Valiant Second-Half Comeback Thwarted By Edinboro in OT, 54-51

EDINBORO, Pa. – Edinboro's Alex Caratelli caught a 16-yard touchdown pass on 4th-and-inches on the Fighting Scots' second overtime possession to lift the hosts to a 54-51 victory over visiting West Chester at Sox-Harrison Stadium Saturday afternoon.
 
West Chester (1-2) erased a 24-7 halftime deficit with 34 points in the second half that left the game tied at 41-all following 60 minutes of play. Edinboro (3-0) won its third straight contest, after desperately holding on in the fourth quarter and OT.
 
WCU quarterback Andrew Derr (Willow Grove, Pa./Upper Dublin) completed a 27-yard TD pass to Marcus Sydnor (Havertown, Pa./Haverford) with 1:56 left in the game to knot things up and send it into overtime. That TD drive capped a furious rally by the Golden Rams that saw them score two touchdowns in the last 3:31 with the help of recovering an on-sides kick. Sydnor caught a 41-yard TD strike from Derr with 3:31 to play, and then hauled in his second score of the day with 1:56 to go.
 
The Golden Rams intercepted an Edinboro pass with the game tied at 41-41 and under one minute to play in regulation and drove to the Scots' 6-yard line. However, West Chester missed a 30-yard field goal that would have won the game with 12 ticks remaining.
 
Each team scored a touchdown on their first overtime possession. Edinboro's Caratelli caught a TD pass to put the hosts on top. But, West Chester answered with a TD strike from Derr to Tyler Karpinski (Lancaster, Pa./Manheim Twp.). Karpinski finished the day with a career-high nine catches for 178 yards and the overtime TD.
 
Jarel Elder (Allentown, Pa./Parkland) rushed 22 times for 193 yards and a pair of scores. He had just 10 yards rushing at halftime, but turned in his second 100-yard effort of the season and fourth of his career.
 
Derr broke nearly every passing record in the West Chester record book Saturday. He completed 39 of 70 passes for 559 yards – all school single-game records – and accounted for 563 yards of total offense (another school record). Derr has attempted a combined 134 passes in West Chester's last two games.
 
West Chester's 108 plays for 758 yards are both new school records as well.