LOCK HAVEN, Pa. - West Chester University's football squad was picked to finish third in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division preseason poll of the league's head coaches it was announced Thursday afternoon.
Shepherd was picked as the favorite to win the PSAC East with five first-place votes. Kutztown was selected second with a pair of first-place tallies. West Chester received one first-place nod. East Stroudsburg, Millersville, Shippensburg, Bloomsburg and Lock Haven rounded out the preseason poll.
Out west, Indiana (Pa.) was slated as the preseason favorite. The Crimson Hawks received six first-place votes. Slippery Rock was picked second with two first-place indicators while California (Pa.) was slated third and Gannon fourth. West Chester is scheduled to play both Slippery Rock and Gannon this fall. Edinboro, Seton Hill, Clarion and Mercyhurst rounded out the Western Division standings, respectively.
West Chester is coming off a 7-4 campaign. Head coach Bill Zwaan returns 15 position players and both his punter and kicker. With sophomore quarterbacks
Cooper Jordan (Downingtown, Pa./Bishop Shanahan) and
Ethan Kohler (Schwenksville, Pa./Perkiomen Valley) returning with significant playing experience a year ago, West Chester's offense should be much better in 2023. The addition of
Trey Blair (Havertown, Pa./Haverford) to the backfield that already includes returners
Jayden Williams (Bethlehem, Pa./Allentown Central Catholic) and
Daquan Robinson (Philadelphia, Pa./Northeast) will help the running game while a couple of returners at wide receiver, and three transfers, gives the passing game a fresh look.
Transfers have filled in the Golden Rams' defense very well. A unit that was one of the tops in the conference a year ago should once again be one of the best units in the league. West Chester's secondary returns two starters from 2022, along with the addition of three transfers ready to play. Linebacker
Khalib Slaughter (Flemington, N.J./Hunterdon) is back, and the defensive front is anchored by
Ayyub Dail (Easton, Pa./Easton Area),
Tom Burns (Yardley, Pa./Conwell-Egan) and
Daniel Hicks (Lansdale, Pa./North Penn).
Shepherd finished last season 7-0 atop the Eastern Division standings and advanced all the way to the national semifinals finishing up at 13-2 overall. Along the way, the Rams avenged a loss to IUP in the PSAC Championship Game with a win over the Crimson Hawks in the Super Region 1 Championship.
Kutztown finished 5-2 in conference play and 8-3 overall. The Golden Bears' two losses in the division came against Shepherd and West Chester. The Golden Rams tied Millersville for third place in the league standings with identical 4-3 records in conference play. West Chester defeated the Marauders head-to-head in the regular season. Millersville finished 5-6 overall. East Stroudsburg, Shippensburg, Bloomsburg and Lock Haven rounded out the 2022 regular-season standings.
West Chester opens the 2023 slate on the road at Bentley University on Saturday, Sept. 2 at 1 p.m.
Â
