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WEST CHESTER, PA –
Thatcher Miller (Lititz, Pa./Warwick) caught a 43-yard touchdown pass, and
Oscar Uduma (Folcroft, Pa./Msgr. Bonner & Prendie) returned an interception 24 yards for another score, as West Chester escaped John A. Farrell Stadium with a 26-14 victory Saturday afternoon.
West Chester (3-1, 1-0 PSAC East) forced six turnovers and limited Millersville (0-4, 0-1) to just 215 yards of total offense in opening Eastern Division play with a win for the 18th straight season. It also extended the Golden Rams' personal win streak over the Marauders to 19.
Early on it looked like those streaks would come to an end as Millersville drove down the field and scored a touchdown on its opening drive, after forcing West Chester into a 3-and-out on its first possession of the game, to take a 7-0 lead.
The Golden Rams were intercepted at the Millersville 7-yard line on the first play from scrimmage following the Marauders' TD. However, the visitors snapped the ball over their quarterback's head and out the back of the end zone on its first play that put the score at 7-2 at end of the first quarter.
Millersville opened the second quarter with a 7-play drive that went 66 yards and ended with a 5-yard TD pass from Luke Thomas to Jaheim Morris that put the score at 14-2 Marauders.
That was all the offense Millersville would muster the rest of the game. West Chester's defense pitched another shutout in the second half while the offense, bolstered by a two field goals, another safety and the two TDs, came from behind to secure the win. The Marauders accumulated just 49 yards of offense after halftime.
Miller's 43-yard TD reception came from true freshman QB
Ethan Kohler (Schwenksville, Pa./Perkiomen Valley). It was Miller's first career TD catch and Kohler's first career TD throw.
Jackson Taylor (Glenside, Pa./Abington) registered a game-high 14 tackles for the Golden Rams. He also forced a fumble and recovered one as well. Uduma recorded eight stops on the afternoon, including 3.5 tackles for a loss, forced a pair of fumbles and returned the INT for a score. He also had a pass breakup in there to boot.
So., PK
Sean Henry (Reading, Pa./Exeter) went 3-for-3 on field goals to establish a new career-best for most FG's in a game while also upping his career-long field goal mark to 44 yards. He hit two field goals from beyond 40 yards in the contest.
West Chester hits the road next weekend to take on Bloomsburg University at Danny Hale Field at Redman Stadium next Saturday night at 6 p.m.
