All-Area.


Geoff Ruth Memorial Defensive Player of the Year - Tyler Morrissey - Morrissey (Jr., Springfield) had the third-most tackles ever in a season by a Golden Ram and the most since Lee Woodall in 1993. His 137 stops were most in the nation and his 10.5 tackles per game was second in the conference. He finished the season with 14.0 tackles for loss including 7.0 sacks, five quarterback hurries, two forced fumbles and a pass breakup. Morrissey was named first team All-PSAC East, first team All-ECAC, first team CCA All-Super Region 1, second team CCA All-American and second team AP All-American. He was also named PSAC East Defensive Player of the Year, ECAC Defensive Player of the Year and was a finalist for the Cliff Harris Award.


WCU Football Athlete of the Year and Golden Ram Football Club Player of the Year - Jarel Elder - Elder (Sr., Parkland) received the WCU Football Athlete of the Year for the second consecutive year. He led the Golden Rams with 2,130 all-purpose yards which if the fifth best season in West Chester history. His team-high 1,230 rushing yards was fourth-best in the conference. Elder also amassed 339 yards receiving on 23 catches and 561 yards on 28 kickoff returns. He had 15 touchdowns on the ground and two receiving, making his 17 total touchdowns good for third in the PSAC . Elder was named first team All-PSAC East, first team All-ECAC and second team CCA All-Super Region 1 and PSAC East Offensive Player of the Year.


The Golden Ram Football Club would like to give a special thank you to Ron Hockman for providing photos at the banquet and throughout the season. All banquet photos can be found here.

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