WEST CHESTER, Pa. - Sophomore quarterback
Mike Piperno (Washington Twp., N.J. / Washington Twp.) entered in the second quarter and threw for 228 yards and three touchdowns to lead No. 12-ranked West Chester University football to a 20-17 victory over Bloomsburg.
West Chester (6-0. 3-0 PSAC) remains tied with Kutztown for first place in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference East Division while Bloomsburg is tied for last at 1-5, 0-3.
There was no score through the first 23 minutes of gameplay when Logan Leiby ran the ball in for a Bloomsburg touchdown, giving them a 7-0 lead.
Enter Piperno. The Golden Rams battled back on their next drive, going 68 yards down field as
Elijah Hall (Bethlehem, Pa. / Liberty) caught a pass from Piperno for the touchdown. The touchdown was Piperno's first throwing touchdown of the season and Hall's first receiving touchdown of the season. The extra-point kick was no good, leaving West Chester down 7-6 going into halftime.
After forcing a punt to start the second half, the Golden Rams offense faced a difficult 3rd-and-19 situation when Piperno looked down field and connected with freshman receiver
Seth Degree (Philadelphia, Pa. / West Catholic) for an 80-yard touchdown to give West Chester a 13-7 advantage.
Bloomsburg attempted to retaliate on the next drive, marching downfield 64 yards before being halted by the Golden Rams defense. Kicker Cameron Schollenberger kicked the field goal to cut West Chester's lead down to 14-10.
West Chester lost the ball on the following drive due to an interception. After stopping the Huskie offense, West Chester received the ball on a punt back at their own 20. Piperno threw back-to-back 40-yard passes to receivers
Lex Rosario (Downingtown, Pa. / Bishop Shanahan) and
Dan Neuhaus (Matamoras, Pa. / Delaware Valley) to score a touchdown. Neuhaus' touchdown was his team-leading third receiving touchdown of the season.
As the fourth quarter began, the spotlight was on the Golden Rams defense. After putting a stop to Bloomsburg's first drive of the quarter, the Golden Rams allowed an 87-yard touchdown drive to bring the score to 20-17. Khalil Nelson ran the ball five yards into the end zone to cap off the drive.
The Golden Rams defense quickly shut down the Bloomsburg offense on the next drive. However, that was after the Huskies intercepted Piperno. West Chester forced a 4
th-and-6 rushing attempt by Leiby which he did not convert, ultimately turning possession over to West Chester.
With 6:17 remaining on the clock, the Golden Rams began to run the ball, killing the clock. Their six-play, 15-yards drive took up four minutes of action, giving Bloomsburg only 2:14 remaining for their final drive.
After a 41-yard punt from
George Lambritsios (Broomall, Pa. / Marple Newtown) pinned the Huskies at their own nine-yard line, the Huskies began to work their way down field, finding themselves at midfield with 10 seconds remaining. As the Huskies began to go for their last-ditch attempt at a touchdown, West Chester's
Jackson Taylor (Glenside, Pa. / Abington) sacked Leiby, forcing a fumble as time expired. Golden Ram
James Bell (Philadelphia, Pa. / St. Joseph's Prep.) recovered the fumble, ending both the drive and the contest.
West Chester is on the road next Saturday as the Golden Rams travel to Shepherdstown, W. Va., for a matchup with first-year PSAC member Shepherd University. The game is set for a 12 p.m. kickoff.
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