SHIPPENSBURG, PA - Maurice Beverly (Philadelphia, Pa./Imhotep Charter) forced a fumble on the goal line and took it 99 yards for a touchdown with five minutes to play in the third quarter to help West Chester complete a 38-28 comeback victory over Shippensburg on Saturday afternoon inside Seth Grove Stadium.
The Golden Rams (4-2, 2-1 PSAC East) trailed by as many as 14 in the first half, but scored on each of its first three drives of the second half and followed it up with an essential defensive score later in the third quarter, outscoring its guests 24-0, en route to a 38-28 victory over Shippensburg (1-5, 1-2).
"We came out in the third quarter and wanted to go fast," opened head coach Bill Zwaan. "Knowing we had the wind, we wanted to make sure we took advantage of it, and we were able to do that, getting a few scores on the board right away."
West Chester scored on its first play of the second half with a 58-yard strike from Cooper Jordan (Downingtown, Pa./Bishop Shanahan) to D'Shaun Seals (Philadelphia, Pa./Imhotep Charter), which evened the score at 14-14. The Golden Rams took their first lead moments later when Daquan Robinson (Philadelphia, Pa./Northeast) punched one in from 10 yards out, finishing off a 53-yard touchdown drive and giving West Chester a 21-14 lead.
Sean Henry (Reading, Pa./Exeter) extended the West Chester lead a few minutes later, connecting on a 34-yard field goal to make it a 24-14 game.
Trailing by 10, Shippensburg marched down to the Golden Rams' one-yard line. But, Beverly and the West Chester defense stiffened at the perfect time, forcing a fumble and taking it 99 yards for the score to extend the Golden Ram lead to 31-14 and swing momentum in West Chester's favor. It marked the longest return by a Golden Rams player in a game in school history, topping Jim Pribula's 98-yard interception return for a TD against East Stroudsburg in 1959.
When asked about the fumble return by Beverly, Zwaan said, "That was huge - probably the biggest play of the game for us, giving us a big 14-point swing."
This fumble was one of just several big plays by the West Chester defense in the second half as the Golden Rams forced three second-half turnovers, coming away with a fumble and a pair of fourth-quarter interceptions, including a late pick by Sterlen Barr, Jr. (Hatboro, Pa./Upper Moreland), which led to the Golden Rams final score of the game.
"Defensively, we looked like a different team today," said Zwaan. "We made some big plays and got some important stops when we needed them, which helped us take a step toward becoming a pretty good defense," finished Zwaan.
The host Red Raiders scored early in the fourth quarter, cutting the Golden Rams lead to 31-21. It looked as though they may score again, crossing midfield with under eight minutes to play in regulation, but Barr had other ideas, jumping the pass and taking it 33 yards into Shippensburg territory.
A West Chester personal foul moved the Golden Rams back to the other side of the 50, but this did not matter for Jordan as the sophomore led a 7-play, 53-yard touchdown drive, capped off by a five-yard rush by Dayshawn Jacobs (West Chester, Pa./Rustin) to extend the lead to 38-21.
Shippensburg put together a final scoring drive, marching 78 yards on 13 plays in three minutes and 20 seconds that cut the West Chester lead to 38-28. But only two seconds remained on the clock as the visiting Golden Rams held on for a 10-point victory.
Shippensburg opened the scoring in the first quarter with a 54-yard touchdown pass, which capped a five-play, 63-yard drive to give the hosts the early 7-0 lead. Riding its momentum from the first-quarter score, Shippensburg started the second quarter with a 7-play, 73-yard touchdown drive, which doubled the lead to 14-0 with 11:41 to play in the first half.
West Chester got its first score of the game with 3:22 to play in the first half when Ethan Kohler (Schwenksville, Pa./Perkiomen Valley) found Brody McAndrew (Penndel, Pa./Neshaminy) with a 26-yard TD pass to cap a 6-play, 63-yard drive, cutting the deficit to 14-7 heading into the halftime break.
Jordan ended his day 7 of 12 through the air for 149 yards and a score, with all 149 yards coming in the second half comeback.
"We sped things up in the second half, which I think helped him," said Zwaan when asked about Jordan's big second-half performance. "He has some mistakes that he shouldn't be making. So, we need to clean those up, but he did a really good job in the second half overall."
For his part, Kohler ended his day 6 of 10 through the air for 75 yards and a touchdown of his own. Jordan also led the team in rushing, finishing with 45 yards on 16 attempts, while Robinson ended with 29 yards on six carries and a score of his own.
In addition to his 5-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter, which put the game officially out of reach, Jacobs had 89 yards on kick returns, finishing his day with 98 all-purpose yards in the victory.
Seals led the Golden Rams receiving core with three catches for 82 yards and a score, while Seth Degree (Philadelphia, Pa./West Catholic) finished his day with three catches for 36 yards, including a big 27-yard catch and run, which helped West Chester extend its third scoring drive of the second half.
Defensively, Beverly and Connor Noble (Chester Springs, Pa./Downingtown East) tied for the team lead in tackles with nine each, while Noble picked up 1.5 sacks for a loss of nine yards. Beverly forced a pair of fumbles for West Chester on Saturday afternoon, including his 99-yard scamper, which helped the Golden Rams earn the road victory and end a personal two-year losing streak to Shippensburg.
West Chester returns to Farrell Stadium next Saturday afternoon for a clash with East Stroudsburg beginning at 12 p.m.
