Game Preview - Assumption

The Golden Rams (4-6) close the 2025 season with their first ever meeting with the Assumption Greyhounds (7-2) of the Northeast-10 Conference. Kickoff for West Chester's senior day is set for Saturday at noon. The game will also recognize the newest members of the Killinger Hall of Fame who will be inducted later that evening.

Series History:
This will be the first time these two teams meet on the football field.

Scouting the Opponent:

Head coach Andy McKenzie is in his eighth season as head coach of the Greyhounds and owns a 43-27 record. In 2022, McKenzie was the NE10 Coach of the Year when the Greyhounds won the NE10 and qualified for the NCAA Division II playoffs. Their most notable alumni are NFL receiver Deonte Harty (formerly Deonte Harris) and Brian Kelly who was head football coach at LSU until two weeks ago.

After last season, quarterback Jay Kastantin was named to the All-NE10 Rookie Team. This season, the dual threat signal caller leads the NE10 in passing (138 of 223, 1,974 yards, 19 TD's, 5 int) and is sixth in the conference in rushing (100 carries, 503 yards, 5 TD's). When he does hand the ball off, it usually goes to Kameron Robbins (116 carries, 521 yards, 6 TD's). They both get to run behind All-NE10 lineman Matthew Connolly. Top targets in the passing game are 6'4 wide receiver Connor Smith (34 catches, 647 yards, 7 TD's), Keith Mancini (27 catches, 376 yards, 2 TD's) and AJ Robinson (23 catches, 381 yards, 3 TD's).

All-NE10 place kicker Massimo Sgambati is on pace to repeat that award as he leads the conference in kick scoring (35 of 36 PAT's, 7 of 10 FG's) with 56 points and his longest field goal this season is 55 yards.

On defense, All-NE10 linebacker Owen Fitzgerald (101 tackles, 10.5 TFL, 7 QBH) is second in the conference in tackles this season, and Army transfer Nick Smith (58 tackles, 4 FF) is a stopper in the middle. Up front, All-NE10 defensive end Tindell Frick (59 tackles, 9.5 sacks) leads the conference in sacks this season, and Donovan Munroe (28 tackles, 8.0 TFL) spends a lot of time in the opponent's backfield. In the secondary, safety Billy Gould (43 tackles, 5 PBU, 1 int), cornerback New Hampshire transfer Brady Madigan (15 tackles, 5 PBU), and defensive back Jalen Smith-Phillip (17 tackles, 4 PBU) minimize opponents' passing game.

Analysis:

The Greyhounds' defense is second in the country in sacks with 35 and sixth in the country in tackles for loss, so the West Chester offensive line will be challenged even more than usual. However, they only have two interceptions this season, so if the Golden Ram quarterback can get the ball away, there may be an opportunity to get the ball downfield. Assumption can be vulnerable against the run, so West Chester needs to be committed to that part of the offense. The Assumption offense puts up big numbers (32 points, 390 yards) which doesn't bode well for the Golden Ram defense. Containing Kastantin and all his receivers will be a major hurdle for WCU. The Greyhounds are 0-2 when scoring less than 20 an 7-0 when scoring more than that, so watch for that figure.

Assumption and West Chester have two common opponents this season. They both took 30+ point losses to Kutztown and, ironically, split with Bentley. While West Chester's win in Waltham came in week one of the season, with the Golden Rams prevailing 30-13, Assumption's loss came just last week, a 20-17 setback in what was the de facto Northeast-10 championship game. As a result of that game, Bentley received an automatic bid to the NCAA Division II playoffs while Assumption, currently ranked #7 in Super Region 1, is fighting for its playoff life. So expect the Greyhounds to have a LOT of motivation in this game.

Massey Ratings is projecting a 28-26 Golden Ram win while Versus Sports simulates a 32-23 Greyhound victory.

Game Coverage:

Live Stats   Video   Game Program  

West Chester Athletic Site - West Chester Concludes 2025 at Home Against Assumption Saturday

D2football - PSAC Columnist - PSAC Week Eleven Preview