The 2016 West Chester University Golden Ram football team was honored at the 51st 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:
Bentley -
Nydair Rouse -
Rouse (So., Simon Gratz) was having a solid day in Waltham, MA. He logged four solo tackles including a sack and assisted on another. But was his 35-yard pick-six with three and a half minutes left that broke a tie game and led to West Chester's 31-24 win.
Slippery Rock -
Shannon Mayer -
Mayer (Sr., Norristown) had a career day by hauling in nine catches for 128 yards and two touchdowns in the loss to Slippery Rock. Besides his two touchdown catches of 28 and 14 yards, he also had catches of 23, 8, and 32 yards that resulted in first downs for the Golden Rams.
Edinboro -
Tyler Karpinski -
Karpinski (Jr., Manheim Township) had nine catches, eight of which went for first downs, and the ninth for a touchdown. His nine receptions totaled 178 yards. What makes the massive numbers more amazing is that Karpinksi got hurt on his fourth catch just prior to the end of the first half, and returned from the locker room not wearing his shoulder pads. After missing most of the third period, he returned to the game and helped to force overtime.
Lock Haven -
Andrew Derr -
Derr (Jr., Upper Dublin) accounted for all five touchdowns in the Golden Rams' 37-7 win. He completed 21 of 36 passes for 234 yards and three touchdowns without throwing an interception. On the ground, Derr carried the ball 13 times for 50 yards and two touchdowns without taking a sack.
Kutztown -
Jordan Banks -
Banks (So., Susquehanna Township) had a game high seven catches for 92 yards. Two of his catches resulted in first downs, including a critical 50-yard catch-and-run on fourth-and-nine that put West Chester in scoring position with 16 seconds left in the game.
Shippensburg -
Steven Denby -
In his first collegiate start, Denby (So., Imhotep) had a game-high 11 tackles, including 2.0 tackles for loss. He registered a solo sack of eight yards. He was named PSAC Defensive Athlete of the Week for the game.
Bloomsburg -
Pete Galiano -
In a dominating defensive performance by the Golden Rams, Galiano (Sr., Camden Catholic) led West Chester with seven total tackles. He had two solo stops and assisted on five others. Two of his stops came on special teams.
Cheyney -
Ch'aim Smith -
Smith (So., York Suburban) made his presence felt right from the beginning of the game. In the first quarter, he assisted on a tackle, registered a quarterback hurry and blocked a 24-yard field goal attempt. He then notched a solo six-yard sack in the second quarter and a 13-yard solo sack in the third period. Smith finished the game with two solo tackles and four total tackles.
East Stroudsburg -
Jarel Elder -
East Stroudsburg's defense is a West Chester running back's dream. This year, it was Elder (Jr., Parkland) who ran for 118 yards and two touchdowns on just 17 carries. His touchdown runs came on twelve and two-yard runs. Elder also returned two kickoffs for a total of 34 yards.
Millersville -
Kyle Keyser -
In West Chester's first shutout since 2014, Keyser (Sr., Garnet Valley) started but only played one down due to injury. Still, he provided leadership to a Golden Ram secondary that accumulated four interceptions and three pass breakups.
Clarion -
Kevin Malone -
Malone (Sr., West Catholic) had only one solo tackle early in the third quarter. But in the fourth quarter, West Chester's lead had slipped to 31-10 and the offense had just had two three-and-out possessions. Clarion had moved down to the West Chester 28-yard line when Malone picked off a pass and raced 85 yards for the pick-six, a fine way for the captain to end his senior season.
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West Chester Football
Scholar Athlete of the Year -
Kyle Keyser - At last year's PSAC Football Championship game, Keyser (Sr., Garnet Valley) was named the PSAC Football Champion Scholar for his 3.887 grade point average in finance. After this season, for the second consecutive year, he was named to the Philadelphia Inquirer Academic All-Area Football Team as voted by the sports information directors of the colleges and universities in the Philadelphia area.
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The following players were selected by the coaches for their efforts this season:
Offensive Scout Team in Memory of Mark Killinger -
Mike Alley -
Alley (Fr., Pennsbury) was a two-time all-conference quarterback in high school and accounted for 26 touchdowns his senior year while leading his team to the PIAA Class AAAA semi-finals.
Dave Williams Defensive Scout Team -
Jordan Burney -
Burney (Fr., Conwell Egan/Hyde School) racked up almost 500 yards rushing and receiving in his senior year at Conwell Egan. Historically a pass rusher on defense, he has adapted well to the Golden Ram secondary.
Ted Novak Memorial Coaches' Award -
Kyle Keyser -
Those who sat on the visitor's sideline at Bentley may have seen Keyser (Sr., Garnet Valley) showing the training staff that his left hand was good enough for him to re-enter the game. He did return and finished with a team-high seven tackles. During the week after the win over the Falcons, he had surgery on that hand which was heavily bandaged for the remainder of the season, however he never missed a start.
Mark and Julie Drochek Coaches' Award -
Ralph Reeves -
As a captain, Reeves (Sr., North Penn) was expected to provide leadership to the team this past year. But when his season was cut short due to an injury suffered at Edinboro, guidance to the defense became his full-time role. In less than three full games this past year, Reeves registered 18 total tackles including 5.0 tackles for loss.
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The following players were selected by their teammates for their performance for the season:
Kelly's Sports Unsung Hero -
Kyle Keyser -
Battling a hand injury suffered in the season opener at Bentley, Keyser (Sr., Garnet Valley) finished sixth on the team with 38 tackles. Additionally, he had 1.5 tackles for loss and two pass breakups on the season. Keyser was named Philadelphia Inquirer Academic All-Area.
Bill Vansant Memorial Special Teams Award -
Mike Class -
It's not unusual for a team's number two rusher to also provide an impact on special teams, but consider that Class (So., Pennridge) did not return a single kickoff or punt this season. Rather Class was a force on kick coverage teams. For the season, he registered eight total tackles on kickoff coverage and when he wasn't making the stop, he was blowing up blocks so his team mate could get to the ball carrier. By the way, he had 353 yards and three touchdowns rushing and two receptions for 16 yards on the season.
Muz and Lew Peck Offensive Player of the Year -
Tyler Karpinski -
Karpinski (Jr., Manheim Township) was West Chester's leading receiver this past season with 45 catches for 798 yards and eight touchdowns. He also returned three punts for 16 yards to finish second on the team in all-purpose yards with 814. He had a catch in every game and registered 100 yards receiving against Edinboro (178), Shippensburg (103) and Bloomsburg (105). Karpinski was named first team All-PSAC East and honorable mention All-ECAC.
Jim and Stacy Vansant Defensive Player of the Year -
Nydair Rouse -
Starting every game at shark as a sophomore, Rouse (So., Simon Gratz) notched only 15 total tackles on the season, although one was a sack at Bentley and another was a 15-yard tackle for loss at East Stroudsburg. But the biggest impact Rouse had was bypassing the Golden Ram offense and putting points on the board himself. He had three interceptions on the season, all of which he returned for touchdowns. His 35-yard return at Bentley was a game winner in the waning minutes of the game. He also had a 28-yard pick-six at East Stroudsburg and a 79-yard interception return for touchdown against Millersville as the first half came to a close. He was also credited with a forced fumble at Clarion and a blocked PAT at Kutztown. Rouse was named first team All-PSAC East, first team All-ECAC and third team Don Hansen Football Gazette Super Region 1.
Geoff Ruth Memorial Defensive Player of the Year -
Kevin Malone -
Malone (Sr., West Catholic) shook off an early season shoulder injury to register 21 tackles, including nine solo stops, on the season. He had a 16-yard fumble recovery against Lock Haven and had interceptions against Shippensburg, Millersville and Clarion. He returned the pick at Clarion 85 yards for a touchdown. The team captain was named first team All-PSAC East, first team All-ECAC and third team Don Hansen Football Gazette Super Region 1.
WCU Football Athlete of the Year -
Jarel Elder -
Elder (Jr., Parkland) led the Golden Rams with 1,393 all-purpose yards which was also good for 10th in the PSAC. His team-high 1,013 rushing yards was fifth-best in the conference. Elder also amassed 184 yards receiving on 12 catches and 196 yards on nine kickoff returns. His 11 touchdowns all came on the ground. Elder was named first team All-PSAC East, first team All-ECAC and third team Don Hansen Football Gazette Super Region 1 and Philadelphia Inquirer Academic All-Area.
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Golden Ram Football Club Player of the Year -
Doug Gilbert -
A three-year starter at left tackle, Gilbert (Sr., Lenape) was the most decorated West Chester football player this past season. He was named first team All-PSAC East, third team Don Hansen Football Gazette All-Super Region One, second team CCA All-Super Region 1, first team All-ECAC, and Philadelphia Inquirer Academic All-Area. Prior to the season, Gilbert was named second team All-American by Lindy's, FootballGameplan.com and D2football.com.
All-American Tyler Drob (Photo R&R Photography)
Head Coach Bill Zwaan presents Kyle Keyser with the Ted Novak Memorial Coaching Staff Award (Photo Ron Hockman)
Head Coach Bill Zwaan took the liberty to present Ralph Reeves with the 
Jim and Summer Vansant present Mike Class with the 
Head Coach Bill Zwaan elected to make the presentation of the Muz and Lew Peck Offensive Player of the Year Award to Tyler Karpinski (Photo Ron Hockman)
Jim and Stacy Vansant present Nydair Rouse with the Jim and Stacy Vansant Defensive Player of the Year (Photo Ron Hockman)
Head Coach Bill Zwaan presents Kevin Malone with the Geoff Ruth Memorial Defensive Player of the Year Award (Photo Ron Hockman)
Head Coach Bill Zwaan presents Jarel Elder with the 
Golden Ram Football Club Vice-President Len Fredericks and Treasurer Lew Peck present Doug Gilbert with the Golden Ram Football Club 