West Chester earns third straight NCAA berth

November 11, 2006

INDIANAPOLIS, IN – For the third straight year the West Chester University football team has earned a berth in the NCAA Division II National Championship tournament.

The Golden Rams (8-3) will travel to Bryant College (8-2) in Smithfield, RI, on Saturday at noon for an NCAA Division II Northeast Region first-round contest. WCU is seeded sixth in the region and will take on the third-seed Bulldogs with the winner traveling to Bloomsburg on Saturday, November 25, for the Northeast Region Semifinals.

Merrimack (7-3), the fourth seed in the region, will host Southern Connecticut State University (7-3), the fifth seed also on Saturday with the survivor heading to Shepherd University in West Virginia for the region semifinals.

WCU and Bloomsburg are the only two PSAC schools represented in the post-season, while the Northeast 10 has picked up a league-record three spots. Shepherd is the only school from the WVIAC.

The Golden Rams are coming off a thrilling 21-20 victory over Slippery Rock on Saturday, using a defensive effort that was led by Lateef Ferguson – this week’s PSAC East Defensive Player of the Week.

This marks the third straight year the Golden Rams have made the NCAA Playoffs under fourth-year head coach Bill Zwaan.

Saturday’s game can be heard live on www.redzonemedia.com and on 1420 AM WCOJ.

Courtesy of Sports Information Director Tom DiCamillo.

Osunde barrels his way to 200-yard game as WCU blasts Cheyney 53-12

September 30, 2006

WEST CHESTER, PA – Junior TB Osagie Osunde (Bloomsburg/Central Columbia) rushed for a career high 205 yards and four scores as the west Chester University football team thrilled a homecoming crowd with a 53-12 blistering of Cheyney University Saturday in West Chester, PA.

The victory was WCU’s third straight and improved the Golden Rams to 3-2 overall and 1-0 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Eastern Division. The loss drops Cheyney to 0-5 and 0-1 in the league.

Osunde carried the ball 18 times for 205 yards and four touchdowns mostly in the first half. He played the opening series of the third quarter before calling it a day. His 205-yard afternoon ranks as the 14th-highest single-game total in school history.

Osunde scored WCU’s first four touchdowns, including two in the first quarter on runs of 11 and eight yards. He scored from one and six yards out in the second period to give WCU a 27-0 lead.

Cheyney broke West Chester’s seven-quarter scoreless streak with a five-yard touchdown throw from Derrick Murry to Dominique Curry with 1:50 left in the opening half. Curry finished the game with 10 catches for 169 yards and one score. Murry completed 21 of 35 pass attempts for 191 yards and one touchdown.

The touchdown points were the first allowed by the WCU defense in 118:36 dating back to the first half of Clarion game two weeks ago. The Golden Rams also allowed a touchdown in the second half for the first time since the season-opener vs. Edinboro.

After Cheyney cut the WCU lead to 21 points in the second quarter, sophomore WR Michael Washington (Philadelphia/Frankford) snared a six-yard touchdown pass from junior QB Bill Zwaan (Malvern/Great Valley) for a 34-6 halftime lead.

Zwaan completed 5 of 7 pass attempts for 89 yards and one touchdown, while Washington had two grabs for 39 yards. But it was the WCU rushing offense that produced 408 net yards on 47 carries and seven scores. The Golden Rams finished the day with 531 yards of total offense.

In addition to Osunde, red-shirt freshman Lee Hopkins (New Egypt, NJ/New Egypt) carried the ball seven times for 76 yards and a 30-yard fourth-quarter touchdown burst. Junior TB Dean Millard (Birdsboro/Wilson) ran nine times for 71 yards and a three-yard dive for a score.

Sophomore Pat McDermott (Bryn Mawr/Harriton) scored on a five-yard touchdown run in the third quarter.

Defensively, the Golden Rams picked off four passes for the second straight game. Red-shirt freshman CB Devon Johnson (Philadelphia/Central) had a pair of interceptions, while senior SS Anthony Belasco (Cedar Grove, NJ/Bergan Catholic) returned a pick 45 yards to the Cheyney five-yard line that set up a score. He also forced a fumble, had a pass defensed and posted three tackles.

Junior ILB Lateef Ferguson (Philadelphia/Dobbins Tech) registered six tackles, an interception, a pass defensed and a nine-yard sack. Senior OLB Chris Tagye (Exton/Downingtown) and red-shirt freshman NG James Thorpe (Malvern/Great Valley) each had three tackles and a sack.

The Golden Rams visit Bloomsburg next Saturday at 1:30 p.m. in a crucial PSAC East and NCAA Division II Northeast Regional contest.

Courtesy of  Sports Information Director Tom Di Camillo.

West Chester Hosts Cheyney For Homecoming

September 28, 2006,

WEST CHESTER, PA - The Golden Rams of West Chester University (2-2) will host the Wolves of Cheyney University (0-4) on Saturday in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Eastern Division opener for both clubs. Kickoff for Homecoming 2006 is scheduled for 2 p.m. at John A. Farrell Stadium in West Chester, PA. The Golden Rams are coming off a 24-0 blanking of Shippensburg while the Wolves were beaten by Edinboro 28-6.

RADIO BROADCAST: West Chester University and WCOJ 1420 AM in West Chester, PA, renewed a long tradition of Golden Ram Football on the Voice of Chester County last year after a several-year hiatus...all 11 regular-season games will be heard live on WCOJ after the station and the university agreed to a three-year deal with a two-year option prior to the 2005 campaign...Greg Fry, a veteran of the Chester County high school football circuit, will handle the play-by-play...former WCU wide receiver and quarterback George Caroulis (Upper Darby/Upper Darby) will offer commentary...the pregame show will begin at 1:40 p.m.

Internet Broadcast on Red Zone Media: For the 5th straight year, all 11 West Chester University football games will be broadcast live on Red Zone Media (redzonemedia.com)...fans may access the broadcast through the WCU webpage: wcupagoldenrams.com...games are simulcast on WCOJ.

LAST TIME OUT FOR CHEYNEY:  (Courtesy of Cheyney Sports Information) CHEYNEY, PA - The Fighting Scots of Edinboro (3-1) utilized their run game against the Cheyney University defense early and often, racking up 161 yards on the ground on 21 carries on their way to a 28-6 win.

Sophomore Ulysee "Spud" Davis led all rushers with 108 yards on 20 carries, adding a touchdown along the way. After going up 14-0 in the second quarter over the Wolves (0-4), the Scots unleashed their passing game. Quarterback Trevor Harris threw for 197 yards on an almost perfect 14 for 16 afternoon and three scores.

The Wolves, refusing to go down easy for the defending 2005 Co-Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division Champions, scored with seconds left on the clock before the end of the first half.

Quarterback Derrick Murry (17 for 35) connected with receiver Dominique Curry for a late score in the second quarter. Murry connected with Curry on 10 passes for 130 of his 174 yards. Freshman quarterback Ronald Thompson (2 of 7 passing) threw two interceptions late in the game.

Middle linebacker Ben Stroup led a stingy Scots defense with two interceptions, three pass breakups, one tackle for loss (-10 yards) and seven tackles (three solo). Taurean Valentine (three tackles) and Billy Dick (one tackle) also snatched one interception each.

The hungry Wolf defensive line chased after Harris, sacking him twice, led by defensive end Eddie Dordies (four solo tackles) who also had three tackles for loss. Freshman David Williams added a sack for the Wolves.

The Coaches: Cheyney University head coach Tim Newsom (West Virginia '92) is in his 2nd season with the Wolves...he has amassed a 2-13 (.133) record...he owns a career mark of 2-13 (.133) in 1+ seasons...Bill Zwaan is in his fourth year with the Golden Rams...the University of Delaware graduate (1979) owns an 83-27 (.752) career mark...he is 29-13 (.683) at WCU and ranks 9th all-time in career victories...he tied J.A. MacGovern (29-8 from 1924-28) for 8th all-time on the WCU career victory chart...he needs one more victory to catch Otto Kneidinger (30-21 from 1979-83) for 7th...he needs seven more to tie John Furlow (36-33) for 6th.

WCU vs. Cheyney - The History: The Golden Rams have a dominating 38-1-1 advantage over the Wolves...the teams first met in 1958 when WCU set a record for points in game by beating the Wolves 85-0...Cheyney's lone win in the series occurred in 1979 when the Wolves edged the Golden Rams 36-34...that victory took place in Farrell Stadium...WCU has never lost at Cheyney...in 1980 the teams tied 24-24...WCU has won 25 straight games over the Wolves since the deadlock...Cheyney has not scored a point vs. the Golden Rams since 2001...Cheyney has not scored a point at home vs. WCU since 2000.

The 70-0 victory two years ago by WCU marked the most offensive points produced by the Golden Rams since a 70-14 win over Kutztown on October 25, 1969...WCU beat Cheyney 62-0 in 2003 at Farrell Stadium...the winning margin matched the second-largest victory by the Golden Rams in John A. Farrell Stadium since the structure opened in 1971...on November 6 of that year, the Golden Rams blanked Mansfield 62-0...WCU set the record for margin of victory in 2005 in a 64-0 victory over Cheyney...WCU has scored 50 or more points against the Wolves in 10 of the last 11 meetings...WCU has outscored the Wolves 252-0 over the past three years.

The Last Meeting: WCU 64, Cheyney 0

WEST CHESTER, PA - West Chester University shutout Cheyney University for the fourth consecutive season in a 64-0 romp on September 24, 2005, in West Chester, PA. The win moved the Golden Rams to 3-2 on the season and 1-0 in the Eastern Division of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference, while Cheyney fell to 2-3 and 0-1 in the PSAC East.

The Golden Rams set a team record for points inside John A. Farrell Stadium, breaking the mark of 62 posted in 1971 vs. Mansfield and tied three years ago against the Wolves. West Chester has outscored Cheyney 252-0 in the past four years.

Bill Zwaan, Jr., (Malvern/Great Valley), in his first career start, completed 9 of 14 pass attempts for 215 yards and two scores. He also dove in from one yard out.

Zwaan hit Michael Washington (Philadelphia/Frankord) with a 53-yard touchdown throw early in the second quarter and found Brandon Simmons with a 13-yard strike at the end of the first half to give WCU a 41-0 intermission lead. Washington's touchdown occurred after a crushing block by wideout Eric Ruffenach (Drexel Hill/Upper Darby) blind-sided a Cheyney defensive back who was about to knock Washington out of bounds.

Tailback Brent Steinmetz (Pottstown/Pottsgrove) carried the ball six times for 44 yards with a pair of touchdown runs of one and two yards, while TB Dean Millard (Birdsboro/Wilson) rumbled in from one yard and two yards out.

Quarterback Joe Wright (Wilmington, DE/St. Mark's) played the second half in his first collegiate action, completing 3 of 4 pass attempts for 40 yards and his first touchdown throw. Wideout Mike Brazill (Coatesville/Salesianum, DE) was at the receiving end of the touchdown pass - a 19-yard grab that gave him his first career TD reception.

Washington finished the game with four catches for 141 yards and the one touchdown, while Simmons had four grabs for 61 yards.

On defense, OLB Lateef Ferguson (Philadelphia/Dobbins Tech) returned an interception 42 yards. Nose guard Ryan Kahanic (Scranton/West Scranton) broke up three passes at the line of scrimmage to go along with his four tackles.

The Last Time Out: WCU 24, Shippensburg 0

WEST CHESTER, PA - The West Chester University defense limited Shippensburg University to 29 rushing yards and 189 yards of total offense in a 24-0 shutout last Saturday night in West Chester, PA.

The victory evened WCU's record at 2-2 while Shippensburg slipped to 2-2. It marked the first time WCU has beaten Shippensburg at home since1998.

The Red Raider offense was hounded by West Chester's defense all night long. The Golden Rams produced six sacks for -33 yards and a total of seven tackles for losses of 50 yards.

The WCU defense was led by freshman DE Vladimir Garbovsky (Ridley/Ridley) who recorded four total tackles, including two sacks for 12 yards and a forced fumble. Senior OLB Chris Tagye (Exton/Downingtown) led the team in hits with nine (5 tackles, 4 assists) and sophomore OLB T.J. Cascio (St. David's/Malvern Prep) produced seven unassisted tackles. Cascio had a five-yard sack and Tagye drilled Shippensburg's quarterback for a 17-yard loss.

Junior OLB Jimmy Lewis (Wilmington, DE/Concord) intercepted a pass, posted a sack, and turned in a pass hurry. He returned his interception 22 yards and finished up with six total hits.

Lewis was one of four Golden Rams to pick off passes on Saturday night. Junior DB Brett Paterson (King of Prussia/Upper Merion), red-shirt freshman DB Corey Rhood (Downingtown/Downingtown West) and junior LB Joe Cefalo (Hanover/Hanover) each had picks, while sophomore DB Tyler Downes (Laurel, DE/Delmar) recovered a fumble.

Offensively, the Golden Rams did enough to get the job done. Junior QB Bill Zwaan (Malvern/Great Valley) was 7 for 17 with 147 yards and one touchdown throw, while senior QB Matt Burdalski (Marlton, NJ/Holy Cross) chucked a 45-yard touchdown pass to junior TB Dean Millard (Birdsboro/Wilson). Burdalski completed 2 of 4 passes for 56 yards and the score.

WCU scored first when senior WR Eric Ruffenach (Drexel Hill/Upper Darby) inhaled a 45-yard bomb from Zwaan with 1:28 to go in the first quarter. Ruffenach caught three passes for 48 yards and led the team in rushing with 36 yards on one end-around carry.

The lead doubled to 14-0 when junior TB Osagie Osunde (Bloomsburg/Central Columbia) barreled into the end zone from three yards away. The Shippensburg defense keyed on Osunde all night long, limiting him to 18 yards on 17 carries, but it left gaps open for the other backs.

Millard ran the ball just three times but picked up 16 yards and RB Pat McDermott (Bryn Mawr/Harriton) rushed for 17 yards on three attempts.

Sophomore WR Michael Washington (Philadelphia/Frankford) was also the focus of Shippensburg's attention, but the standout wideout caught three passes for 83 yards. Junior WR Cody Clark (Eastampton, NJ/Holy Cross) collected a 19-yard reception.

The lead went to 21-0 on the Burdalski throw to Millard, while sophomore kicker Alex Walsh (Downingtown/Downingtown East) boomed a 33-yard field goal as time expired in the first half.

The Golden Rams have now held their opponents without a touchdown in the second half for the third straight week and have shut out the opposition in six straight quarters.

David Richards led the Red Raiders with 117 all-purpose, while Jaron Nalwak posted six tackles, including four tackles for loss (-13 yards) and a sack for -7 yards.

West Chester held Shippensburg to its lowest rushing total since 1996 when the Red Raiders had 31 vs. Slippery Rock.

Ramblings: The Golden Rams reached the 500-victory plateau all-time vs. New Haven to begin the 2003 campaign...WCU is 528-246-18 (.678) in its history dating back to 1920...WCU is now the third-winningest Division II program in the nation (.681) behind Grand Valley State and Texas A&M - Kingsville...the Golden Rams own an NCAA-recognized record of 497-228-17 mark (since 1927 when WCU became a four-year institution)...senior LT Mark Maynard (Camp Hill/East Pennsboro), senior DE David Montgomery (Philadelphia/Northeast), junior TB Osagie Osunde (Bloomsburg/Central Columbia), senior TB Brent Steinmetz (Pottstown/Pottsgrove) and senior OLB Chris Tagye (Exton/Downingtown) are serving as the team captains in 2006...WCU was picked to finish second in the PSAC East in the league's preseason poll voted on by the head coaches.

WCU needs just three victories to reach 500 NCAA wins...WCU has finished first or second in the PSAC East in 32 of the 40 years it has competed in the league...the Golden Rams own or have shared 18 PSAC East titles.

The Renovation: John A. Farrell Stadium was transformed into a FieldTurf surface over the summer, giving the Golden Rams a new playing field for the first time since the stadium was opened in 1970.

In addition to the new turf, a new track is being installed and will be completed by the end of September, while a new scoreboard will be installed this week. New fencing surrounds large parts of the field and stadium, while the bleachers were powerwashed and the railings repainted in purple.

The FieldTurf playing surface has some interesting numbers. A two-foot thick layer of stone was placed under the perforated artificial turf, creating a large drainage system so surface water can disperse through the area. The project required 8500 cubic yards - or 13,000 tons – of stone. Some 560 truck loads of dirt were removed from the stadium, while 560 truck loads of stone were returned. The artificial turf covers a region of 88,000 square feet, while the track surface was unrolled over another 60,000 square feet. Buried conduit under the field stretches 8000 lineal feet and the underground waterline supply extends over 2400 lineal feet.

The Bill Zwaan Show on WCOJ: Every week join head coach Bill Zwaan for The Bill Zwaan Show on 1420 AM WCOJ...the weekly half-hour show normally takes place on Thursday nights from 7-7:30 p.m. live from the Courtyard Inn at the Parkway Shopping Center in West Chester, PA...WCU Director of Sports Information Tom Di Camillo serves as the host of the show...because of a contractual commitment with the Philadelphia Phillies, the show will air from 6:30-7 p.m. on September 28...fans are welcome to attend the live remote broadcast.

The Rams Club: Join the Rams Club at the Courtyard Inn in the Parkway Center for its weekly meeting with head coach Bill Zwaan...the organization meets every Thursday at 7:30 p.m...Dickie Greenwood serves as the organization's president...new Immaculata University sports information director and West Chester University graduate Tom Machamer (Prospect Park/Interboro) will be the guest speaker.

The Record Watch: Osunde is ranked 7th all-time in scoring (228 points)...he is ranked 9^th in rushing all-time with 2616 career yards...he needs 194 to pass Scott Eberly (2809 from 1990-93) for 7th...after just two-plus seasons, he has already climbed to 3rd all-time in all-purpose yards with 4428, becoming just the 5th Golden Ram to reach 4000. Steinmetz wound up breaking the 1000-yard mark last year vs. Shippensburg to become just the 19th Golden Ram to reach the millennium milestone...he finished with 1188 yards to record the 8th highest total in school history...his total of 1615 all-purpose yards ranks 10th for a single season in WCU history. Washington had a heck of a debut vs. Clarion on August 26, 2005...his 5 TD catches set a WCU single-game mark, breaking the record of 4 previously held by multiple players...he revved up 242 receiving yards - the third-best single-game performance ever by a Golden Ram...Washington also tied the record for touchdowns and points (30) in a game, matching the mark held by three different Golden Rams...Shippensburg head coach Rocky Rees was the last WCU player to record 5 scores in a single game back in 1968...former Shippensburg Athletic Director Jim Pribula set the record in 1960, while Joe Iacone tallied 5 TDs in 1962. Washington scored TDs on his first three catches of his collegiate career in his first varsity game during 2005...he has posted 100-yard receiving days in 8 of his first 12 collegiate games (including a WCU freshman record of 7 in 2005)...he became just the sixth player in school history to break the 1000-yard receiving barrier...his total of 1185 yards in 2005 ranks 4th all-time...he is the only freshman in school history ever to break the 1000-yard mark...in fact, no player had recorded a 1000 yards receiving until at least his junior year in WCU history...Washington is just the second player in school history to have two 180+ yard games in the same season...his 186 yards vs. Bloomsburg tied Billy Hess (1988 vs. Clarion) for the 10th most yards in a single-game in WCU history...he set the school record for yards per catch in 2005 by averaging 25.2 yards per grab - a single-season mark that annihilated the record set in 2004 by Cory DeForrest (21.8).

The Family Tree: When Bill Zwaan (Malvern/Great Valley) threw his first career touchdown pass at his dad's alma mater in 2005, it may have been the typical sports irony like father, like son...no go, however...Bill Zwaan, the coach, according to University of Delaware records, threw his first career touchdown pass in Atlantic City, NJ, of all places...it came in an NCAA playoff game vs. Grambling on December 1, 1973, at Convention Hall...he threw a 46-yard scoring pass to Bill Cubit - also the former head coach at Widener - with 13:05 left to play in a 17-8 loss...after some careful research by the University of Delaware sports information staff, the Zwaans are the only father-son combination to throw a touchdown pass at Delaware Stadium. Sophomore WR Mike Brazill (Coatesville/Salesianum, DE) caught his first career TD pass vs. Cheyney...his father, Jim Brazill, is an assistant coach with the Golden Rams.

The Next Game: WCU will visit Bloomsburg University on Saturday, October 7, for a crucial PSAC East contest...kickoff for the game is 1:30 p.m.

Courtesy of Sports Information Director Tom Di Camillo.