The 2014 West Chester University Golden Ram football team was honored at the 49th annual team banquet sponsored by the
Golden Ram Football Club last night at the
Concordville Inn in Concordville, PA.
For their performance in each game this past season, the following were selected as the Killinger Players of the Game:
New Haven -
Mike Doty -
Doty (Sr., Central Bucks South) made his first collegiate catch a big one as he rescued a scrambling Sean McCartney on a third and eight and caught a pass that turned into a 38-yard touchdown. His other four receptions all resulted in first downs including converting a critical fourth and two. He would finish the game with five catches for a total of 75 yards.
Mercyhurst -
Drew Formica -
Formica (Jr., Cardinal O'Hara) only had three total tackles in the game, but it was his first quarter interception that he returned 39 yards for a touchdown that accentuated the Golden Rams' defensive performance in the contest.
Seton Hill -
Erick Brundidge -
Brundidge (Sr., Northeast) was nothing but a blur to the Griffins' defense. Flav had six catches for 166 yards and three touchdowns. His touchdown receptions came on plays of 81, 32 and 11 yards and two of his other catches went for first downs, including a 21-yard pickup when 18 yards were needed.
Millersville -
Antoine Bland -
Bland (Sr., Simon Gratz) anchored an offensive line that gained 270 yards and five touchdowns rushing, and 228 yards and three touchdowns passing. The Golden Rams totaled 30 first downs and 608 total yards and converted eight of their ten third down attempts.
Lock Haven -
Shannon Mayer -
Mayer (So., Norristown) had five catches for 68 yards and two touchdowns. Mayer's first touchdown was good for 13 yards and came on West Chester's first drive. Then on the Golden Rams' first possession of the fourth quarter, he caught passes of 14 and 22 yards on consecutive plays before capping the drive with a one-yard touchdown catch.
Kutztown -
Shaquil Ryder -
Ryder (So., Imhotep) had a team high ten tackles for the Golden Rams including a solo stop on the game's final play. He also notched a sack and a fumble recovery. Ryder was named PSAC East Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts.
Shippensburg -
Sean McCartney -
In front of a huge homecoming crowd, McCartney (Sr., Archbishop Wood) completed a 90-yard touchdown pass to tight end Tim Brown on the game's first play from scrimmage. McCartney would go on to complete 17 of his 29 pass attempts for 393 yards and five touchdowns. His five touchdown passes went to four different receivers. McCartney was named PSAC East Offensive Player of the Week for the game.
Bloomsburg -
Cory Scott -
Scott (Gr., Delaware St) was one of the few bright spots in the Golden Rams' only setback of the regular season. He registered a team high eight tackles in the game, including five solo stops. One of his stops also resulted in a loss. One of his key tackles came late on third down in the first quarter, which forced a Bloomsburg punt. He also had a solo tackle on the opening kickoff of the second half which pinned the Huskies back at their own 12.
Cheyney -
Mike Culbreath -
Despite abbreviated playing time due to the score, Culbreath (Sr., North Penn) had a team-high seven tackles. He quickly ended Cheyney's second possession when he sacked the quarterback, forced and recovered a fumble. On Cheyney's next possession, his forced fumble was recovered by a teammate. Of his six solo stops, five of them were behind the line of scrimmage.
East Stroudsburg -
Brandon Monk -
Monk (Jr., Avon Grove) was a workhorse at East Stroudsburg as he carried the ball 27 times for 257 yards and two touchdowns, all of which were season highs for West Chester. His average gain per carry was 7.1 yards and he didn't have a run longer than 33 yards. He was not tackled for a loss in the entire game. Monk also had a seven-yard catch. He was named PSAC East Co-Offensive Player of the Week for the game.
Indiana -
Mike Labor -
In West Chester's regular season finale, Labor (Sr., St. Joseph's Prep) had a season-high 15 tackles. Six of his tackles were solo stops and two resulted in losses. He also forced a fumble in the fourth quarter at midfield which was recovered by a teammate to thwart any notion of an Indiana comeback.
Slippery Rock -
Andrew Cohen -
Cohen (Jr., Council Rock South) led a dominating Golden Ram defensive effort. He posted nine total tackles including five solo stops. Cohen had 1.5 sacks and four other tackles for loss. He also had a pass breakup.
Concord -
Tim Brown -
Despite a season-ending loss, Brown (Jr., Upper Darby) had the best receiving game for the Golden Rams this season. He had a total of nine catches for 216 yards and two touchdowns. His most memorable catch was with West Chester trailing by 16 points with six minutes remaining, he took a short pass from Andrew Derr and fought off numerous tackles up the left sideline for the 62-yard touchdown to bring the Golden Rams to within one score.
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The following players were selected by their teammates for their performance for the season:
Muz and Lew Peck Offensive Player of the Year -
Tim Brown - In 2014, tight end Brown (Jr., Upper Darby) led the Golden Rams in receptions (53), receiving yards (1,059), touchdowns (17) and points (102). But Brown is best known for playing big in big games. Last season in four playoff games, he had 10 catches for 219 yards and three touchdowns. This season, West Chester only played in two postseason games, but in them, Brown posted 16 catches for 380 yards and five touchdowns. His other notable performance of four catches for 143 yards and two touchdowns came in front of 7,000 fans on homecoming. Brown was named first team All-PSAC East, first team Daktronics All-Super Region 1, first team Beyond Sports Network All-Super Region 1, second team Beyond Sports Network All-American, second team Daktronics All-American, an ECAC Division II Football All-Star, first team D2football.com All-American, and first team Don Hansen Football Gazette All-Super Region 1.
Timothy's of West Chester Defensive Player of the Year -
Al-Hajj Shabazz - Shabazz (Sr., John Bartram) finished the season third in the PSAC in interceptions (5), seventh in pass breakups (11) and third in passes defended (16). Shabazz returned one of those interceptions for a touchdown at Kutztown and recovered a blocked punt for a touchdown at New Haven. He also logged 28 solo tackles and 39 total stops this season. He was named first team All-PSAC East, first team Daktronics All-Super Region 1, first team Beyond Sports Network All-Super Region 1, second team Beyond Sports Network All-American, an ECAC Division II Football All-Star, a finalist for the Cliff Harris Award, first team D2football.com All-American, and first team Don Hansen Football Gazette All-Super Region 1.
Bill Vansant Memorial Special Teams Award -
Brandon Monk - Monk (Jr., Avon Grove) led the Golden Rams with 13 punt returns for 200 yards including an 80-yard return for touchdown at Indiana. His 15.4 yards/return average would have been second in the PSAC but he needed four more punt returns to qualify. Monk also returned 12 kickoffs for 304 yards for a 25.3 yard average. He was named first team All-PSAC East, honorable mention Beyond Sports Network All-Super Region 1 as a running back, and first team Don Hansen Football Gazette All-Super Region 1.
Kelly's Sports Unsung Hero -
Mike Labor - In 2013, Labor (Sr., St. Joseph's Prep) had 77 total tackles in the regular season and received second team All-PSAC East honors. This past season, he registered 83 total tackles in the regular season but received no post season recognition. For the entire season, Labor logged a team-high 96 stops including 13 in the season opener at New Haven and 15 in the regular season finale at Indiana. Among his stops were 14.0 tackles for loss. Labor also registered three pass breakups and three forced fumbles this year.
Offensive Scout Team in memory of Mark Killinger -
Mike Class - Mike Class (Fr., Pennridge) was a three-time first team all-conference and two-time first team all-state performer for the Pennridge Rams. Over his final three seasons, he logged over 5,700 yards and 68 touchdowns rushing and 720 yards and seven touchdowns receiving. He also had four interceptions as a cornerback in his senior year.
Defensive Scout Team from Dave Williams -
Ch'aim Smith - Ch'aim Smith (Fr., York Suburban) was a two-time first team all-conference performer. As a senior, he had 80 tackles, including 7.5 sacks in ten games on his was to third team all-state honors.
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The following players were selected by the coaches for their efforts this season:
Mark and Julie Drochek Coaches' Award -
James Colivas - Co-captain Colivas (Sr., Monsignor Bonner) was a two year starter at left guard for the two most prolific offenses in West Chester history. The 2013 team set the school record with 6,922 yards in 13 games (previous mark was 961 yards in 1994) and the 2014 team set a school mark with 500.3 yards per game (previous mark was 465.7 yards/game in 1998). He received second team All-PSAC East honors as a junior and first team All-PSAC East recognition and third team Don Hansen Football Gazette All-Super Region 1 as a senior.
Ted Novak Memorial Coaches' Award -
Ronell Williams - After two games, Williams (Sr., Chester) was having a season to live up to all of the preseason honors that he had received. He was in the midst of another stellar game at Seton Hill with nine total tackles in the first half. But just before halftime of that contest, Williams received a vicious low hit and suffered a knee injury. He would not return for the remainder of that game and would miss the next three games. He returned to the field for homecoming despite obviously not being 100%. He had no fewer than six tackles in each game against Shippensburg, Bloomsburg, East Stroudsburg, Indiana, Slippery Rock. Despite missing three games, he finished second on the team in total tackles with 68 and was named first team All-PSAC East, second team Daktronics All-Super Region 1, honorable mention Beyond Sports Network All-Super Region 1, Philadelphia Inquirer Academic All-Area, and first team Don Hansen Football Gazette All-Super Region 1.
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Sean McCartney was named both the
Golden Ram Football Club Player of the Year and
WCU Football Athlete of the Year as chosen by the players.
What a difference a year makes. In 2013, McCartney (Sr. Archbishop Wood) was 242 of 384 (63.0%) for 3,569 yards, 34 touchdowns and 14 interceptions for a quarterback rating of 163.0 for a team that finished 13-2 and advanced to the NCAA Division II semi-finals. This past season, he was 250 of 418 (59.8%) for 3,744 yards, 42 touchdowns and 10 interceptions for a quarterback rating of 163.4 for a team that finished 11-2 and advanced to the second round of the playoffs. The statistics are not markedly different. But in 2013, McCartney's post season recognition amounted to a pat on the back. This year, the list is a mile long. Besides the passing numbers and the accolades, McCartney is best known for his unflappable demeanor. After the Golden Ram offense left the field, it was difficult to determine by looking at him if he was sacked and lost a fumble or scrambled around and completed a long touchdown pass. It's McCartney's poise which made him one of West Chester's best ever quarterbacks and played in (6) and won (4) more playoff games than any other signal caller.
McCartney captured two PSAC East Offensive Player of the Week awards (Millersville and Shippensburg) and was named PSAC East Offensive Player of the Year. He was named first team All-PSAC East, first team Daktronics All-Super Region 1, Daktronics Super Region 1 Offensive Player of the Year, first team Beyond Sports Network All-Super Region 1, second team Beyond Sports Network All-American, third team AP Little All-America Team, an ECAC Division II Football All-Star, ECAC Co-Offensive Player of the Year, honorable mention D2football.com All-American, first team Don Hansen Football Gazette All-Super Region 1, and Don Hansen Football Gazette All-Super Region 1 Offensive Player of the Year. McCartney also finished fifth in the Harlon Hill voting.
West Chester Football
Scholar Athlete of the Year -
Rich Bruno - Bruno (Sr., Council Rock South) captures the team's Scholar Athlete award for the second consecutive year. Also for the second consecutive year, Bruno was named to the Philadelphia Inquirer Academic All-Area Football Team as voted by the sports information directors of the 28 colleges and universities in the Philadelphia area.
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Eerin Young had 404 all-purpose yards as a true freshman at Rhode Island
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Magdelinskas and other Neshaminy athletes (Photo Suburban One Sports)
Joe DeSanto signs his NLI to WCU (Photo Gene Walsh/The Times Herald)
Muz Peck and Golden Ram Football Club Treasurer Lew Peck present Tim Brown with the Offensive Player of the Year Award (Photo Mary Gilbert)
Head Coach Bill Zwaan presents Al-Hajj Shabazz with the Defensive Player of the Year Award (Photo Mary Gilbert)
Jim Vansant presents Brandon Monk with the Special Teams Award 
Mark and Julie Drochek present James Colivas with the Coaches Award 
Head Coach Bill Zwaan presents Ronell Williams with the Ted Novak Memorial Coaching Staff Award (Photo Mary Gilbert)
Golden Ram Football Club President Richard Greenwood presents Sean McCartney with Player of the Year Trophy (Photo Mary Gilbert)
