Box Score Box Score
WEST CHESTER, Pa. – Junior wide receiver Mike Washington set the school’s all-time receiving yardage record, and No. 13 West Chester churned out 536 yards of total offense in a 34-20 victory over non-conference foe St. Joseph’s (Ind.) Saturday afternoon at John A. Farrell Stadium.
West Chester (8-1) upped its winning streak to seven straight – the longest in head coach Bill Zwaan’s five years on the sideline – and marked the team’s best start to a season since 1992. St. Joseph’s falls to 3-6.
Washington hauled in a 12-yard pass with under 10 minutes left to play in the second quarter to push him past former Golden Rams’ great Kevin Ingram and into first place on the school’s all-time chart. Washington finished the day with 162 yards on nine catches and two touchdowns, charting his fifth consecutive 100-yard game this season. The junior playmaker now has 3,287 yards receiving in two-plus seasons.
Fellow wide receiver Steven Miller registered a career-high 139 yards receiving on eight catches with two TDs, marking the first time since 2004 that two West Chester players surpassed 100 yards receiving in the same game.
Miller and Washington combined for 301 of quarterback Bill Zwaan’s 350 yards passing – the most combined yardage by two receivers in the same game since Bill Lowe and Ingram combined for 301 yards receiving in 1998.
Zwaan finished 21 of 29 for 350 yards and four touchdowns. It was the third time this year that he eclipsed 300 yards passing and the fourth time this year that he tossed at least four TD passes.
Playing for the second straight week without starting running back Osagie Osunde, Lee Hopkins posted a career-best 99 yards of rushing on 17 carries, including a spectacular effort on a 9-yard touchdown run with 1:13 left in the contest. Hopkins kept his balance along the sidelines, avoiding the tackle attempt of two Puma defenders, and then pushed three more would-be tacklers into the end zone for the score.
Dean Millard finished with 86 yards rushing on 16 totes.
West Chester pushed St. Joseph’s tired defense all over the field, outgaining the Pumas, 536-223. The outcome could have looked worse. The Golden Rams returned the opening kickoff 94 yards for an apparent touchdown, but the run was called back due to a holding penalty. West Chester also lost two fumbles inside St. Joseph’s 5-yard line.
Miller opened up the scoring with a 28-yard reception from Zwaan with 7:05 left in the second quarter. St. Joseph’s answered back with a 2-yard run by Jashon Banks with four minutes remaining in the frame. The Pumas missed the extra point.
Washington snared the first of his two TD catches with 8:18 left in the third quarter, but St. Joseph’s kept pace again by returning the ensuing kickoff 88 yards for a score.
Miller capped the Golden Rams’ next possession with a 48-yard reception that pushed the hosts’ lead to 21-13 after 45 minutes of play. It was the first of three straight West Chester touchdowns that blew the game wide open.
Washington made a great catch on the far sideline in the end zone with 12:36 to play in the game. That drive started on the Golden Rams’ 4-yard line. West Chester drove 96 yards on 14 plays and wasted 5:36 off the game clock to break the Pumas’ spirits. It was the team’s longest drive of the season.
Washington was instrumental early on in that drive, picking up 15 yards on a 2nd-and-13 from the Rams’ 1-yard line. Miller later hauled in a 5-yard reception on 3rd-and-4 near midfield to keep the drive alive as well.
Sophomore linebacker Sam Scott tied for the team lead with six tackles. However, three of those stops went for a loss, including two sacks. Senior inside linebacker Lateef Ferguson also registered six stops. He now has a team-leading 83 tackles on the season and a career 381 hits, leaving him 16 behind the school record of 397 held by Lee Woodall.
West Chester, ranked second in the Northeast Region entering the weekend, will host PSAC West champion California (Pa.) next Saturday at John A. Farrell Stadium. The Vulcans (9-0) are undefeated on the season and ranked first in the Northeast Region. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.
Advanced tickets to the much-anticipated California-West Chester matchup will be available in Sykes Student Union Building on campus, or by calling the ticket office at 610-436-2266. Reserved seats are $8 and general admission are $6.
