The 2021 West Chester University Golden Ram football team was honored at the 55th annual team banquet Saturday afternoon at the Sykes Student Union on the campus of West Chester University.
For their performance in each game this past season, Killinger Foundation President Rick Daniels presented the following players with the Killinger Foundation Player of the Game award:
Bentley - John George -
In West Chester's 41-17 loss at Bentley, George (Sr., Bishop Shanahan) averaged 41 yards on four punts without a touchback. His kicks went to the Bentley 20, 6, 16, and 17 yard line.
Mercyhurst - Michael Gobora -
In West Chester's 56-10 win at Mercyhurst, Gobora (So., Pennsbury) tallied eight total tackles, including 5.0 tackles for loss for 20 yards, 3.5 sacks and a forced fumble. He was named PSAC East Defensive Athlete of the Week as a result.
Edinboro - Phil Poquie -
In West Chester's 41-37 win over visiting Edinboro, Poquie (Sr., Haverford School) rushed for 110 yards on 14 carries for an average of 7.9 yards/carry. He was not tackled for a loss in the game and scored on a 16-yard run.
Millersville - Cole Zapf -
In West Chester's 42-14 win at Millersville, Zapf (Sr., Downingtown West) tallied four total tackles, including 3.0 tackles for loss for 19 yards and 2.0 sacks.
Bloomsburg - Jordan Burney -
In West Chester's come-from-behind 21-20 win over Bloomsburg, Burney (Sr., Bishop Egan) notched eight total tackles, including 1.5 tackles for loss and 0.5 sacks. One of his tackles for loss came on a third-and-goal from the one, forcing the Huskies into a field goal attempt which was missed.
Shippensburg - Omar Peterkin -
Although the Golden Rams fell at Shippensburg by a score of 34-18, Peterkin (Sr., Archbishop Wood) came up with seven total tackles, including 2.0 tackles for loss and 1.0 sacks.
East Stroudsburg - Rasheem James -
In a dominating 42-24 win over East Stroudsburg, James (Sr., Ben Franklin) only had four catches, but they totaled 83 yards including a back breaking 50-yard touchdown reception.
Shepherd - Shane Dooley -
In his best performance of his young career, Dooley (R-Fr., Father Judge) completed 20 of 30 passes for 276 yards, 5 touchdowns and no interceptions. He also netted 41 yards rushing after accounting for 36 yards in sacks, and almost rallied West Chester to victory in the final minutes of the contest.
Lock Haven - Dan Neuhaus -
In West Chester's 35-13 win at Lock Haven, Neuhaus (Sr., Bishop Shanahan) hauled in six passes for 127 yards. He scored on receptions of 14 and 30 yards on the day.
Kutztown - Jackson Taylor -
Despite the 21-14 setback to the PSAC East champion Kutztown Golden Bears, Taylor (So., Abington) racked up 16 total tackles, 11 of which were solo stops. He also notched 1.0 sack for eight yards and had another tackle for loss.
Indiana - Ja'Den McKenzie -
In West Chester's season ending 31-24 loss to Indiana, McKenzie (So., Sprigfield-Delco) scored all three of the Golden Rams' touchdowns. He rushed 23 times for a total of 112 yards and scored on runs of 47, 10 and 9 yards to give West Chester a 24-10 lead midway through the fourth quarter.
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West Chester Football Scholar Athlete of the Year - Michael Gobora
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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 - D'Shaun Seals -
Despite winning the scout team award, Seals (Fr., Imhotep) played in ten games this past season, returning 13 punts for 108 yards and nine kickoffs for 224 yards. He also had a 24-yard catch against Bloomsburg.
Dave Williams Defensive Scout Team - Nico Myers - Myers (R-Fr., Berks Catholic) saw action in three games this past season for the Golden Rams, logging a tackle at Mercyhurst.
Ted Novak Memorial Coaches' Award - Phil Poquie -
Poquie (Sr., Haverford School) had his season cut short after suffering an injury at Shepherd. But he filled up the stat sheet in the first seven plus games as he had 629 yards and 7 touchdowns rushing, 8 catches for 56 yards, 14 kickoff returns for 365 yards, and 6 punt returns for 57 yards. Poquie's 138 all-purpose yards per game was tops in the PSAC.
Mark and Julie Drochek Coaches' Award - Omar Peterkin -
Playing the role of the coach on the field, Peterkin (Sr., Archbishop Wood), a captain, was a mainstay on the defensive line. On the season, he totaled 40 tackles - including 8.0 tackles for loss and 4.0 sacks. Peterkin also blocked a field goal against Kutztown.
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The following players were selected by their teammates for their performance for the season:
Unsung Hero Award - Cole Zapf -
With an All-American manning the other linebacker position, Zapf (Sr., Downingtown West) was often overlooked. However, he finished second on the team with 72 tackles and was second on the team with 15.5 tackles for loss including 6.0 sacks. Zapf also forced fumbles at Mercyhurst and Shippensburg.
Bill Vansant Memorial Special Teams Award - John George -
George (Sr., Bishop Shanahan) dropped 18 of his 63 punts inside the opponents' 20-yard line while only kicking two touchbacks. He averaged 40.0 yards per punt which was good for third in the PSAC.
Brazill Family Defensive Player of the Year - Jackson Taylor -
Taylor (So., Abington) finished the season with 97 total tackles (7th in the PSAC) including 11.5 tackles for loss (12th in the PSAC). He received a host of honors including
first team All-PSAC East,
PSAC East Defensive Player of the Year,
All-Super Region 1 by the Division 2 Conference Commissioner's Association,
D2Football.com Elite 100,
honorable mention All-American by the Don Hansen Football Gazette,
and a Cliff Harris Award nominee.
Muz and Lew Peck Offensive Player of the Year, Golden Ram Football Club Player of the Year, and WCU Football Athlete of the Year - Ja'Den McKenzie -
McKenzie (So., Springfield-Delco) led the conference in rushing touchdowns with 12 and was third in the PSAC with 13 total touchdowns. He averaged 89 yards rushing per game which placed him third in the PSAC. McKenzie received the PSAC East Offensive Athlete of the Week award after the Bloomsburg game (22 carries, 121 yards, 2 TD's) and after the East Stroudsburg game (13 carries, 135 yards, 1 TD). He was named first team All-PSAC East for the second time.
The 2022 Golden Ram Captains were introduced and are
left tackle Brendan Ruskowski,
linebacker Jackson Taylor,
running back Ja'Den McKenzie, and
defensive end Zach Liggitt.
Head Coach Bill Zwaan presents Michael Gobora with the 
Head Coach Bill Zwaan presents D'Shaun Seals with the 
Head Coach Bill Zwaan presents Nico Myers with the 
Head Coach Bill Zwaan presents Phil Poquie with the 
Head Coach Bill Zwaan presents Cole Zapf with the Unsung Hero Award 
Jim Vansant presents John George with the 
Jim Brazill Sr. and Jim Brazill Jr. present Jackson Taylor with the 
Rick Daniels and Head Coach Bill Zwaan present Ja'Den McKenzie with the
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