Game Report - West Chester 35 - Lock Haven 13

The Golden Rams (6-3 , 4-2) overcame five turnovers and defeated the Bald Eagles (1-8 , 0-6) in front of several dozen fans in Lock Haven.

Two of Dan Neuhaus's six catches were touchdowns (Photo Gina Chapman)

Three of the five turnovers can be directly equated to points. On West Chester's very first possession, quarterback Shane Dooley fumbled at the 15-yard line. And on the Golden Rams' second possession of the game, Dooley's interception at midfield was returned to the two-yard line. Finally, on the first play of the fourth quarter, quarterback Desman Johnson fumbled into the end zone. If West Chester converted both of their red zone fumbles into touchdowns and didn't essentially hand Lock Haven a touchdown, that's a 21-point swing in the net score. West Chester's other two turnovers - a fumble by Ja'Den McKenzie and another Dooley interception - came on the second and first play of the Golden Ram possessions, meaning the West Chester defense was thrust back onto the field far too quickly.

Zach Liggitt and friends make a tackle (Photo Gina Chapman)

And it was another game of Dooley running for survival. Dom Carey played for the first time in several weeks taking over for left tackle Brendan Ruskowski who traveled but did not dress. Dooley was sacked four times for a total of 23 yards, yet he managed a net positive 45 yards rushing in the game. And when he did buy time to throw, he completed 11 of his 17 passes for 189 yards and three touchdowns. Tight end Dan Neuhaus was the biggest beneficiary as he made six catches for 127 yards and two scores. McKenzie had a 32-yard catch and, without Phil Poquie on the trip, had 16 carries for 160 yards and a touchdown.

Shane Dooley rolls out before tossing a TD (Photo Gina Chapman)

But it wasn't until the fourth quarter, with West Chester clinging to a 21-13 lead, that the turnover issue finally went their way. Linebacker Jackson Taylor made an interception deep in Golden Ram territory and the offense quickly rolled the 82 yards for a touchdown. On Lock Haven's next possession, a blitzing Nyeem Jones had a strip sack that was recovered by Joe Janick. This time it was quarterback Yahmir Wilkerson, who was helped by a nice block by Mari Wright, that ended a two-play possession with a 39-yard touchdown run to set the final score.

Tight end Jalen Jackson scores a touchdown against his former team
(Photo Gina Chapman)

Overall the WCU defense played well, surrendering just 315 yards and holding Lock Haven to 3 of 12 on third down and 0 of 2 on fourth down. Besides the interception, Taylor had 12 total tackles including 2.5 tackles for loss. Jones had five solo tackles incluing 2.0 sacks for 20 yards while Cole Zapf made six total tackles.

Kendall Singleton makes an open field tackle (Photo Gina Chapman)

Sortable Box Score   

West Chester Athletic Site - West Chester Tops Lock Haven, 35-13

Lock Haven Athletic Site - Football drops PSAC East clash as West Chester pulls away late

Lock Haven Express - Lock Haven loses to West Chester despite five defensive takeaways

WCU Football Family - Photo Album - Lock Haven

Game Replay

Game Preview - Lock Haven

West Chester (5-3, 3-2) will travel to Lock Haven to play their last road game of the season. They take on the Bald Eagles (1-7, 0-5) at 4:00pm Saturday in Hubert Jack Stadium.

Series History:
West Chester holds a 25-6-1 lead in the series. Current WCU head coach Bill Zwaan is undefeated in his previous nine meetings against the Bald Eagles. Lock Haven moved from the PSAC West to the PSAC East prior to the 2013 season when they replaced LIU Post in the division. Head coach John Kelling is in his first season as a head coach at the collegiate level after spending six years as a defensive assistant coach at Frostburg State which recently became a member of the Mountain East Conference.

Last 10 Meetings:

Year	H/A	W/L	Score	Year	H/A	W/L	Score
1991	Home	Loss	13-7	2015	Away	Win	33-9
2008	Home	Win	37-6	2016	Home	Win	37-7
2009	Away	Win	43-0	2017	Away	Win	35-14
2013	Away	Win	34-13	2018	Home	Win	48-14
2014	Home	Win	41-6	2019	Away	Win	56-14

Last Meeting:

11/09/2019 West Chester 56 - Lock Haven 14

On a cold day in Lock Haven, West Chester raced out to a 42-0 lead en route to a 56-14 win over the Bald Eagles. Ja'Den McKenzie ran for 109 yards and a touchdown while Phil Poquie tallied 59 yards and two scores. Although games against Lock Haven are primarily running affairs, Seth Degree had four catches for 55 yards and Dan Neuhaus had three catches for 50 yards.

Defensively, Fulani Freeman had a sack and Cole Zapf made nine tackles.

Interestingly enough, Lock Haven's second touchdown came on a pass from tight end Jalen Jackson who has since joined the Golden Rams.

Scouting the Opponent:

Lock Haven's top rusher from 2019 was Chantz Swartz who is now with Shepherd and their top receiver was Jalen Jackson who is now with West Chester. Offensive lineman Trevor Miller was All-PSAC East in 2019, but has only seen action in four games thus far this season.

Quarterback Ethan Persa (69 of 138, 731 yards, 4 TD's, 3 int's) is coming off his best game of the season in their 32-15 loss to Kutztown last week. Freshman Jordan Heisey (25 of 67, 242 yards, 1 TD, 3 int's) has seen playing time in five games this season. The running game is led by freshman DeAndre Wakefield (64 carries, 381 yards, 4 TD's) and junior Dante Graham (53 carries, 201 yards, 3 TD's). Receiving leaders are 6'3" Chris Hicks (14 catches, 223 yards, 1 TD), Justin White (9 catches, 159 yards, 1 TD) and freshman Kaden Bittinger (13 catches, 147 yards, 1 TD).

Defensively, linebacker Shane Scott (73 tackles, 3.5 sacks) is Lock Haven's top tackler. Fellow linebacker Austin Barber (44 tackles, 4.5 sacks) leads the team in sacks while freshman defensive lineman Justin Anderson (12 tackles, 3.5 sacks) also penetrates the backfield.

Analysis:

Lock Haven lost to all PSAC opponents by an average score of 49-13 and they are near the bottom of the PSAC in both total offense and total defense. This should be a game for the Golden Rams to continue to improve on the passing game, then run out the clock. Hopefully the West Chester defense can avoid the big plays for the first time in a long time. The weirdest things about this game is the 4:00 start time and the forecasted wet weather.

Massey Ratings project the Golden Rams winning by 20+ points.

Note: For those fans who haven't been to Lock Haven, the stadium has seating only on the home side.

Game Coverage:

Live Stats   Audio   Video

PSAC Site - PSAC Football Notes, Week 9

Lock Haven Athletic Site - Game Day Central, Oct. 30 vs. West Chester

Event News - October 28 Bill Zwaan Show

The Bill Zwaan Show will be held at Timothy's in the Parkway Shopping Center in West Chester on Thursday starting at 7:00pm. Golden Ram fans unable to attend the show can listen to it live on WCHE1520AM.COM.

According to the Bill Zwaan Show, senior defensive tackle Joe DeSanto and sophomore offensive tackle Quinton Derr will be the special guests on Coach Zwaan's show. In addition, long-time defensive coach Jim Brazill Sr will join the show.

DeSanto has eight tackles on the season, including 1.5 tackles for loss. Meanwhile, after playing in 11 games in 2019, Derr has moved into the starting right tackle position for a Golden Ram rushing offense that ranks first in the PSAC and 9th in the country.

Come out to Timothy's at 7:00pm to participate in the show live. Or send your questions for coaches or the players to the Bill Zwaan Show.

Joe DeSanto
(Photo Gina Chapman)
Quinton Derr
(Photo Gina Chapman)

Game Report - #11 Shepherd 42 - West Chester 38

The Golden Rams (5-3, 3-2) went toe-to-toe with the #11 team in the nation, but they eventually ran out of gas and fell to the Shepherd Rams (7-1, 4-1) by a score of 42-38 in front of almost 6,000 fans on Shepherd's homecomng.

Despite the loss, there were a lot of positives to take away from this game:

Although he was often running for his life, quarterback Shane Dooley had the best game of his young career. He outdueled his counterpart who is the leading candidate for the Harlon Hill trophy this year, and threw for 276 yards and five touchdowns. Dooley also netted 41 yards rushing and that is after considering five sacks that acocunted for -36 yards. He even smartly slid at the end of plays so that when he got popped by a Shepherd defender, it resulted in an additional fifteen yard penalty due to the late hit. Sure, Dooley still made some bad decisions, but all in all, he put forth a great effort.

Shane Dooley surrounded by Rams (Photo Gina Chapman)

Receiver Seth Degree exploited a soft spot in the Shepherd zone numerous times for key first down catches. And then he scored two touchdowns on passes of 35 and 39 yards.

Seth Degree had 7 catches for 122 yards (Photo Gina Chapman)

Redshirt freshman linebacker Oscar Uduma saw his first collegiate action and made the most of it. On Shepherd's very first possession, he made a key third-down tackle to force a punt. And in the waning moments of the first half, he picked off a Shepherd pass at the two thwarting the Rams' scoring opportunity.

Oscar Uduma makes an open field tackle (Photo Gina Chapman)

The team showed incredible resilience. The Golden Rams rallied from a 14-0 deficit midway through the first quarter to take a 24-21 lead early in the second half. They battled throughout the seesaw affair of the third quarter and penetrated the Shepherd 35 on their final two possessions of the game.

West Chester dominated the time of possession by an almost 2:1 ratio. This was the result of the WCU defense forcing four three-and-outs, the Golden Ram offense not turning over the ball, and the West Chester rushing attack, despite being held to their second lowest output of the season, still grinding out 157 yards on 48 carries.

Zach Liggitt and Jackson Taylor stuff the run (Photo Gina Chapman)

West Chester was only flagged five times and only one of them was a personal foul. Conversely, the Golden Rams got four first downs as a result of Shepherd penalties.

Although he didn't break 100 yards, running back Ja'Den McKenzie (17 carries, 83 yards) had another solid game. He delivered his usual punishing runs, and caught his first pass of the season for an 18-yard touchdown on a Dooley scramble.

Ja'Den McKenzie had 83 yards on the ground (Photo Gina Chapman)

But of course there were plenty of negatives:

The Golden Rams had a punt blocked which resulted in Shepherd having the ball on the West Chester two-yard line and an easy touchdown. Punter John George was under a heavy rush all game and had his worst day this season. Consider the fourth-down "fumble" a couple of weeks ago at Shippensburg and it's obvious that there's a hole in the spread punt protection that quality opponents can exploit.

The offensive line struggled. Dooley was sacked five times and was often scrambling for survival. And this often came when Shepherd was only rushing their front four. West Chester's running game averaged only 3.3 yards per carry. In the three games this season when the Golden Rams averaged less than 4.4 yards per carry - Bentley, Shippensburg, and Shepherd - all resulted in losses.

Maurice Mazzccua had a 60-yard kickoff return (Photo Gina Chapman)

The West Chester defense gave up several big plays. A run right up the middle went for an 84-yard touchdown. A fifty-yard pass play fortunately was stopped at the three. And when Cole Zapf blitzed, Shepherd read it beautifully, threw a little swing pass into the void left behind which resulted in a 42-yard touchdown catch and run.

Some coaching decisions were bothersome. Trailing 21-14 in the second quarter, on third-and-goal from the two, the top rushing team in the PSAC threw a low percentage pass incomplete into the end zone. And on the next play, against the top scoring team in the conference, Sean Henry converted a 19-yard field goal when a touchdown was needed. West Chester's final offensive play of the game was another difficult pass attempt on fourth-and-two that went off a hand of tight end Dan Neuhaus.

Mari Wright sets the final block on a Dan Neuhaus score (Photo Gina Chapman)

West Chester was challenged from a personnel perspective. Cornerback Sterlen Barr still isn't back since week three against Edinboro and defensive back Trael Seegers did not make the trip. Cornerback Obi Anyatonwu, defensive end Michael Gobora and running back Phil Poquie all left the game due to injuries.

Sortable Box Score   

West Chester Athletic Site - West Chester Falls to No. 11 Shepherd, 42-38

Shepherdstown Chronicle - Whirlwind scoring duel leaves Shepherd still standing

WDVM - Shepherd Football Picks Up 4th Straight Win; Defeats West Chester on Homecoming Weekend

The Journal - Shepherd hangs on for victory over West Chester

Shepherd Athletic Site - Shepherd Football Outlasts West Chester

WCU Football Family - Photo Album - Shepherd

Game Replay

Game Preview - Shepherd

The #12 Golden Rams (5-2, 3-1) travel to Shepherdstown, WV to take on the #11 Shepherd Rams (6-1, 3-1) on Saturday. Kickoff for Shepherd's homecoming in beautiful Ram Stadium is set for noon.

Series History:
Since Shepherd just joined the PSAC in 2019, these two teams have faced each other just two times with both games played in West Virginia. The first meeting was in 2013 in the NCAA Division II Regional Championship when the Golden Rams came away with a 28-7 victory. The only regular season meeting was in 2019 and Shepherd captured that contest by a score of 35-23 en route to the second round of the NCAA Division II playoffs.

Last Meeting:

10/20/2019 Shepherd 35 - #12 West Chester 23

The Golden Rams surrendered over 400 yards passing while the offense committed four turnovers, so the final score doesn't look that bad, thanks in large part to five Shepherd turnovers. Without their starting quarterback, West Chester relied on freshman running back Ja'Den McKenzie (33 carries, 179 yards, 2 TD's) for most of its offense. Tight end Dan Neuhaus did register an 18-yard touchdown catch. But the defense didn't lay a hand on the Shepherd signal caller, and other than two picks, he had a big day. Defensively, linebacker Cole Zapf and tackle Joe DeSanto each had five tackles while Shamar Edwards had an interception.

Scouting the Opponent:

Shepherd is led by long-time assistant and fourth year head coach Ernie McCook and has a record of 23-7 entering Saturday's game.

Entering the season, quarterback Tyson Bagent (178 of 253, 2,432 yards, 28 TD's, 6 int's) was one of the top candidates for the Harlon Hill award and he has only improved that position as the season has progressed. He leads the country in passing yards, passing touchdowns and is second in passing efficiency. And he's being sacked less than once per game.

But it gets better. Ten different Shepherd Rams have caught touchdown passes this season and seven of them have double-digit catches. Redshirt freshman Ryan Beach (47 catches, 559 yards, 8 TD's) is a top target, but Clarion transfer Greg Leonard (21 catches, 298 yards, 5 TD's), Shippensburg transfer Josh Gontarek (22 catches, 481 yards, 2 TD's), and sophomore running back Ronnie Brown (11 catches, 304 yards, 3 TD's) all play a big part. Brown (55 carries, 563 yards, 5 TD's) averages a first down every time he runs the ball while Lock Haven transfer Chantz Swartz (53 carries, 393 yards, 6 TD's) averages "only" 7.4 yards per carry. Right tackle Joey Fisher was All-PSAC East in 2019 as a freshman.

The Shepherd defense touts four All-PSAC East players from 2019. Linebacker Chrys Lane (46 tackles, 1 sack, 4 QB hurries) and strong safety Ponce DeLeon (31 tackles, 1 int, 4 pass breakups) are the team's top two tacklers. Free saftey Antonio Fox (21 tackles, 5 pass breakups), tackle Juwan Addison (20 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss) are having great seasons again this year. Linebacker tackle Kyle Smith (27 tackles, 6.0 sacks) gets after the quarterback.

Since Shepherd scores so many touchdowns, they've only attempted three field goals. Gontarek is averaging ten yards per punt return. Against Shepherd, Shippensburg returned a kick off for a touchdown while Millersville returned a punt for a touchdown.

Analysis:

The approach doesn't change much this week from any of the past weeks. The Golden Rams need to successfully run the ball to both score points and keep the ball out of Bagent's hands. The Shepherd receivers are not big, but they are fast, which doesn't bode well for a West Chester secondary that often has receivers past them. It could be a long day for the Golden Rams, especially in front of a large and raucus Shepherd homecoming crowd. Root for wind.

Massey Ratings is projecting a nine-point Shepherd win.

Notes:
General admission tickets are $15 and are available online or at the gate.

Game Coverage:

Live Stats   Audio   Video  

PSAC Site - PSAC Football Notes - Week 8

Shepherd Athletic Site - Shepherd Parking Map

Shepherd Athletic Site - 2021 Ram Press Box Report - Week 8

Martinsburg Journal - Shepherd entertains West Chester

Martinsburg Journal - Rams' Brown piles up yardage

Event News - October 21 Bill Zwaan Show

The Bill Zwaan Show will be held at Timothy's in the Parkway Shopping Center in West Chester on Thursday starting at 7:00pm. Golden Ram fans unable to attend the show can listen to it live on WCHE1520AM.COM.

According to the Bill Zwaan Show, redshirt freshman quarterback Shane Dooley and sophomore cornerback Obi Anyatonwu will be the special guests on Coach Zwaan's show. In addition, tight ends coach Pat Spadaro will join the show.

In Saturday's win over East Stroudsburg. Dooley was 12 of 20 for 181 yards and two touchdowns passing to go with 31 yards and one touchdown rushing. For the season, Dooley is 47 of 86 passing for 795 yards, 10 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. He also has 210 yards rushing which is good for 18th in the PSAC. Meanwhile, Anyatonwu made three solo tackles and two pass breakups to help secure the win over the Warriors. For the season, he has 6 pass breakups which is good for third in the PSAC, 6 passes defended which is 7th in the conference and 2 fumble recoveries which is second in the PSAC. Obi also has 21 total tackles and an interception.

Come out to Timothy's at 7:00pm to participate in the show live. Or send your questions for coaches or the players to the Bill Zwaan Show.

Shane Dooley
(Photo Gina Chapman)
Obi Anyatonwu
(Photo Gina Chapman)

Player News - Ja'Den McKenzie Named PSAC East Offensive POW

For his efforts in West Chester's 42-24 win over East Stroudsburg, sophomore running back Ja'Den McKenzie has been named PSAC East Offensive Athlete of the Week.

McKenzie rushed 13 times for 135 yards and a touchdown. West Chester needed to rely on the running game in the second quarter with the wind in their face, and McKenzie made it not matter as he went down the left sideline and then cut back to the middle for a 72-yard run to the East Stroudsburg one. He later tallied an 11-yard touchdown run.

McKenzie currently leads the PSAC with eight rushing touchdowns, is sixth in rushing yards with 558 and is eighth in yards per carry with 5.3.

Ja'Den McKenzie PSAC East Offensive Player of the Week (Photo Gina Chapman)

PSAC Site - PSAC Football Athletes of the Week – 5

West Chester Athletic Site - Ja'Den McKenzie Named PSAC East Offensive Athlete of the Week Again

Game Report - West Chester 42 - East Stroudsburg 24

In what was the Golden Rams (5-2, 3-1) best performance of the 2021 season, West Chester toppled the visiting East Stroudsburg Warriors (4-3, 2-2) by a score of 42-24.

The game was billed as the top two rushing offenses in the PSAC. In the end, the Golden Rams rolled up 326 yards on the ground led by Ja'Den McKenzie (13 carries for 135 yards and 1 TD) and Phil Poquie (15 carries for 113 yards and 2 TD's). Conversely, the Warriors were held to just 88 yards rushing and a 3.5 yards/carry average. In fact, East Stroudsburg had a total of only 361 yards of offense, with 202 of those yards coming on just three plays.

Phil Poquie had two touchdowns on the day (Photo Gina Chapman)

The tone was set early when the Golden Rams defense forced a three-and-out on East Stroudsburg's first possession. A poor punt into the wind gave West Chester a short field. A couple of personal foul penalties against ESU gave WCU the ball at the four. Quarterback Shane Dooley then connected with Seth Degree on a nice back shoulder pass for the touchdown.

The Warrior QB didn't expect to see Zach Liggitt (Photo Gina Chapman)

The Warriors looked to milk the first quarter clock in order to alleviate themselves of the wind in their face. Ironically, East Stroudsburg's first play of the second quarter was a completed pass, but Obi Anyatonwu ensured that it gained no yards and forced a Warrior punt. With West Chester now working into the wind, McKenzie ripped a 72-yard run to the ESU one-yard line. It took three plays until fullback Mason Griffiths finally pushed Dooley across the goal line to put the Golden Rams up 14-0.

Shane Dooley scores on one-yard sneak (Photo Gina Chapman)

East Stroudsburg cut the lead to 14-7, but West Chester answered right back. Spurred by a lot of Poquie runs and a key fourth-and-nine conversion from Dooley to Rasheem James, the drive ended on an 11-yard McKenzie touchdown run. Sean Henry's ensuing pooch kickoff into the wind was recovered by Elijah Beard and the Golden Rams continued the ground game to go up 28-7.

Elijah Beard recovered a WCU kickoff which led to a score (Photo Gina Chapman)

Leading 28-10 in the third quarter, the Golden Rams defense forced another East Stroudsburg punt, but an illegal block penalty on West Chester pinned them on their own 11-yard line. The Golden Rams then went on their most impressive drive of the game. Dooley connected with tight end Dan Neuhaus who broke a tackle and picked up 35 yards. A muffed snap pushed West Chester back to their own 37, but Dooley got some of the yards back on a pass to Raheim Bowens. Then on fourth-and-eight, Dooley eluded heavy pressure and gained 22 yards for the first down. Poquie finished the drive, which had to be demoralizing for East Stroudsburg, and the WCU lead ballooned to 35-10. The West Chester defense made short work of East Stroudsburg yet again, but they were forced back onto the field quickly after James caught a short crossing route pass and raced 50 yards for the one-play touchdown.

Jacob Colby and Brendan Ruskowski lead the way for Ja'Den McKenzie
(Photo Gina Chapman)

West Chester was far from perfect. In the waning moments of the first half, in an attempt to avoid the pressure, Dooley forced a pass into the endzone that was intercepted and returned to midfield. Penalties cost the Golden Rams 75 yards and the pass defense allowed those three long pass plays which led to 21 East Stroudsburg points. But overall, West Chester managed the wind, converted three fourth downs, dominated the clock (38+ minutes) and limited turnovers.

Omar Peterkin drags down the East Stroudsburg QB (Photo Gina Chapman)

Notes - The Golden Ram defense registered seven pass breakups and five quarterback hurries...linebacker Cole Zapf had the only sack for West Chester while Jackson Taylor had 12 total tackles...Henry missed a 48-yard field goal in the fourth quarter when West Chester was leading 42-10. In the first quarter, he was lined up for a 53-yard attempt, but a delay of game penalty changed Bill Zwaan's mind and the Golden Rams punted instead...Nyeem Jones was back in the starting lineup for the first time since Bentley and D'Shaun Seals returned to the field after missing last week's game at Shippensburg...wide receiver Gabe Schappell was on the sidelines after having his season ended at Millersville...Ronnie James and Fulani Freeman did not dress...John George averaged 46 yards on four punts and landed three inside the Warrior 20.

Sortable Box Score   

West Chester Athletic Site - West Chester’s Ground Game Too Much For East Stroudsburg, 42-24

East Stroudsburg Athletic Site - Warriors Drop PSAC East Matchup to West Chester

Daily Local News - Golden Rams break out offensively, pummel East Stroudsburg

WCU Football Family - Photo Album - East Stroudsburg

Game Replay

Game Preview - East Stroudsburg

The Golden Rams (4-2, 2-1) are hosting the East Stroudsburg Warriors (4-2, 2-1). Kickoff is scheduled for noon on Saturday.

Series History:
West Chester leads the overall series 62-22 and Golden Ram head coach Bill Zwaan is 15-3 against the Warriors, including two wins in the Poconos in 2004. In the first matchup that season, the Golden Rams blocked a PAT in overtime, then scored a touchdown and won the game on Dan Wilbourne’s converted PAT to hand then #7 East Stroudsburg their first loss of the season in front of a homecoming crowd of almost 6,000. The second game came on a frigid and blustery November afternoon in the NCAA regional finals. With a crowd of over 7,200 on hand, current West Chester running backs coach Osagie Osunde ran for 144 yards and three touchdowns as the Golden Rams handed East Stroudsburg their second and final loss of the season.

The following year, West Chester tipped the #6 ranked Warriors, 18-17, in muddy Farrell Stadium. 2005 was the last season that Farrell Stadium had natural grass. In 2009, East Stroudsburg ruined West Chester’s homecoming 21-20. The Golden Rams failed to convert a PAT early in the game and a 35-yard field goal late in the game. It's the only time that East Stroudsburg has won at West Chester in the past dozen years and the last time that the Warriors have reached the playoffs.

Former Warrior quarterback Jimmy Terwilliger (11-8) is in his second full season as head coach at his alma mater.

Last 10 Meetings:

Year	H/A	W/L	Score	Year	H/A	W/L	Score
2010	Away	Win	35-31	2015	Home	Win	41-27
2011	Home	Win	37-26	2016	Away	Win	41-14
2012	Away	Loss	35-28	2017	Home	Win	31-26
2013	Home	Win	34-20	2018	Away	Win	52-24
2014	Away	Win	35-24	2019	Home	Win	28-21

Last Meeting:

10/26/2019 West Chester 28 - East Stroudsburg 21

The Golden Rams overcame a 10-0 deficit and staved off a late threat to defeat visiting East Stroudsburg by a score of 28-21 on homecoming. West Chester's first points came via a pick-six in a game that was domiated by the defenses. The two teams combined for 15 punts, 5 turnovers and only 27 first downs. Tight end Dan Neuhaus had four catches for 72 yards and a touchdown while running backs Ja'Den McKenzie and Phil Poquie combined for only 39 yards on the ground. Defensively, Trael Seegers had an interception which led to a touchdown and Jackson Taylor made six tackles. East Stroudsburg's final offensive play was an incomplete pass on fourth and four from the West Chester 17 with nine seconds left.

Scouting the Opponent:

This isn't the East Stroudsburg of old that would pass the ball to further set up the passing game. This season, the offense is led by redshirt senior and reigning PSAC East Offenive Athlete of the Week running back Gunner Anglovich (120 carries for 643 yards and seven TD's) who leads the PSAC in rushing yards and touchdowns. In fact the Warriors as a team are second in the PSAC in rushing yards. So when fifth-year senior and opening day starting quarterback Jake Cirillo (54 of 105, 633 yards, 4 TD's 2 int's) got hurt during their second game of the season at Slippery Rock, the Warriors were quite comfortable turning to redshirt junior Matt DeLaurentis (40 of 66, 516 yards, 6 TD's). After missing two full games, Cirillo has returned to the starting role for the past two games.

When East Stroudsburg does throw, they look to senior wide receiver Rece Bender (21 catches, 360 yards, 3 TD's) and redshirt senior wide receiver Clifford Brinkley (14 catches, 205 yards, 1 TD). Anglovich (19 catches, 154 yards) also plays a big part in the passing game.

On special teams, Bender was All-PSAC East as a return specialist and had a kickoff return for touchdown at Lock Haven this season. Kicker Devin Bartholomew (4 of 6 on FG's, 19 of 19 on PAT's) has a long field goal of 37 yards. Freshman Nate Reed does the punting (29 punts, 39.3 avg, 11 inside the 20, 4 over 50 yards) as well as kickoffs (13 touchbacks in 29 kickoffs).

Defensively, end Deshawn McCarthy (25 tackles, 10.5 sacks, 5 QBH) is the reigning PSAC East Defenive Athlete of the Week and leads the nation in sacks. At the other end is Andre Eldridge (25 tackles, 4.5 sacks) who was All-PSAC East in 2019. As a team, the Warriors have 25 sacks which isn't far behind West Chester's nation-leading pace of 29. Linebacker Paul Carreras (40 tackles, 3.0 tackles for loss) is East Stroudsburg's leading tackler and free safety Tyler Watson (34 tackles, 2 forced fumbles, 1 interception, 5 pass breakups) wreaks havoc in the secondary.

Analysis:

Looking at West Chester's remaining schedule, it's unreasonable to project them defeating the likes of #15 Shepherd, #25 Kutztown, or #26 Indiana. By the same token, head coach Bill Zwaan has never lost to Lock Haven. So if those games play out as expected, Saturday's matchup against East Stroudsburg will determine if the Golden Rams finish 2021 with a winning record. That's what's on the line.

Massey Ratings cites a three-point West Chester victory.

Game Coverage:

Live Stats   Audio   Video  

PSAC Site - PSAC Football Notes, Week 7

East Stroudsburg Athletic Site - Preview: ESU vs. West Chester

Newsbreak - Air Line Pilots Association to Donate $50,000 to WCU for Michael Horrocks Football Scholarship