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Complete
Box Score
EDINBORO, PA – A year ago Edinboro and
West Chester opened the 2006 campaign, with West Chester
dedicating a new artificial playing surface at Farrell Stadium.
The celebration was short-lived, as the Fighting Scots came in and
handed the Golden Rams a 28-14 defeat in Scott Browning’s
head coaching debut.
The scenario was the same in 2007, but this
time it was Edinboro having a special ribbon-cutting
ceremony prior to the 2007 season opener
against the Golden Rams to mark the addition of Sportexe
artificial turf at Sox Harrison Stadium. Riding a dominating
defensive performance and an efficient offensive attack, the
Golden Rams, ranked 17th in the AFCA Division II Top 25, gained a
bit of revenge with a 32-16 win.
West Chester forced four Edinboro turnovers,
three of those coming in a 16-point second quarter, and sacked
Boro quarterbacks eight times. The Golden Ram defense set the
tempo on its very first defensive series, sacking quarterback Trevor
Harris (Waldo, OH/Marion Pleasant) twice in three plays.
The Golden Rams then took the lead for good
after a 17-yard punt gave WCU the ball at the Edinboro 39. Four
plays later Pat McDermott burst up the middle for a nine-yard
touchdown at the 6:09 mark of the first quarter. Mike Monastra’s
extra point was wide right, leaving WCU up 6-0.
Edinboro answered with one of its few sustained
drives of the day, marching 68 yards on 11 plays before settling
for a 20-yard field goal by redshirt freshman Justin Gomes
(Erie, PA/McDowell). The Fighting Scots had a first and goal
at the WCU 6 before ending up with the three-pointer with 1:29
remaining in the first quarter.
The second quarter belonged to West Chester, as
the Golden Rams scored a pair of touchdowns along with a field
goal to go up 22-3 at the half. West Chester had the ball for 10
minutes and 31 seconds in the quarter, with Edinboro turning the
ball over on an interception and a pair of fumbles. Two of the
turnovers occurred in Edinboro territory.
West Chester moved its advantage to 9-3 midway
through the second quarter on a 38-yard field goal by Alex Walsh
with 8:34 remaining. The drive covered 13 plays for 47 yards and
lasted 5 minutes 18 seconds. An Edinboro fumble got the Golden
Rams started.
They got the ball right back on Edinboro’s
next play from scrimmage, as Harris saw his streak of 132 straight
pass attempts without an interception come to an end. The
sophomore was picked off by Rashad Grimsley, who returned it five
yards to the EU 43. The Golden Rams needed six plays to cover the
remaining 43 yards, with Bill Zwaan hooking up with Ryan Paulson
on a 17-yard scoring pass. Tom Davidson (Geneva, OH/Geneva)
blocked the extra point, leaving the score at 15-3.
Edinboro had the ball for three plays before
turning it over on its third straight possession, this time losing
a fumble at their own 47 yards line. Zwaan completed three passes
for 34 yards to move the Golden Rams down to the nine, and then
McDermott scored his second touchdown of the day on another
nine-yard run. The score came with 1:49 left in the second quarter
and gave WCU a 22-3 lead at the half.
West Chester bumped up its lead to 25-3 on its
first possession of the third quarter thanks to a 10-play, 36-yard
drive that lasted just over five minutes. Walsh came in to kick
his second field goal, a 25-yarder, with 7:44 left.
Edinboro scored its first touchdown of the
season in the final minute of the quarter. The score came
following a blocked punt by Taurean Valentine (Allentown,
PA/Allentown Dieruff), with the Fighting Scots taking over at
the WCU 16. Harris hooked up with Houston Brown (Westerville,
OH/Westerville Central) for 13 yards on a 3rd-and-13 down to the
WCU 6. After a run of a yard by Brown, Harris found Rich Cerro
(Franklin, PA/Franklin) for a five-yard scoring pass. Gomes’
extra point was wide left, leaving the score 25-9.
West Chester tacked on a touchdown with 5:54
remaining in the game as Osagie Osunde, who led all rusher with
114 yards on 23 carries, scored on a 20-yard burst. The play came
after Harris was sacked on a 4th-and-14 play at the EU 15.
Edinboro would reach the end zone one more time
with 1:46 remaining in the contest. Backup quarterback Joe
Wanson (DuBois, PA/DuBois Area) directed a 9-play, 69-yard
drive. The big play was a 36-yard completion to Gary Nolen
(Pittsburgh, PA/Perry Traditional Academy) on a 3rd-and-8
play, carrying down to the WCU 6. Freshman Antaun Johnson
(Cicero, NY/Cicero-North Syracuse) scored his first career
touchdown on a two-yard run.
West Chester finished the afternoon with 410
total yards, while Edinboro had 296. The Golden rams burned an
Edinboro defense which ranked third in Division II in rushing
defense a year ago for 193 yards on the ground. However, it was
hardly the same defense, as the unit featured six new starters.
Zwaan completed 18 of 29 passes for 217 yards
with a touchdown and an interception. Harris, meanwhile, was also
18 of 29, for 141 yards, with Wanson completing 4 of 10 tosses for
690 yards. Harris moved into ninth place in career passing yards
with 2,688 yards. Ryan Rybicki (Covina, CA/ Charter Oak)
led all receivers with 6 catches for 38 yards. Brown paced the
Boro ground game with 60 yards on 14 carries.
One positive for the Fighting Scots was three
blocked kicks. In addition to the extra point and punt, Chad
Brooks (Brockport, NY/Albion) blocked a field goal.
Edinboro is back in action next Saturday,
September 8, making the long journey to Manchester, New Hampshire
to play St. Anselm. Kickoff is 1:00 p.m.
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