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EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa. – Dan DePalma returned an interception 40 yards for a touchdown as the visiting Golden Rams came from behind to defeat East Stroudsburg, 34-24, Saturday afternoon at Eiler-Martin Stadium in a pivotal PSAC East Division showdown of conference unbeatens.
West Chester (4-2, 3-0 PSAC East) remains in a tie for first place with Bloomsburg, a 49-24 winner over Millersville, while East Stroudsburg (6-1, 2-1) fell out of first place in the chase for the division crown.
Red-shirt freshman Jackson Fagan rushed for a career-high 178 yards in place of injured D’Andre Webb, and Michael Washington caught four passes for 126 yards and two touchdowns, breaking the conference record for career TD’s in the process and going over 4,000 career yards as well.
“(Fagan) ran hard and picked up some big first downs today,” West Chester head coach Bill Zwaan lauded. “You always expect the next guy to step in and keep things going for you after an injury. That’s the sign of a good program. But, (Fagan) played really well in a tough situation.”
With the Golden Rams trailing, 24-13 with 10 minutes left in the third quarter, Pat McDermott ran 13 yards for a score that set off a 21-point comeback by West Chester that keeps them in the hunt for the division title and a trip to the PSAC championship game.
At the beginning of the fourth quarter, DePalma then stepped in front of a Tim Roken pass and scampered 40 yards down the sideline to paydirt that ignited the West Chester faithful and breathed new life into the team.
“That interception really gave our sideline a lift,” Zwaan said. “I thought our defense really put some pressure on (Roken) in the second half and made him hurry a few of his throws.
Michael Washington capped off a 10-play, 95-yard drive on a 23-yard TD catch from quarterback Joe Wright with 5:26 remaining in the game to close out the scoring and take the wind out of ESU’s sails on homecoming weekend. It was Washington’s PSAC-record 51st career touchdown reception and also put him over 4,000 yards receiving in his career.
Wright finished 12-for-23 for 259 yards and no interceptions in the battle of the loop’s top two rated passers. Roken was 13 of 33 for 215 yards and two interceptions.
West Chester’s defense sacked Roken five times and forced three turnovers. Senior defensive end Michael Walter registered two of the team’s five sacks. For the second straight week, West Chester’s defensive unit held the opposition under 100 yards rushing and limited one of the conference’s top offenses to just 289 total yards.
