Charles Dickens would have been proud of the Tale of Two Halves. Trailing 20-10 at halftime and playing fairly miserable football, the Golden Rams used two touchdowns and two interceptions to take the lead early in the third quarter and tacked on two more scores while shutting out the Warriors in the second half.
The game opened interestingly enough. For only the second time this season (Millersville), West Chester didn’t win the coin toss so they started the game on defense. The Golden Ram defense forced a three-and-out, but East Stroudsburg simply ran the ball three times. It was apparent they were merely evaluating the WCU defense and setting up play action which was to be performed later.
As he’s done so many times this season, Brandon Monk had an electric punt return of 32-yards which gave the Golden Rams great field position. However, the drive stall in the red zone and West Chester had to settle for a 25-yard Shawn Leo field goal. East Stroudsburg answered with their quick strike offense, as quarterback Matt Soltes completed three passes to navigate 61 yards in just 1:39 to give the Warriors a 7-3 lead.
The Golden Rams would answer right back as Sean McCartney would run a naked bootleg in for the touchdown from the three out of the jumbo package. With West Chester holding a 10-7 lead, the two teams exchanged punts with the result being East Stroudsburg gaining possession at midfield. On the Warriors’ first play from scrimmage, Soltes scrambled for six yards, however he was injured and did not return. The impact was hardly noticeable as his replacement, senior Nate Daniels, led East Stroudsburg down the field to regain the lead 14-10.
On the ensuing Golden Ram possession, McCartney got hit as he was throwing a pass which redirected the ball into an East Stroudsburg defender’s arms and he returned it for a touchdown. Unbeknownst to anyone at the time, it be the last points that the Warriors would score as even their point after attempt failed.
In the waning minutes of the first half, with a first down on the ESU 29, the Golden Rams were poised to cut into East Stroudsburg’s 20-10 lead. However, an incomplete pass, followed by a four-yard loss plus a personal foul penalty on Shawn Driggins, followed by a sack set up a fourth and 37 from the WCU 44. Rich Bruno didn’t even punt the ball far enough for a first down, but the half ended quietly.
And then the sun came out, both literally and figuratively. The Golden Rams opened with a 6-play, 76-yard drive that ended in a McCartney to Shannon Mayer 7-yard touchdown pass. East Stroudsburg’s next drive was thwarted when Mike Labor picked off a pass on their second play. McCartney then made R-Fr Jim Hurley’s first collegiate catch a memorable one as the two hooked up for a 25-yards touchdown giving West Chester a 24-20 lead.
On ESU’s next play from scrimmage, the Warrior tight end got behind the defense but he could not haul in the pass. As it bounced around his hands and shoulder pads, it landed in the arms of Ronell Williams who returned it 27 yards to the ESU 35. This opportunity yielded no points, however, as Leo pushed the 36-yard field goal attempt wide right. Later in the third quarter, Leo would convert a 23-yard field goal to extend West Chester’s lead to 27-20.
The fourth quarter opened with the Golden Rams failing to convert a fourth and one from the ESU 29. On East Stroudsburg’s second play from scrimmage, they ran a flea flicker and got the first down on a pass interference penalty against West Chester. On the very next play, they ran the exact same flea flicker, but they failed to account for Labor who laid a monster hit for a nine-yard sack. The Warriors would end up punting and Monk took it to the house, but it was called back due to an illegal block. So West Chester resorted to the old fashioned way of scoring, running 11 plays over four and a half minutes, culminating in Driggins’ first collegiate catch which was a four-yard touchdown.
Although East Stroudsburg would move the ball 52 yards, the Golden Ram defense made it difficult for them as they tallied three sacks on the drive and it resulted in no points.
Notes – Wide receiver LaRonn Lee got injured on West Chester’s third offensive play and did not return…Rondell White amassed 179 yards rushing and 59 yards receiving, but for the first time since the third game of 2012, he did not score…East Stroudsburg running back Robert Healy came into the game averaging 120 yards rushing, but the Golden Ram defense held him to just 38 yards…With Lee out, Mayer (7 catches, 78 yards, 1 TD) and Adam Dempsey (6 catches, 65 yards) both had big games…East Stroudsburg came into the game converting on 50% of their third downs, but the Golden Ram defense held them to 2 of 11 or 18%...Driggins, Mayer and Hurley all has their first touchdowns of their careers…East Stroudsburg came into the game averaging 34+ minutes in time of possession, but had the ball for less than 26 minutes against West Chester...Labor finished the game with 8 total tackles, 2 sacks and an interception...West Chester outgained East Stroudsburg 307 - 83 in the second half.
West Chester Athletic Site - Second Half Comeback Lifts No. 17 West Chester To 34-20 Victory Over East Stroudsburg
Daily Local News - West Chester turns back ESU to stay unbeaten
Pocono Record - ESU falls to West Chester
Philly.com - West Chester, Lehigh win
Bert Garbutt - Photo Collage WCU Football vs East Stroudsburg
East Stroudsburg Athletic Site - ESU Football Falls at No. 17 West Chester, 34-20
D2football - PSAC Columnist - Recapping Week 6 In The PSAC
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