WEST CHESTER, Pa. – Sr., WR
Marcus Sydnor (Havertown, Pa./Haverford) caught a 17-yard pass from quarterback
Paul Dooley (Philadelphia, Pa./Springside-Chestnut Hill) with :49 left in the game to lift host West Chester to a 27-21 victory over visiting Kutztown Saturday afternoon at John A. Farrell Stadium.
West Chester (4-1, 2-0 PSAC East) snapped an 11-game conference winning streak for Kutztown (3-2, 1-1) dating back to 2015 while keeping the Golden Rams atop the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Eastern Division standings.
Sydnor's game-winning catch was set up by a 46-yard kickoff return by
Jarel Elder (Allentown, Pa./Parkland) that had another 15 yards tacked on due to a personal foul call against the Golden Bears during the return. With West Chester taking over at the Kutztown 32-yard line, Dooley completed a 10-yard pass to Sydnor for a first down. Following an incomplete pass, Elder ran five yards to the 17, setting up a 3rd-and-5.
Sr., DB
Anthony Brown (Ephrata, Pa./Conestoga Valley), a converted running back from his first three years on campus, made a diving interception of a Collin DiGalbo pass with 21 ticks left salted away the game.
Kutztown had driven 32 yards on seven plays prior to West Chester's game-winning possession to pull within two at 21-19. DiGalbo's 2-point conversion pass to Josh Lee was good, and the game was tied at 21-all with 1:49 to go. The TD capped a 15-point comeback bid by the Golden Bears, who trailed 21-6 late in the third quarter.
R-Fr., WR
Rasheem James (Philadelphia, Pa./Ben Franklin) caught a pass over the middle on a 3rd-and-10 play and raced 85 yards for a score that built West Chester's 21-6 advantage with just 3:30 left in the third quarter. James finished the day with six catches for 142 yards and the TD.
Though it may have been James' catch-and-run that sparked the Golden Rams' second half, it was West Chester's pair of defensive stands inside the 5-yard line, which led to a pair of field goals by Kutztown, that kept the hosts in the game. West Chester trailed just 6-0, and remained within a score, when the damage could have been much worse.
Sr., DE
George Shipp (Harleysville, Pa./North Penn) made a game-high eight stops, including two tackles for a loss and a sack while forcing one fumble and being credited with a pass breakup and a pair of QB hurries.
Dooley finished the day 16-for-33 for 318 yards and three touchdowns. However, he threw three interceptions.
