Golden Ram Football Club: Game Report - Lock Haven 28

No player on the current Golden Rams roster was alive the last time that Lock Haven defeated West Chester. That is, until today. West Chester (3-4, 1-3) took a 21-7 lead early in the third quarter, but then faded away on both sides of the ball and fell to Lock Haven (3-4, 2-2) by a score of 28-21. This extends West Chester's losing streak to three games.

Johnny Pergine upends the Lock Haven ball carrier (Photo Chuck Greco)

The first quarter was all Lock Haven. The West Chester offense ran six plays for a total of 11 yards and taking just three minutes off the clock. Meanwhile, Lock Haven chewed up the remaining 12 minutes, but failed to score when the Golden Ram defense made two fourth-down stops and missed a 46-yard field goal attempt.

Future Robertson blows past Lock haven defenders (Photo Chuck Greco)

The game did a 180 to start the second period. West Chester quickly drove the field and took the lead on a Future Robertson (10 carries, 52 yards) one-yard TD plunge. Rylan Zuk's PAT was tipped but made it through. After the Golden Ram defense forced a three-and-out, WCU employed a nice mix of running and passing to navigate the 68 yards to the end zone. The drive was capped by a Colin O'Sullivan (24 of 35, 282 yards, 2 TD's, 2 int) to Matthew Iuvara (5 catches, 96 yards, 2 TD's) nine-yard touchdown pass to give WCU a 14-0 lead. Unfortunately, Iuvara was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct (the first of four such calls on WCU) on the score, and West Chester's ensuing kick off was from their own 20-yard line. The Bald Eagles returned the kickoff for a touchdown and West Chester's lead was quickly cut in half.

Matthew Iuvara turns up field after this catch (Photo Chuck Greco)

West Chester had an opportunity to score again in the first half. O'Sullivan completed five passes to four different receivers to get to the Lock Haven 11-yard line. But Zuk's 28-yard fied goal attempt was blocked. The half ended peacefully when Maurice Beverly (7 solo tackles, 2.0 sacks, 1 int) registered a sack at midfield.

Khadir Rowe and Jayden Trace converge on this tackle (Photo Chuck Greco)

The Golden Rams came out of the locker room on fire. O'Sullivan completed a 20-yard pass to Iuvara and after a short run by Robertson, the two connected again, this time for a 47-yard touchdown to give WCU a 21-7 lead. But Lock Haven wouldn't go away, marching 69 yards to pull within one score heading into the fourth quarter.

Connor Noble fills the hole to stop the run (Photo Chuck Greco)

When Beverly intercepted a Lock Haven pass at the LHU 22 early in the fourth quarter, the Golden Rams appeared to be in good shape. But Johnny Pergine was flagged for an unsportsmanlike penalty on the play which pushed the ball back to the 37, still within striking distance. O'Sullivan completed a fourth-down pass to Dylan McKenzie (8 catches, 106 yards) to get to the Lock Haven nine-yard line. Two runs got the ball to the one-yard line and the next two runs didn't get the ball any closer. Failing to get into the end zone was far worse than it appeared as the momentum shifted to the Bald Eagles. Lock Haven swiftly navigated the 99 yards for the tying touchdown.

Ricardo Delgado registers five-yard sack (Photo Chuck Greco)

West Chester's next possession found them with a second-and-one at midfield. But again, the Golden Rams were unable to gain one yard in multiple attempts and possession went to Lock Haven on downs. With less than two minutes remaining, West Chester allowed the Bald Eagles to go 53 yards in just three plays for the game-winning score.

This ball resulted in a Maurice Beverly interception (Photo Chuck Greco)

In general, O'Sullivan looked good. He threw two interceptions, although the first went through McKenzie's hands and the second one came on West Chester's last possesion when they were acting in desperation mode. He connected with 11 different receivers, although he had favorite targets in McKenzie and Iuvara. O'Sullivan's not a runner and there were a couple of times when he had opportunites to do so. He did not get sacked in the game.

Dylan McKenzie had career-high 8 catches for 106 yards (Photo Chuck Greco)

Defensively, besides Beverly's big game, Jimmy Wright (9 total tackles) came up from his safety position to make several stops in the Lock Haven running game. Ricardo Delgado (3 tackles) also registered a sack for the Golden Rams.

Jimmy Wright with one of his eight solo tackles (Photo Chuck Greco)

Personnel observations:

Will Silverman and Aanjay Feliciano each had a catch in their Golden Rams debut.
None of WCU's three team captains played. Cooper Jordan was dressed, presumably as an emergency backup quarterback. Tight end Thatcher Miller was dressed, but did not see the field. Defensive end Nate Desmond did not dress. Also, quarterback Ethan Kohler did not make the trip.
Geoffrey Gretta rotated with Jake Phipps at left tackle.