PHOTO GALLERY
WEST CHESTER, Pa. - QB
A.J. Long (Bethlehem, Pa./Friendship Christian [Tenn.]) threw for 300 yards and three touchdowns while WR
Rasheem James (Philadelphia, Pa./Ben Franklin) finished with seven catches for 121 yards and a score as No. 23/25 West Chester cruised to a 31-7 non-league football victory over visiting Gannon Saturday afternoon inside John A. Farrell Stadium.
West Chester (2-0) ran up 351 yards of total offense while limiting Gannon (0-2) All-America RB Marcus Jones to just 62 yards on 20 carries. What was billed as Gannon's strength (running the ball) vs. West Chester's strength (stopping the run) leaned decidedly in the Purple & Gold's favor. The Golden Knights mustered just 84 yards rushing on the afternoon.
Long finished 18-for-29 for 300 yards, three TDs and just one interception. He recovered from a fumble on the first play from scrimmage at the Rams' 10-yard line that Gannon jumped on and eventually turned into its lone points of the day when quarterback Jimmy Keefe ran in from one yard out on a QB read option. From there, it was all West Chester as the hosts put up 31 unanswered points.
TE
Cody Boozel (Cranberry Twp., Pa./Seneca Valley) caught a 15-yard TD pass with three minutes left in the first quarter to tie the game at 7-all.
Andrew Chegia (Kennett Square, Pa./Unionville) kicked a 28-yard field goal early in the second quarter to give the Golden Rams a 10-7 lead that it would not relinquish. Long scored on a 7-yard run later in the quarter, before he found
Lex Rosario (Matamoras, Pa./Delaware Valley) from 33-yards out on a catch-and-run with 11 seconds to play before half that put West Chester in front 24-7 heading into the break. James hauled in a 40-yard strike from Long early in the third quarter to close out the scoring.
Meanwhile, Gannon could not gain more than seven yards on six of its first nine possessions due in large part to the Golden Rams' stingy defense. Four of those nine drives were three-and-outs while two others lasted just four plays.
LB
Nate Barnes (Carlisle, Pa./Carlisle), the reigning PSAC East defensive player of the week, led all tacklers with 13 stops. DE
Diquan Gilbert (Philadelphia, Pa./Comm Tech) enjoyed a particularly nasty day up front with nine tackles, including four for a loss. He also registered 1.5 sacks.
Jarey Elder (Allentown, Pa./Parkland) intercepted two passes in the game while
Shaquille James (Philadelphia, Pa./West Catholic) was credited with three pass breakups.
All-America punter
Brendan Paulison (Milford, Pa./Delaware Valley) averaged 46.7 yards on seven punts, including a career-high 67-yarder that resulted in a touchback. He dropped two inside the 20-yard line.
West Chester travels to Seton Hill next Saturday for another non-league tilt against the Golden Griffins. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m.
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