West Chester Comes Up 1-Yard Short; Golden Rams Fall To Notre Dame College, 31-24

SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio – Paul Dooley (Philadelphia, Pa./Springside-Chestnut Hill) was stopped short of the goal line on 4th down as time expired, ending West Chester's comeback bid against host Notre Dame College in the first round of the NCAA II Playoffs at Mueller Field Saturday. The Falcons came up with the crucial stop to preserve its 31-24 lead and advance to the second round of Super Region 1.
 
West Chester (9-3), making its third straight tournament appearance, lost in the first round for the second consecutive year. Notre Dame (11-1) advances to take on Kutztown (11-1), which defeated Tiffin, 33-31 Saturday.
 
Trailing 31-10 late in the third quarter, the Golden Rams began their comeback when Notre Dame went 3-and-out, and Falcons' punter Dom Buttazzoni got off a 17-yard punt from his own 18. Dooley hooked up with TE Dan Neuhaus (Downingtown, Pa./Bishop Shanahan) on a 35-yard touchdown strike on the first play from scrimmage to make it a 31-17 game.
 
West Chester then took 10 plays and went 93 yards on the Rams' first possession of the fourth quarter to make it a one-score game with 6:29 to go when Dooley found Lex Rosario (Matemoras, Pa./Delaware Valley) from 30 yards out for a score. Rosario finished his college career with 11 catches for 169 yards and a TD.
 
The Golden Rams forced the Falcons to punt on its next possession, taking over at their own 17-yard line. A 9-yard completion to Rosario and an 8-yard run from Dooley, gave West Chester a first down at its own 34. Dooley completed three straight passes to get a first down at Notre Dame College's 41. A 6-yard pass and an incompletion left the Rams with a 3rd-and-4 from the Falcons' 35-yard line. A pass to Neuhaus fell incomplete, but Notre Dame College was flagged for interference, giving West Chester the ball on the Falcons' 20-yard line.
 
Rosario caught a 16-yard pass, and Dooley busted off an 8-yard run from the Falcons' 9-yard line, leaving West Chester with a 4th-and-goal from the one with 10 seconds left in the game. Dooley could not get in on the final play.
 
Dooley finished 21-for-36 for 297 yards and three TDs without an interception in his final college game. R-Fr., RB Ja'Den McKenzie (Morton, Pa./Springfield) led West Chester in rushing with 91 yards on 19 carries. Neuhaus caught four balls for 107 yards and one score. He finishes his first college season with 917 rushing yards – a new freshman record. He did not score a TD Saturday, meaning he falls one score short of his running backs coach Osagie Osunde's freshman record of 12 rushing TDs in 2003.
 
Jackson Taylor (Glenside, Pa./Abington) tied with Jalik Smith (Harrisburg, Pa./Susquehanna Twp.) for the team lead in tackles Saturday with eight. Sr., DE Ch'aim Smith (York, Pa./York Suburban) registered 2.5 tackles for a loss and finished 2019 with 20.5. He is third all-time in career tackles for a loss with 43.