The 2018 PSAC Champions (Photo Ron Hockman)Slippery Rock opened the game with a 37-yard kickoff return followed by a 28-yard pass play that got them down to the Golden Ram 31. But the West Chester defense held the Rock to a 32-yard field goal. After getting 44 yards on their first possession, Slippery Rock would gain only 15 yards on their next five possessions.
Meanwhile, West Chester quarterback A.J. Long led the Golden Ram offense to pay dirt four times. On the first possession, Long ran for 32 yards and Mike Class scored on a 43-yard run. The next drive was a marathon – 73 yards in almost eight minutes, capped off by a gutsy fourth-down 2-yard touchdown pass to tight end Cody Boozel. Long scored the third touchdown himself on a 28-yard run. West Chester’s fourth touchdown came on a 44-yard catch and run by Lex Rosario on a ball that seemingly went right through the defender’s hands.
Lex Rosario got up to make the catch and score (Photo Ron Hockman)The Rock scored a touchdown when they converted a third-and-long into a 51-yard touchdown. Momentum seemed to swing as the Golden Rams went three and out. But Jarey Elder nabbed an interception, his first of two in the contest, and two plays later, Long connected with Class on a 17-yard swing pass for a touchdown. The PAT was blocked, but West Chester led 33-10 at the half. And there would be no more scoring.
Jarey Elder on one of his two picks (Photo Ron Hockman)In the second half, the West Chester offense was held to a total of just 50 yards and Brendan Paulison punted on their first five possessions. On the other side, the Golden Rams defense was content to keep the game in front of them. The Rock was able to move the ball, but consumed a lot of clock in doing so. On their first two possessions, Slippery Rock moved the ball deep into Golden Ram territory, but the first ended on downs and the second was stopped by an Omar Peterkin interception. From there, it was merely a matter of watching the clock wind down.
Omar Peterkin and Ch'aim Smith squash the Rock running game In the battle of dual-threat quarterbacks, Long was clearly the better of the two. He finished with 135 yards and one touchdown rushing along with 153 yards and three touchdowns passing. As a result, he was named MVP of the championship game. Linebacker Nate Barnes had 11 tackles including 2.0 sacks while Tyler Morrissey made nine stops. Defensive tackle Shaq Ryder had two sacks and Peterkin notched a sack to go along with his pick.
A.J. Long scores with the entire Rock defense in pursuit (Photo Ron Hockman)It wasn’t a perfect game by any means. West Chester had two PAT’s blocked and the stifled second half offense would have been worrisome if the score were closer. But a dominating first half performance and an eight minute advantage in time of possession were more than enough to limit Slippery Rock to their lowest point total of the season.
West Chester Athletic Site - No. 9 West Chester Claims PSAC Title With Convincing 33-10 Win
Slippery Rock Athletic Site - First half woes doom Rock in PSAC title game
Daily Local News - West Chester Univ. wins first PSAC football title in 47 years
CUTV Sports - Video Highlights
Ron Hockman - Photo Album - Slippery Rock - First Quarter
Ron Hockman - Photo Album - Slippery Rock - Second Quarter
Ron Hockman - Photo Album - Slippery Rock - Third Quarter
Ron Hockman - Photo Album - Slippery Rock - Fourth Quarter
Ron Hockman - Photo Album - Slippery Rock - End Game and Postgame
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