Senior Paul Dooley returned to lead the offense and showed no signs of an arm injury that held him out last week. On West Chester's second possession, he heaved what looked to be a sure touchdown pass, but receiver Seth Degree was thinking the same thing and failed to secure the catch. There was a frustrating moment early in the game. West Chester's first offensive possession started deep in their own territory and resulted in a quick three-and-out. Punter George Lambritsios launched one of his trademark punts to seemingly shift field position. But a penalty flag was thrown and the play was blown dead. After some discussion, the officials negated the penalty call, and Lambritsios' next kick was only 40 yards.
Jarey Elder on his way to the end zone (Photo Ron Hockman)After just one play into the second quarter, the Golden Rams found themselves down 10-0. And West Chester's next two possessions resulted in turnovers, which made the deficit seem to grow. But senior captain Jarey Elder took advantage of a blitz to jump in front an East Stroudsburg receiver to intercept a pass and return it 37 yards for West Chester's first points of the game. Trailing 10-7, Fulani Freeman pressured the quarterback and safety Trael Seegers made a leaping interception to give West Chester the ball just inside Warrior territory. Dooley and company worked their way downfield, using a third-down East Stroudsburg pass interference penalty to set up an Isaiah Bruce 11-yard touchdown run.
Fulani Freeman pressured this interception (Photo Ron Hockman)It looked like West Chester would head into the locker room with a 14-10 lead, but the Golden Rams elected to use some defensive timeouts to get one last crack at points. Now, WCU employed this same strategy last week. At Shepherd, West Chester used a timeout when Shepherd had the ball at their own 6 with 40 seconds left in the second quarter only to see the Rams work their way down the field and miss a 29-yard field goal attempt. It played out a little differently against East Stroudsburg. West Chester got the ball back, but their possession lasted only 32 seconds, lost two yards, and the Golden Rams were forced to punt the ball back to the Warriors. West Chester seemed to avert a bullet when Zach Demarchis intercepted East Stroudsburg's Hail Mary as time expired, but West Chester was offsides on the play and the Warriors picked up five yards and an untimed down. Rather than attempt another long pass, East Stroudsburg attempted a 56-yard field goal which was true. So West Chester's lead was narrowed to 14-13 at intermission.
Zach Demarchis had four tackles (Photo Ron Hockman)The Golden Rams' first possession after halftime was sharp. Dooley completed a 45-yard strike to tight end Dan Neuhaus and a pair of passes to Lex Rosario. The 77-yard drive was capped by a 15-yard touchdown pass to Neuhaus. Unfortunately, East Stroudsburg, which changed quarterbacks towards the end of the first half, responded with a 75-yard touchdown drive of their own. The two-point conversion tied the game at 21 heading into the fourth quarter.
Dan Neuhaus with his fifth touchdown of the season (Photo Ron Hockman)Besides having six tackles and a pick-six, Elder had a really good day returning punts. His 16-yard return shortened the field for the offense and Dooley connected with Rosario on a 28-yard touchdown over the middle. Elder would later have an 18-yard punt return, although it didn't lead to any West Chester points. Poor West Chester tackling on punt coverage was bailed out by a Warrior holding penalty, but the Warriors had a final opportunity with two and a half minutes left. East Stroudsburg advanced the ball from their own 36 to the West Chester 17, converting a fourth down along the way. But passes into the end zone fell incomplete and the score went final.
Lex Rosario with the game-winning touchdown catch (Photo Ron Hockman)Despite Dooley's final numbers (13 of 26, 170 yards, 2 TD's, 2 ints), he had a solid performance. One of the interceptions was a great leaping catch by the East Stroudsburg defender and the other appeared that the receiver slowed on his route. And although he took two sacks, Dooley bought extra time on many passing plays and he had net 40 yards rushing including picking up three first downs.
Paul Dooley had an effective day running the ball (Photo Ron Hockman)There were some notable changes in West Chester's participants on defense. At linebacker Cole Zapf (5 tackles, 2 TFL, 1 QBH) replaced Rashon Wiggins (4 tackles, 0.5 sack), Demarchis (4 tackles, 0.5 sack) got the nod over Shamar Edwards, Jalik Smith (2 tackles) started in place of Izaiah McPherson (2 tackles), and Zach Liggitt started at defensive end. Overall, West Chester had 12 tackles for loss led by Nyeem Jones (9 tackles, 3 TFL for 17 yards) and Ch'aim Smith (8 tackles, 3.5 TFL for 13 yards).
Nyeem Jones with a tackle for loss (Photo Ron Hockman)Notes - Defensive tackle Omar Peterkin did not dress again and hasn't played since the Shippensburg game...after yesterday's win, head coach Bill Zwaan's homecoming record at West Chester stands at 13-4....the Golden Rams host undefeated Kutztown on Saturday at noon.
West Chester Athletic Site - Rosario’s Fourth-Quarter TD Lifts No. 21 West Chester to 28-21 Win Over East Stroudsburg
East Stroudsburg Athletic Site - ESU Drops Tight Game at No. 21 West Chester, 28-21
Daily Local News - West Chester University bounces back after loss, slips past East Stroudsburg
Allentown Morning Call - West Chester 28, East Stroudsburg 21
Ron Hockman - WCU Football vs East Stroudsburg - First Quarter Photos
Ron Hockman - WCU Football vs East Stroudsburg - Second Quarter Photos
Ron Hockman - WCU Football vs East Stroudsburg - Third Quarter Photos
Ron Hockman - WCU Football vs East Stroudsburg - Fourth Quarter Photos
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