Game Preview - Lock Haven

West Chester (5-3, 3-2) will travel to Lock Haven to play their last road game of the season. They take on the Bald Eagles (1-7, 0-5) at 4:00pm Saturday in Hubert Jack Stadium.

Series History:
West Chester holds a 25-6-1 lead in the series. Current WCU head coach Bill Zwaan is undefeated in his previous nine meetings against the Bald Eagles. Lock Haven moved from the PSAC West to the PSAC East prior to the 2013 season when they replaced LIU Post in the division. Head coach John Kelling is in his first season as a head coach at the collegiate level after spending six years as a defensive assistant coach at Frostburg State which recently became a member of the Mountain East Conference.

Last 10 Meetings:

Year	H/A	W/L	Score	Year	H/A	W/L	Score
1991	Home	Loss	13-7	2015	Away	Win	33-9
2008	Home	Win	37-6	2016	Home	Win	37-7
2009	Away	Win	43-0	2017	Away	Win	35-14
2013	Away	Win	34-13	2018	Home	Win	48-14
2014	Home	Win	41-6	2019	Away	Win	56-14

Last Meeting:

11/09/2019 West Chester 56 - Lock Haven 14

On a cold day in Lock Haven, West Chester raced out to a 42-0 lead en route to a 56-14 win over the Bald Eagles. Ja'Den McKenzie ran for 109 yards and a touchdown while Phil Poquie tallied 59 yards and two scores. Although games against Lock Haven are primarily running affairs, Seth Degree had four catches for 55 yards and Dan Neuhaus had three catches for 50 yards.

Defensively, Fulani Freeman had a sack and Cole Zapf made nine tackles.

Interestingly enough, Lock Haven's second touchdown came on a pass from tight end Jalen Jackson who has since joined the Golden Rams.

Scouting the Opponent:

Lock Haven's top rusher from 2019 was Chantz Swartz who is now with Shepherd and their top receiver was Jalen Jackson who is now with West Chester. Offensive lineman Trevor Miller was All-PSAC East in 2019, but has only seen action in four games thus far this season.

Quarterback Ethan Persa (69 of 138, 731 yards, 4 TD's, 3 int's) is coming off his best game of the season in their 32-15 loss to Kutztown last week. Freshman Jordan Heisey (25 of 67, 242 yards, 1 TD, 3 int's) has seen playing time in five games this season. The running game is led by freshman DeAndre Wakefield (64 carries, 381 yards, 4 TD's) and junior Dante Graham (53 carries, 201 yards, 3 TD's). Receiving leaders are 6'3" Chris Hicks (14 catches, 223 yards, 1 TD), Justin White (9 catches, 159 yards, 1 TD) and freshman Kaden Bittinger (13 catches, 147 yards, 1 TD).

Defensively, linebacker Shane Scott (73 tackles, 3.5 sacks) is Lock Haven's top tackler. Fellow linebacker Austin Barber (44 tackles, 4.5 sacks) leads the team in sacks while freshman defensive lineman Justin Anderson (12 tackles, 3.5 sacks) also penetrates the backfield.

Analysis:

Lock Haven lost to all PSAC opponents by an average score of 49-13 and they are near the bottom of the PSAC in both total offense and total defense. This should be a game for the Golden Rams to continue to improve on the passing game, then run out the clock. Hopefully the West Chester defense can avoid the big plays for the first time in a long time. The weirdest things about this game is the 4:00 start time and the forecasted wet weather.

Massey Ratings project the Golden Rams winning by 20+ points.

Note: For those fans who haven't been to Lock Haven, the stadium has seating only on the home side.

Game Coverage:

Live Stats   Audio   Video

PSAC Site - PSAC Football Notes, Week 9

Lock Haven Athletic Site - Game Day Central, Oct. 30 vs. West Chester