Teams News - 2017 Season Review - Special Teams

Kick and Punt Returns

Sophomore Jarey Elder assumed punt return duties for the Golden Rams. He averaged 8.3 yards on 18 returns which was good for fifth in the PSAC. Against Edinboro, Mike Class blocked a punt which Justice Smith returned 12 yards for a touchdown. Jarel Elder averaged 20 yards on 28 kickoff returns, with his long of 46 yards coming in the final two minutes of the Kutztown game with the score tied. Mark Dukes had nine returns for a 24.3 yard average and redshirt freshman Nafeese Nasir made seven returns for a 20.4 yard average.

Kick Scoring

The season started with George Lambritsios and Andrew Chegia splitting kick scoring duties. Chegia, playing his first organized football, popped a 26-yard field goal in the season opener against Bentley and a couple of PAT's at the end of the game against Edinboro. Meanwhile, Lambritsios was handling a majority of the PAT attempts. But after Lambritsios missed three healthy field goals - 38, 42 and 46 yards - over the span of four games, Chegia became the field goal kicker and finished the season 9 of 12 including converting all three attempts in a crucial game at Shippensburg. Chegia also took every PAT attempt from midway through the East Stroudsburg game to the end of the season. He finished the season 13 of 15 on PAT's for, when including his nine field goals, 40 points and second team All-PSAC East and first team All-ECAC honors. Lambritsios finished 36 of 41 on PAT's for 36 points.

Andrew Chegia received conference honors this season (Photo Ron Hockman)

George Lambritsios converted 36 PAT's this year (Photo Ron Hockman)

Reserve defensive lineman Shane Griffin handled all of the long snapping duties while Brendan Paulison was the primary holder.

Shane Griffin served as long snapper (Photo Ron Hockman)

Brendan Paulison served as the holder this season (Photo Ron Hockman)

Punts and Coverage

Brendan Paulison averaged 44.1 yards per punt (third in the country), booming 17 of his 61 punts for more than 50 yards while dropping 23 of them inside the opponent's 20-yard line. The Golden Rams were second in the nation in net punting, as Paulison limited opponents to only 25 returns for a 5.7 yard average. As a result, he was named first team All-PSAC East, first team CCA All-Super Region 1, first team All-ECAC, and second team CCA All-American.

Brendan Paulison is one of the top punters in the country (Photo Ron Hockman)

Kickoffs and Coverage

Kickoff coverage was an improved area for the Golden Rams this season as they finished fifth in the conference in net average. Paulison handled a majority of the kickoffs, and booted 15 of his 76 for touchbacks.

Paulison banged 15 touchbacks (Photo Ron Hockman)

Teams News - 2017 Season Review - Defense

The Golden Ram defense incurred a lot of change on the line and in the secondary this year, as players seemed to be lost due to injury every week. The preseason depth chart was rather senior laden, but several redshirt freshman saw significant playing time and a true freshman was starting by the end of the season. Despite the turnover of active players, the defense still played very well. West Chester played seven games against the top six offenses in the PSAC and finished fifth in total defense (356 yards per game). The rushing defense was sixth in the PSAC (136 yards per game), but the passing defense was ninth (220 yards) and surrendered 24 passing touchdowns while grabbing only nine interceptions.

After struggling to sack the quarterback in 2016, this season they led the conference with 38 sacks for 209 yards. In the category that matters most – scoring – West Chester’s 23 points allowed per game was fourth in the PSAC. West Chester allowed only 35% of third downs to be converted, good for second in the conference.

Defensive Line

As of the offseason, the prospects on the defensive line were bright. All four starters from 2016 were returning, two incoming transfers were expected and there were the prospects of a former starter returning to the team. In fact, the defensive line was so flush with players that Ben Smith was flipped to the offensive line. Ah, the best-laid plans…

By mid–August, it became apparent that Shaq Ryder, who started all 13 games for the 2014 Golden Rams would not be returning and Rutgers transfer Jamil Pollard was no longer on the roster. Rising senior defensive end John Dubyk (8 tackles) suffered an injury that cost him the first eight games of the 2017 season and defensive end Ch'aim Smith (2 tackles, 2 QB hurries, 1 forced fumble) suffered an injury in the season opener against Bentley that cost him the rest of this season. Despite playing in four games and starting three of them, tackle Kavon Johnson (6 tackles, 1 QB hurry) left the program five games into the season while tackle Joe DeSanto (5 tackles) had his season end after five games due to an off-the-field injury.

John Dubyk returned to play the final five games (Photo Ron Hockman)

Joe Desanto had his season cut short (Photo Ron Hockman)

Ch'aim Smith only played a half of football this year (Photo Ron Hockman)

The two mainstays on the defensive line were senior defensive end George Shipp (53 tackles, 8.5 sacks, 5 QB hurries) and senior defensive tackle and captain Josh Ganzelli (30 tackles, 6.0 tackles for loss), who both started all 13 games for West Chester this season. The year saw the emergence of Diquan Gilbert (39 tackles, 9.0 sacks, 6 QB hurries) who saw action in every game and received ten starts after a highly effective spring. Shipp was named first team All-PSAC East and first team All-ECAC while Ganzelli and Gilbert were named second team All-PSAC East.

Josh Ganzelli served as a captain this year (Photo Ron Hockman)

George Shipp had 8.5 sacks this year (Photo Ron Hockman)

Diquan Gilbert led the team in sacks and QB hurries (Photo Ron Hockman)

Also making a huge appearance on the team was redshirt freshman Omar Peterkin (21 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss) who wasn’t listed on the two-deep in week five against Kutztown and started the following week at Shippensburg.

Omar Peterkin got six starts this season (Photo Ron Hockman)

Other linemen that saw more action than was expected over the summer were Shane Griffin (16 tackles, 2.0 sacks), Mark Webb (15 tackles, 1.0 sack), and redshirt freshman David Simmons (7 tackles, 1.0 sack, 1 QB hurry). Ben Smith (1 tackle, 1.0 sack) played both ways in a couple of games and Jeff Driggins saw action.

Shane Griffin had 3.5 tackles for loss (Photo Ron Hockman)

Mark Webb had two starts at tackle (Photo Ron Hockman)

Redshirt freshman David Simmons played in nine games (Photo Ron Hockman)

Linebackers

One area where there were no questions was linebacker. After having only one tackle in 2016, Tyler Morrissey (137 tackles, 14.0 tackles for loss, 7.0 sacks) had the third most tackles in a season for a West Chester defender. He and fellow linebacker Kevin Duggan (55 tackles, 1.0 sack, 1 int) started every game this season for the Golden Rams. Duggan was named second team All-PSAC East while Morrissey was named PSAC East and ECAC Defensive Player of the Year.

Tyler Morrissey led the nation with 137 tackles (Photo Ron Hockman)

Kevin Duggan had a pick-six against Edinboro (Photo Ron Hockman)

Reserve linebacker Geoffrey Phillippe (5 tackles) had his season cut short due to an injury in the fourth game this season. Justice Smith (19 tackles, 1.0 tackle for loss) and Zack Hockman (23 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss) saw some time at linebacker, but were both very effective special team players.

Besides 19 tackles, Justice Smith also scored a touchdown (Photo Ron Hockman)

Zack Hockman played every game this season (Photo Ron Hockman)

Shark linebacker Nydair Rouse (26 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, 2 forced fumbles) had another solid season with Anthony Brown (22 tackles, 1 int, 1 fumble recovered) and Matt Magdelinskas (7 tackles, 2 fumbles recovered) providing backup.

Nydair Rouse had a forced fumble at Indiana (Photo Ron Hockman)

Anthony Brown provided versatility on defense (Photo Ron Hockman)

Matt Magdelinskas tackled soundly on defense (Photo Ron Hockman)

Secondary

In the secondary, Shaquille James (53 tackles, 3 int, 16 pass breakups) started every game at one corner while Quintin Smith (12 tackles, 1 fumble recovered) and Corey Kelley (26 tackles, 1 int, 2 pass breakups) split time at the other corner position.

Shaquille James was third in the PSAC in pass breakups (Photo Ron Hockman)

Quintin Smith recovered a fumble against Edinboro (Photo Ron Hockman)

Corey Kelley had a key pass breakup against Indiana (Photo Ron Hockman)

Free safety Jarey Elder (61 tackles, 2 int, 5 pass breakups) started every game and was second on the team in tackles. He looks to be a mainstay at that position for two more years. James and Elder were both named second team All-PSAC East and first team All-ECAC.

Jarey Elder had two interceptions this season (Photo Ron Hockman)

Redshirt freshman Jordan Burney (40 tackles, 5 pass breakups) started the first nine games at strong safety but was supplanted by true freshman Nate Barnes (48 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss) with sophomore Deionte Wilson (26 tackles, 1 forced fumble) also in the mix.

Jordan Burney had two fumble recoveries this season (Photo Ron Hockman)

Nate Barnes started the final three games of the season (Photo Ron Hockman)

Deionte Wilson had five tackles against Bentley (Photo Ron Hockman)

Jaishan Thornton (27 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, 2 pass breakups), Rashee Davis (7 tackles, 1 int, 4 pass breakups), and Phil Mitten (3 tackles, 1.0 tackle for loss) provided backup in the secondary and played key roles on special teams. True freshman Isaiah Cruz (6 tackles, 1 pass breakup) was lost for the season after three games due to an injury.

Jaishan Thornton was tenth on the team in tackles (Photo Ron Hockman)

Rashee Davis had a pick-six at Millersville (Photo Ron Hockman)

Phil Mitten was a key special teams contributor (Photo Ron Hockman)

Team News - 2017 Football Banquet

The Golden Ram Football Club will be sponsoring the 52nd annual team banquet to honor the 2017 Golden Rams players, coaches and staff on Saturday, January 27, 2018 at 5:30 pm at the Concordville Inn in Concordville, PA. Anyone interested in attending ($50) or sponsoring a player ($50) or table ($125, includes two seats) is asked to e-mail the Golden Ram Football Club by January 19, 2018 for further information.

Player News - Elder to Participate in Football Showcase

West Chester running back Jarel Elder is participating in the 4th Annual College Gridiron Showcase & Symposium in Addison, TX. Elder is a member of the Select Offense group.

Elder is a two-time first team All-PSAC East and first team All-ECAC selection. This year he was also named PSAC East Offensive Player of the Year and second team CCA All-Super Region 1. After his junior season, Elder was named third team Dan Hansen Football Gazette Super Region 1. He finished his college career in the top ten in several career offensive categories for the Golden Rams including rushing yards, rushing touchdowns and all-purpose yards.

CGS is a college post-season showcase for NFL Draft-eligible players across all college football divisions. CGS selects via a panel of football experts. Players come in for 5 days and 4 nights to be evaluated by professional football league scouts. The players receive professional coaching, mentoring, life coaching and seminars that will benefit them as they move forward in their professional lives in or out of football.

Jarel Elder will participate in the CGS Showcase (Photo Ron Hockman)

Alumni News - Vikings Training Staff Honored

Although they didn't play football for the Golden Rams, two West Chester University alumni recently received accolades for their role in the game of football. Eric Sugarman '91, Director of Sports Medicine and Head Athletic Trainer and Rob Roche '98, Assistant Athletic Trainer, are both part of the Minnesota Vikings athletic training staff that was awarded with the Ed Block Courage Award NFL Athletic Training Staff of the Year. The award is voted on by the Professional Football Athletic Trainers Society and recognizes one NFL athletic training staff annually for their distinguished service to their club, community, and athletic training profession.

David Jantzi, Rob Roche, former Viking defensive end Jared Allen, Eric Sugarman, Tom Hunkele, Albert Padilla

Vikings - Minnesota Vikings Athletic Trainers Honored as NFL Staff of the Year by Peers

Player News - Morrissey Receives Additional Honor

Tyler Morrissey received another honor for his performance in 2017 as D2football.com announced their All-American teams. The junior linebacker was named honorable mention. Morrissey had the third-most tackles ever in a season by a Golden Ram and the most since Lee Woodall in 1993. His 137 stops were most in the nation and his 10.5 tackles per game was second in the conference. He finished the season with 14.0 tackles for loss including 7.0 sacks, five quarterback hurries, two forced fumbles and a pass breakup. Morrissey was named first team All-PSAC East, first team All-ECAC, first team CCA All-Super Region 1, second team CCA All-American and second team AP All-American. He was also named PSAC East Defensive Player of the Year, ECAC Defensive Player of the Year and was a finalist for the Cliff Harris Award.

Tyler Morrissey recevied All-America honors from D2football.com
(Photo Ron Hockman)

2017 D2Football.com All-America Team

West Chester Athletic Site - Tyler Morrissey Earns Yet Another Postseason Honor

Alumni News - Former Quarterback Ron Gaynor Dies

Gaynor

Former West Chester quarterback Ron Gaynor has passed away. Gaynor was a four-year letter winner, three-year starter, and two-time team captain for the Golden Rams and was named second team All-PSAC East after his senior season. He ended his West Chester career with 4,421 yards passing which ranks tenth all-time in school history and 5,194 yards of total offense which is good for seventh in team history. Gaynor was inducted into the Killinger Foundation Football Hall of Fame in 2006.

After graduating with a 4.0 GPA in health sciences in 1982, Gaynor spent time in the NFL with the Seattle Seahawks, Philadelphia Eagles, and Buffalo Bills. After spending five years with MARCOR, he went on to own Precision Surface Preparation in York, PA for the past 18 years.

York Dispatch - Ronald Gaynor

Player News - Tyler Morrissey a Cliff Harris Award Finalist

Junior linebacker Tyler Morrissey has been named a finalist for the Cliff Harris Award which is presented to the small college defensive player of the year. The award was created by the Little Rock Touchdown Club and is presented to the top defensive player among NCAA Division II, Division III and NAIA schools as chosen by head coaches and a committee of college and professional football greats.

Morrissey was named first team All-PSAC East and PSAC East Defensive Player of the Year, first team All-ECAC and ECAC Defensive Player of the Year, and All-Super Region 1 and second team All-American by the Division 2 Conference Commissioner's Association and the Associated Press. He finished the season with 137 total tackles (2nd in the PSAC) including 14.0 tackles for loss (6th in the PSAC), five quarterback hurries and two forced fumbles (both in the playoffs).

Tyler Morrissey nominated for Cliff Harris Award (Photo Ron Hockman)

The original list of 138 nominees included 51 from Division II, 55 from Division III and 32 from NAIA schools. Morrissey is one of 30 finalists from Division II which includes 19 seniors, 10 juniors and 1 sophomore. The Cliff Harris Award winner will be announced on December 23 and the trophy will be presented to the recipient at the Little Rock Touchdown Club’s annual awards banquet on January 11, 2018.

The three finalists from the PSAC are:

• DE Marcus Martin - Slippery Rock
  
• LB Tyler Morrissey - West Chester
  
• S Max Redfield - Indiana
  

Cliff Harris Award - Cliff Harris Award finalists for best defensive player in DII, DIII and NAIA football announced

West Chester Athletic Site - Morrissey Named Cliff Harris Award Finalist

Team News - Coach Zwaan Help Homeless Students

Head coach Bill Zwaan was recently featured for his efforts to help West Chester University's homeless students during the holidays through the Promise Program which is a campus support program for homeless and foster youth.

Daily Local News - WCU helps homeless students during winter break

Fox29 - Program helps homeless college students over the holidays

Washington Post - At the holidays, university officials realized: Some students don’t have a home to go home to

Team News - Golden Rams receiving votes in Final AFCA Poll

The American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) released their final Division II poll of the 2017 season and West Chester was listed as "others receiving votes" and were 28th in points. The Golden Rams finished the season 9-4 with two wins over Shippensburg (10-2) which appears at #25 in the final AFCA poll.

West Chester opens the 2018 season when they visit Bentley.

American Football Coaches Association - Texas A&M-Commerce Ends 2017 at No. 1