WEST CHESTER, Pa. - QB Noah Mitchell's two-point conversion pass fell incomplete, after California University of Pa., scored a touchdown with no time remaining on the clock, as No. 24 West Chester hung on to defeat Cal U, 20-19, in the regular-season finale at John A. Farrell Stadium Satudray afternoon.
With six seconds showing on the clock, Mitchell hooked up with Jordan Dandridge on a 15-yard scoring pass in the corner of the end zone that brought the visitor's within one. The pass play ate up the remaining six seconds, and Cal U head coach Gary Dunn elected to go for the win and attempted a two-point conversion.
West Chester (9-2) awaits its fate Sunday night at 5 p.m. when the NCAA Selection Show reveals the Division II field for the NCAA Tournament. The Golden Rams were seventh in last week's Super Region 1 Poll. The top seven schools make it from each of the four super regions with earned access going to conference winners, who did not appear in the top seven spots, but are ranked somewhere 8 through 10.
"Yeah we are good enough," West Chester head coach
Bill Zwaan said. "We had to beat a team with a good record, and (Cal) did. So that helps us. So, yeah, I think we are in."
Cal (7-4) entered the contest with three losses to teams that were a combined 29-1, and the Vulcans gave the Golden Rams all they could handle.
"We knew it was going to be a tough game," linebacker
Jackson Taylor (Glenside, Pa./Abington) said. "But, we just stuck to the game plan and grinded it out."
West Chester QB
Paul Dooley (Philadelphia, Pa./Springside-Chestnut Hill) finished the day 18-for-33 for 202 yards and a pair of touchdown passes to
Dan Neuhaus (Downingtown, Pa./Bishop Shanahan). Dooley was also the Golden Rams' leading rusher with 61 yards on 14 carries. His second half was a big reason that West Chester erased what was a 10-point deficit at one time in the first half.
"(Dooley) never quits. He has been injured and battled through a lot of things," Zwaan added. "He has tons of heart. He fights for the first down. He hasn't always made all the plays that we want him to make, but his heart is huge."
Taylor and senior DE
Ch'aim Smith (York, Pa./York Suburban) finished the game with 10 tackles each. They battled Cal U running back Nelson Brown all afternoon. Brown finished with 114 yards on 25 carries and a score. But, West Chester kept coming after him.
"(Brown) had a relentless mentality," Taylor admitted. "You just have to keep going at him. Gang-tackle him with everybody flying to the ball. He is definitely one of the better backs in the PSAC."
"We just kept coming back and coming back," Zwaan said about his defense. "They battled on that two-point play. So, you gotta give (our defense) a ton of credit."
The Golden Rams and Vulcans exchanged early-game fumbles as the score stood at 0-0 through the first five drives of the game. With 21 seconds to go in the first quarter, the Golden Rams broke the ice as junior
Andrew Cheiga (Kennett Square, Pa./Unionville) topped off a 47-yard drive with field goal from the 29-yard line to give the Golden Rams a 3-0 lead.
The Vulcans were quick to respond following the West Chester field goal. Though the Vulcans were pinned deep in their territory following the kickoff, they marched downfield, going 94 yards in four minutes and 34 seconds. Running back Nelson Brown topped off the drive with a one-yard run into the endzone, giving California the lead. The point after attempt was no good, giving California a 6-3 lead.
A turnover-on-downs in the following drive by West Chester gave California the ball back at their 28-yard line. The Vulcans fought their way into Golden Rams territory before quarterback Noah Mitchell connected with wide receiver Jordan Dandridge for a 44-yard touchdown pass. Following the point-after, California increased their lead to 13-3 over West Chester.
Following California's touchdown drive, West Chester received the ball with 3:14 to go in the first half at their 25-yard line. The Golden Rams went to the passing game as Dooley went five-for-six on the drive, capping off the drive with a 12-yard touchdown throw to Neuhaus.The Golden Rams would go into halftime down 13-10.
West Chester received the ball to start the second half, and wasted no time as
Phil Poquie (Philadelphia, Pa./Haverford School) ran the kick back to the 50-yard line before being run out of bounds. The Golden Rams spent the next five minutes chipping away until Dooley connected with Neuhaus on a 26-yard touchdown pass, the pair's second touchdown of the day, to give the Golden Rams a 17-13 lead.
California looked to earn the lead back, putting together a 10-play 50-yard drive. The drive, however, was cut short after Taylor
forced a fumble from the Vulcans' quarterback.
Jarey Elder (Allentown, Pa./Parkland) recovered the fumble, earning the turnover for West Chester. It would be a wasted opportunity, however, as West Chester would go three-and-out and would be forced to punt the ball back to California.
The Vulcans were unsuccessful in their following drive, only managing to get the Golden Rams' 20-yard line before failing on fourth down for a turnover-on-downs. West Chester in turn managed to get the ball down to the Vulcans' 40-yard line before being forced to punt. The punt by
George Lambritsios (Broomall, Pa./Marple Newtown) pinned the Vulcans inside their 1-yard line with under 10 minutes to go in the fourth quarter.
The Golden Rams defense did not give up an inch, forcing the Vulcans to punt the ball from their own one. Following the punt, West Chester restarted the drive back at the California's 40-yard line. The Golden Rams managed to kill five minutes making their way downfield but ended up settling for a 29-yard field goal from Chegia to give them a 20-13 lead over the Vulcans with 4:08 to go in the fourth quarter.
The Vulcans began to battle their way downfield, converting on two consecutive fourth-down situations, marched down to the Golden Rams' 12-yard line with 16 seconds remaining on the clock. Following an incomplete pass, the Golden Rams defense came up big, as
Zach Liggitt (Danielsville, Pa./Northampton) sacked the quarterback, forcing a 3rd and 13 with six seconds to go. As time expired, Mitchell threw up a pass to Dandridge in the corner of the end zone, who brought the ball down on the sideline to score a 15-yard touchdown, cutting West Chester's lead to 20-19. California decided to forego a potential overtime by going for the win with a two-point conversion attempt. The Golden Rams defense pressured Mitchell into over-throwing the receiver, ending the contest with a final score of 20-19.
So, now, West Chester's fate is in the hands of the Super Region 1 committee.
Â
