Player News - Three Players Honored for Academics

Three West Chester Golden Ram players have received honors for their performance on the field and in the classroom this season. Junior linebacker Connor Noble, graduate student and safety Shane Mosley, and senior kicker Sean Henry were named to the Philadelphia Sports Information Directors Association Academic All-Area Football Team.

Noble owns a 3.073 GPA in Business Management and is a two-time All-PSAC East first team selection and two-time Division 2 Conference Commissioner's Association All-Super Region 1 choice. Mobley has a 3.529 GPA as he pursues his MBA in Economics and Finance and received All-PSAC East first team honors. Henry is majoring in Health & Physical Education and owns a 3.294 GPA and also earned All-PSAC East first team honors.

The Philadelphia Inquirer Academic All-Area Football team is voted on by the sports information directors of the 30 colleges and universities in the Philadelphia area. In order to be eligible for Academic All-Area honors, an athlete must be in at least his second year at the institution and hold a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.00 or better.

Connor Noble made strip sack against Millersville (Photo Chuck Greco)

Shane Mosley had an interception gainst Bentley (Photo Chuck Bitner)

Sean Henry converted a 50-yard field goal at Seton Hill (Photo Chuck Greco)

West Chester Athletics - Noble, Mosley, and Henry Earn PhillySIDA Academic All-Area Honors

Philly-SIDA Announces 2024 Academic All-Area Football Team

Alumni News - Hale Inducted into College Football Hall of Fame

The National Football Foundation (NFF) held their 66th Annual Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas at the Bellagio Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, NV. During the event, former Golden Ram defensive tackle and head coach Danny Hale was inducted as a member of the 2024 College Football Hall of Fame Class.

Hale received both his bachelor's and master's degrees in health and physical education from West Chester in 1968 and 1973 respectively. He was the 6'1 225lb starting defensive right tackle for the 1967 team that finished the regular season undefeated, and beat Clarion 27-7 to capture the Pennsylvania State College Athletic Conference (PSCAC) football championship, before falling to Tennessee-Martin in the Tangerine Bowl.

Hale was head coach at his alma mater from 1984 through 1988 where he compiled a record of 40-13 (.755), advancing to the PSAC championship game in both 1986 and 1987, and making West Chester's first NCAA Division II playoff appearance in 1988. He also captured the PSAC East Coach of the Year award in both 1986 and 1987. Hale was inducted into the Killinger Foundation Football Hall of Fame in 1990.

College Football Hall of Fame Member Danny Hale
(Photo National Football Foundation)

Hale went on to coach at PSAC East rival Bloomsburg University from 1993-2012 where he amassed a record of 173-56-1. In his 20 seasons at Bloomsburg, he led the Huskies to 11 PSAC East titles and eight NCAA Division II playoff berths, including advancing to the 2000 national championship game. Hale was named PSAC East Coach of the Year an additional eight times and American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) District I Coach of the Year nine times. The field at Bloomsburg's Redman Stadium is named in his honor.

WATCH: Legendary @WCUGoldenRamsFB, @BloomUFootball Coach Danny Hale claim his spot in the College Football Hall of Fame#HonoringLegends #RamsUp #Huskies pic.twitter.com/JVWXQWr0hG

— National Football Foundation (@NFFNetwork) December 11, 2024

National Football Foundation Site - 66th NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas Serves as Grand Celebration of College Football

National Football Foundation Site - Interviews, Plaque Presentations & Video Links from Dinner

West Chester Athletic Site - Coach Hale Formally Inducted into NFF College Football Hall of Fame

Player News - Seals, Callahan to Play in FCS National Bowl

West Chester receivers D'Shaun Seals and Collin Callahan have been selected to play in the 2024 FCS National Bowl to be held at Daytona Stadium in Daytona Beach, FL on December 8. Seals will suit up for the National Team which is coached by Jim Collins while Callahan will play for the American Team coached by former Kutztown quarterback and current Muhlenburg High School head coach Rob Flowers.

Seals led the Golden Rams in receiving in each of the past two seasons, earning All-PSAC East first team honors in 2023 and 2024 and second team plaudits in 2022. In his 42 career games, he amassed 128 receptions for 1,788 yards and 13 touchdowns. He also had 30 carries for 157 yards, 14 kickoff returns for 335 yards, 36 punt returns for 360 yards and 1 touchdown and was even perfect on three pass attempts for 89 yards and a touchdown. Callahan saw limited action in his two seasons at West Chester, making two catches for 17 yards.

The FCS National Bowl is a College Football All-Star Showcase for players from non-FBS schools across the country.

Tune in today at 11am to watch our guys WRs D'Shaun Seals and Collin Callahan participate in the annual FCS National Bowl in Daytona, Florida! #RamPride pic.twitter.com/UJdjE7qEI5

— West Chester Golden Rams Football (@WCUGoldenRamsFB) December 8, 2024

FCS Bowl - 2024 FCS Bowl Rosters

Player News - Connor Noble Selected All-Region

Linebacker Connor Noble has been named to the Division 2 Conference Commissioner's Association All-Super Region 1 first team. In just ten games this season, he finished second in the PSAC in total tackles with 118. Noble also notched two sacks, four pass breakups and two interceptions in the passing game along with two forced fumbles and three additional tackles for loss in the running game. He's a two-time first team All-PSAC selection and was a D2CCA All-Super Region 1 second team selection last season.

Connor Noble with one of his 118 tackles (Photo Chuck Greco)

The Division II Conference Commissioners Association (CCA) encourages and promotes Division II athletics and high standards of sportsmanship as important elements of higher education. The CCA is a key communications link among the conferences as they discuss views, policies and regulations that impact Division II intercollegiate athletics and works closely with the NCAA as a communications channel to NCAA Division II member colleges and universities.

West Chester Athletic Site - Connor Noble Named First Team All-Super Region One

2024 D2CCA All-Super Region 1 Football Teams

Player News - Six Golden Rams Named All-PSAC East

Golden Ram quarterback Cooper Jordan was named PSAC East Offensive Athlete of the Year and five others were recognized when all-conference honorees were announced on Wednesday. Joining Jordan on the first team were receiver D'Shaun Seals, linebacker Connor Noble and safety Shane Mosley. Named to the second team were kicker Sean Henry and cornerback Abdul Stewart.

Jordan was third in the PSAC in touchdowns scored with nine and second in the conference 91.6 yards/game rushing. In the passing game, he was 147 of 252, 58.3%, for 1,948 yards and 15 touchdowns against 9 interceptions in just ten games this season. Jordan also made three catches for 43 yards. He was also second in the PSAC with 286.4 yards/game in total offense. Jordan was named PSAC East Offensive Athlete of the Week after both the Shepherd and Millersville games.

Cooper Jordan rushed for nine touchdowns this season (Photo Chuck Greco)

Seals received his second consecutive first team all-conference honor after making 56 catches for 745 yards and 7 touchdowns this past season. In addition to completing his two pass attempts for 45 yards, he added 19 yards rushing and 36 yards on punt returns for 800 all purpose yards. Noble also received his second consecutive first team recognition. In addition to finishing second in the PSAC in total tackles with 118, he also filled the defensive stat sheet. Noble tallied two sacks, four pass breakups and two interceptions in the passing game along with two forced fumbles and three additional tackles for loss in the running game. He was named PSAC East Defensive Athlete of the Week after the win over Shippensburg. Mosley finished second on the team with 79 total tackles including 4.5 tackles for loss. He broke up seven passes and had two interceptions including a 68-yard pick-six to secure the victory over Lock Haven.

D'Shaun Seals had 745 yards and 7 TD's receiving in 2024 (Photo Joan Gillen)

Connor Noble was second in the PSAC with 118 tackles (Photo Chuck Greco)

Shane Mosley had two interceptions this past season (Photo Chuck Bitner)

Henry was nearly perfect (34 of 35) on his point after touchdown kicks this season and made five of ten field goals including a 50-yard conversion at Seton Hill. Of his 48 kickoffs, 12 went for touchbacks which prevented any return by the opposition. Henry was named PSAC East Special Teams Athlete of the Week after his perfect kick scoring effort in the win over Lock Haven. Stewart was credited with 45 total tackles this season including one tackle for loss. He had interceptions against East Stroudsburg and Millersville and was second in the PSAC with 11 pass breakups.

Sean Henry converted a 50-yard field goal at Seton Hill (Photo Chuck Greco)

Abdul Stewart had 11 pass breakups this season (Photo Chuck Greco)

PSAC Football Site - 2024 PSAC Football All-Conference: Eastern Division Major Awards go to Jordan, Retter, Carroll, Clements

West Chester Athletic Site - Six Football Players Earn All-PSAC East; Jordan Player of the Year

Game Report - Kutztown 31 - West Chester 13

The Kutztown Golden Bears (10-0, 7-0) exhibited thier dominating defense in defeating the the Golden Rams (4-6, 4-3) by a final score of 31-13. West Chester quarterback Cooper Jordan was contained to 34 yards rushing, but sacked six times for 44 yards leaving him with a net -10 yards on the ground. In all, West Chester had 28 carries for a total of 16 yards rushing.

Sortable Box Score   

West Chester Athletic Site - No. 3 Kutztown Defeats West Chester, 31-13

Kutztown Athletic Site - No. 3 Golden Bears sweep the PSAC East, improve to 10-0 with 31-13 win over West Chester

Golden Rams Review - Photo Album - Kutztown

Game Replay

Game Preview - Kutztown

In their final game of the season, the Golden Rams (4-5, 4-2) travel to #3/#3 Kutztown (9-0, 6-0) to take on the Golden Bears. Kickoff for what is Kutztown's senior day, hall of fame day and military appreciation day is scheduled for noon.

Series History:
West Chester leads the overall series 54-13-1. Kutztown notched two wins in 2010 and 2011, the two years in the past ten that West Chester was under .500 and Kutztown qualified for the NCAA playoffs. That 2011 game was played in a snowy, windy and cold John A. Farrell Stadium, some of the worst weather conditions West Chester football has seen in the past several decades. In 2013, the Golden Rams trailed 21-10 midway through the fourth quarter, but rallied for two fourth-quarter touchdowns and Al-Hajj Shabazz sealed the 22-21 win with an interception in the final minute.

Jim Clements is 88-28 in his tenth season as head coach of the Golden Bears and the reigning PSAC East Coach of the Year. Under Clements, Kutztown qualfied for the NCAA Division II playoffs in 2018, 2019, and 2021. Then last season, as the third seed in the region, they advanced to the NCAA Division II semi-finals in Golden, CO. This year the Golden Bears have clinched the PSAC East division and will travel to California to take on the Vulcans in the PSAC championship game next Saturday.

The most interesting aspect of the matchup is Clements was head coach at Del Val from 2006 to 2013 where he amassed a record of 66-24. During that time, current Golden Rams head coach Duke Greco was Del Val's offensive coordinator and assistant head coach. After Clements departed Del Val for Kutztown, Greco took over the head coach spot at Del Val for eight seasons where he compiled a record of 82-13. Greco joined West Chester this past off season.

Last 10 Meetings:

Year	H/A	W/L	Score	Year	H/A	W/L	Score
2013	Home	Win	22-21	2018	Away	Win	38-21
2014	Away	Win	29-7	2019	Home	Loss	30-17
2015	Home	Win	44-14	2021	Home	Loss	21-14
2016	Away	Loss	20-14	2022	Away	Win	28-9
2017	Home	Win	27-21	2023	Home	Loss	27-17

Last Meeting:

11/04/2023 Kutztown 27 - West Chester 17

After trailing 13-3 at halftime, West Chester scored the first 14 points of the second half to take a 17-13 lead in the fourth quarter, but Kutztown scored the final 14 points to win 27-17 enroute to the NCAA Division II semi-finals.

Quarterback Cooper Jordan (17 of 22, 180 yards, 1 TD; 16 carries, 88 yards, 1 TD) had a big day for the Golden Ram offense. D'Shaun Seals (7 cathes, 72 yards) and Rahiem Bowens (3 catches, 39 yards, 1 TD) were active in the passing game, but other than Jordan, West Chester couldn't get anything going on the ground. Linebacker Connor Noble (9 tackles, 3 QBH) and Shane Mosley (5 tackles, 1 PBU) paced the WCU defense.

Scouting the Opponent:

Kutztown lost five All-PSAC East players from last year's defense which was the best in the PSAC, and this season, the Golden Bears have one of the best defenses in the entire country. They're in the top ten in Division II in sacks led by defensive tackles Brayden Pohlman (24 tackles, 5.0 sacks) and Freddie Retter (33 tackles, 4.5 sacks, 6 QBH, 2 PBU). After that, linebackers Eden Johnson (45 tackles, 3.0 sacks, 2 int, 4 PBU) and Jalen DeVose (41 tackles, 5.0 TFL, 1 int, 2 QBH) cause problems all over the place. Johnson, the reigning PSAC Eastern Division Defensive Athlete of the Week, and DeVose each had pick-sixes in last week's win over Millersville. Kutztown also leads the conference in interceptions with safety Drew Hensor (26 tackles, 3.0 TFL, 3 int, 3 PBU) among six players on the squad with at least two picks. Cornerback Khi'on Smith (16 tackles, 2.5 TFL, 5 PBU) leads Kutztown in pass breakups.

Offensively, quarterback and reigning PSAC East Freshman of Year Judd Novak (128 of 197, 1,673 yards, 18 TD's, 5 int) doesn't put up huge passing yardage, but is extremely efficient and is third in the conference in touchdown passes. His favorite targets are Mekhi Gibson (18 catches, 430 yards, 7 TD's in 8 games), Kurtis Ravenel Jr. (34 catches, 418 yards, 5 TD's), and Noah Kracyla (30 catches, 412 yards, 1 TD), although Ravenel has missed the past two games. All-PSAC East guard Billy Everitt leads a line for running backs Jaedyn Stewart (77 carries, 384 yards, 4 TD's) and Steven Burkhardt (91 carries, 310 yards, 6 TD's). Novak (62 carries, 339 yards, 2 TD's) also plays a factor in the running game.

Freshman Will Smith (13 of 15 PAT) used to handle PAT kicks, but now redshirt freshman Dakota Campbell (23 of 23 PAT) has that job. Smith is perfect on five field goal attempts with a long of 40 yards. Punter Nate Millard (40.7 yd avg, 7 I20) also nailed his only field goal attempt which was from 50 yards.

Analysis:

Kutztown's opponents have scored just 70 points this season, but two of those came on a safety at Shippensburg and 14 came in the final five minutes of their game at Millersville when they were leading 49-3. Their defense is tops in the PSAC in scoring (7.8 points/game), total yardage (210 yards/game), rushing yardage (71 yards/game), passing yardage (139 yards/game), interceptions (17), rushing touchdowns allowed (4), passing touchdowns allowed (5), and they lead each of those categories by wide margins. How West Chester can move the ball and get into the end zone is a major question in ths game.

Could this be a trap game as the Golden Bears prepare for California in the PSAC championship game next week? Not likely. Versus Sports simulates a 32-12 Golden Bear victory and Massey Ratings predicts a similar 35-14 Kutztown win.

Game Coverage:

Live Stats   Audio   Video  

West Chester Athletic Site - Golden Rams Travel to Kutztown For Season Finale

PSAC Site - 2024 PSAC Football Week 10 Notes

D2football - PSAC Columnist - PSAC Week Ten Preview

Player News - Sean Henry Named PSAC East Special Teams POW

For his efforts in West Chester's 27-16 win over Lock Haven, senior kicker Sean Henry has been named PSAC Eastern Division Special Teams Athlete of the Week.

Henry opened West Chester's scoring with a 34-yard field goal. And his 31-yard three-pointer with less than a minute left put the game out of reach for the visiting Bald Eagles. Along the way, he converted all three of his PAT attempts and two of his six kickoffs went for touchbacks.

Sean Henry was perfect on five scoring kicks (Photo Chuck Greco)

PSAC Site - PSAC Football Athletes of the Week - Week 9

West Chester Athletic Site - Sean Henry Named PSAC East Specialist of the Week

Game Report - West Chester 27 - Lock Haven 16

Holding a narrow 17-16 lead midway through the fourth quarter, the Golden Rams (4-5, 4-2) scored the final ten points in the contest to hand the Lock Haven Bald Eagles (3-6, 2-4) a 27-16 loss on Saturday afternoon. It's hard to believe that a team that gets outgained by almost 100 yards, runs 25 fewer offensive plays, gets outpossessed by eight minutes, and loses the turnover margin 3-2 can still pull off an 11-point victory.

Cole Evans provided protection for Cooper Jordan (Photo Chuck Greco)

The Golden Rams got off to a rather inauspicious start. On their opening possession, while they drove the length of the field and got to the ten yard line, they had a touchdown called back due to a holding call and had to settle for a 34-yard Sean Henry field goal. Lock Haven then consumed six minutes and scored a touchdown to go up 7-3. And when Cooper Jordan tossed his eighth interception of the season at midfield just ten seconds into WCU's second possession, the downward spiral seemed to continue. But this time, it was the Bald Eagles who had a touchdown erased due to a holding penalty, and their kicker, who had only missed one field goal on the season, hooked his 38-yard attempt wide left.

Sean Henry was perfect on five scoring kicks (Photo Chuck Greco)

On West Chester's next possession, on a fourth-and-one from their own 29, Coach Duke Greco called a gutsy running play. While Juke Peaker picked up the first down, he also fumbled and Lock Haven recovered at the West Chester 32. This time, Lock Haven's field goal was good and they took a 10-3 lead.

Rahiem Bowens' block allows Juke Peaker to score (Photo Chuck Greco)

The Golden Rams continud to have fun though. On one play, Brody McAndrew completed a pass to Jordan, on the very next play, Jordan completed a pass to McAndrew. But it was a 16-yard catch by West Chester's best receiver, D'Shaun Seals, and subsequent 15-yard penalty that set up Peaker's one-yard touchdown run to tie the game at 10.

D'Shaun Seals had six catches for 92 yards (Photo Chuck Greco)

With under three-and-a-half minutes left in the first half, a Lock Haven punt pinned the Golden Rams at their own one-yard line. And then the Cooper Jordan show was on. A 15-yard run, a 14-yard run, a 13-yard pass to Rahiem Bowens and a 23-yard run not only got West Chester out of trouble, but got the purple and gold in position to score. And Peaker did just that on a seven-yard run to give West Chester a lead 17-10. A Seamus McCain sack ensured that would be the score at halftime.

Seamus McCain registered his fourth sack of the season (Photo Chuck Greco)

In third quarter, Lock Haven had another long drive and even scored a touchdown that was negated by an offensive pass interference call. Their 36-yard field goal attempt was blocked by Debrick Johnson and recovered by Joey Zack. On the ensuing WCU possession, after a 29-yard catch by Robby Longo, Jordan lost yet another fumble to thwart the Golden Ram scoring opportunity. Fortunately, Jamir Reyes made an interception to give the ball right back to the Golden Ram offense.

Debrick Johnson forces the LHU QB to throw off his back foot (Photo Chuck Greco)

The WCU drive stalled, and punter Zack Liberatore pinned Lock Haven at their own 10-yard line. This time, the Bald Eagles marched the length of the field to score a touchdown on a great one-handed catch. However, the game-tying PAT failed and West Chester maintained a 17-16 lead. It was Lock Haven's first missed PAT of the season and it really changed the mentality of what each team needed to do in the fnial six minutes of this game.

Zack Liberatore dropped two of his four punts inside the 20 (Photo Chuck Greco)

Unfortunately, West Chester failed to pick up a first down and Liberatore pinned Lock Haven deep again, this time at their own 11-yard line. Once again, the Bald Eagles moved down the field rather easily until safety Shane Mosley picked off a pass, maintained his balance, remained in bounds and returned it 68 yards for a touchdown to end any further threat from the visitors.

Notes:

• Henry was perfect on the day, converting field goals of 34 and 31 yards as well as all three of his PAT attempts.
• Jack Fry had a tackle for loss on a Lock Haven fourth down play giving West Chester possession on downs.
• Linebackers Connor Noble (16 tackles, 1 PBU, 2 QBH), Johnny Pergine (11 tackles, 1 PBU) and Luke Trunell (9 tackles) led the West Chester defense.
  
• This is only the second time in his past 25 games that Jordan has not accounted for at least one touchdown either passing or rushing. He did finish with 104 yards on the ground and 161 through the air.
• The Golden Ram defense only allowed three points on West Chester's three turnovers.
• True freshman Luke van Brill made a solo tackle on special teams for his first collegiate statistic.
• West Chester's already porous rushing defense was without linemen Charley Mininger, Nate Desmond, and Daniel Hicks due to injury. Coming into the game, Lock Haven averaged just 85 yards/game rushing, but attacked the Golden Rams for 165 yards and a touchdown on the ground.
• Of the Golden Rams' eight pass breakups, Abdul Stewart had three, giving him 12 on the season which is second in the PSAC.
• A couple of more unsportsmanlike penalties went against the Golden Rams - Jimmy Wright away from the play on a short punt that went out of bounds and Peaker for taunting after his second touchdown run.

Abdul Stewart swats away a potential LHU touchdown (Photo Chuck Greco)

Luke van Brill makes a solo tackle (Photo Chuck Greco)

The newest inductees into the Killinger Hall of Fame - Sean McCartney, Doug Jacob, Lou Berman, Dennis Ianovale, Sam Scott (Photo Killinger Foundation)

Sortable Box Score   

West Chester Athletic Site - Mosley's Late Interception Leads West Chester to 27-16 Senior Day Victory over Lock Haven

Lock Haven Athletic Site - Football downed by West Chester

Daily Local News - West Chester University football squad defeats Lock Haven on Senior Day

WCU Football Family - Photo Album - Lock Haven

Golden Rams Review - Photo Album - Lock Haven

Game Replay

Game Preview - Lock Haven

The Golden Rams (3-5, 3-2) celebrate senior day when they host the Lock Haven Bald Eagles (3-5, 2-3) on Saturday. Kickoff is scheduled for noon.

Series History:
West Chester holds a 29-6-1 lead in the series. Prior to the 2013 season, Lock Haven was in the PSAC West and replaced LIU Post in the PSAC East that year. Lock Haven head coach Dan Mulrooney is in his third season, after leading Anna Maria College to the NCAA Division III playoffs and being named Eastern Collegiate Football Conference Coach of the Year in 2021. Lock Haven improved from 1-10 in 2022 to 5-6 last season.

Last 10 Meetings:

Year	H/A	W/L	Score	Year	H/A	W/L	Score
2013	Away	Win	34-13	2018	Home	Win	48-14
2014	Home	Win	41-6	2019	Away	Win	56-14
2015	Away	Win	33-9	2021	Away	Win	35-13
2016	Home	Win	37-7	2022	Home	Win	58-10
2017	Away	Win	35-14	2023	Away	Win	42-27

Last Meeting:

10/28/2023 West Chester 42 - Lock Haven 27

The Golden Rams rolled up 475 yards of offense and the defense stiffened in the second half as West Chester pulled away from Lock Haven by a score of 42-27. WCU ran the ball 51 times and were 9 of 12 on third downs to control the clock for 35 minutes.

The Golden Rams used two quarterbacks fairly evenly - Ethan Kohler (9 of 11, 148 yards, 1 TD) and Cooper Jordan (7 of 11, 144 yards, 1 int), although Jordan was more effective running the ball (11 carries, 43 yards, 2 TD's). It was a breakout game for running back Dayshawn Jacobs (23 carries, 112 yards, 3 TD's; 1 catch, 49 yards). Rahiem Bowens (6 catches, 86 yards) and D'Shaun Seals (3 catches, 65 yards) played a major role in the passing game.

Defensively, Victor Pena (7 tackles, 1 FR) led the way, with Shane Mosley (5 tackles, 1 FF) and Connor Noble (5 tackles) also contributing. Seamus McCain (3 tackles) and Daniel Hicks (2 tackles) teamed up on a sack.

Scouting the Opponent:

For the second consecutive year, Lock Haven has turned to an FCS transfer to quarterback the team. After having being named to the Northeast 10 Conference All-Rookie Team in 2019 while at Southern Connecticut State, Jackson Ostrowsky (165 of 301, 2,337 yards, 19 TD's, 9 int) saw limited action in 2021 and 2022. He spent last season at Rhode Island although he did not play. His top targets are Millersville transfer T'iar Young (45 catches, 827 yards, 8 TD's), Minnesota State transfer Quon Williams (29 catches, 328 yards, 3 TD's), Clarion transfer Corahn Alleyne (19 catches, 318 yards, 3 TD's), and Wagner transfer Nino Cinti (22 catches, 316 yards, 2 TD's). Their primary running back is Ohio transfer KJ Howard (72 carries, 304 yards, 2 TD's; 10 catches, 105 yards, 1 TD) who also plays a role in the passing game.

On the other side of the ball, defensive linemen Justin Anderson (18 tackles, 10.0 TFL, 5.0 sacks, 3 PBU, 5 QBR) and Union College transfer Jimaar Edwards (18 tackles, 5.0 TFL) spend most of their time in the opponent's backfield. Linebackers Izzy Ramos (54 tackles, 2.0 TFL), Rocco Daugherty (48 tackles, 4 int) and former Golden Ram Oscar Uduma (39 tackles, 4.5 TFL) are among the team's leaders in tackling. Defensive backs Kasir Henry (57 tackles, 6 PBU) and Darryl Pollard (37 tackles, 10 PBU) are among the conference leaders in passes defended.

Senior Tony Nicassio (26 of 26 PAT's, 6 of 7 FG's, long 40; 37.8 yard avg on punts with 7 of 31 inside 20) handles all of the kicking duties for the Bald Eagles.

Analysis:

While West Chester has already faced some of the best quarterbacks in the PSAC - California's Davis Black, Shepherd's Lek Powell, and East Stroudsburg's Sean McTaggart - it's Lock Haven's Ostrowsky who leads the conference in passing yards and touchdowns. Unlike those other three teams, however, Lock Haven does not have a potent rushing attack (85 yards/game, 3.4 yards/carry). So WCU defensive coordinator Nick Brady is going to have to completely flip the approach from last week's game against Millersville. Expect to see the Golden Ram defense in a nickel or dime for most of the day. It will be interesting to see if West Chester's best cornerback Abdul Stewart travels with Lock Haven's best receiver Young.

The Golden Ram offense has started taking shape in recent weeks and should be able to run the ball effectively against the Bald Eagles. Controlling the clock will also keep the ball out of Ostrowsky's hands. West Chester has several capable running backs and of course Cooper Jordan is dangerous with the ball in his hands. Keep the net turnover margin positive and West Chester should win.

Versus Sports simulates a 33-30 Golden Ram win while Massey Ratings predicts a 35-27 WCU victory.

Notes:
At halftime of Saturday's game, the 2024 Class of the Killinger Foundation Football Hall of Fame will be recognized prior to their induction in the spring.

Game Coverage:

Live Stats   Audio   Video

West Chester Athletic Site - Golden Rams Host Lock Haven on Senior Day Saturday

PSAC Site - 2024 PSAC Football Week 9 Notes

D2football - PSAC Columnist - PSAC Week Nine Preview