Derr fills in; Zapf busts out for West Chester
WEST GOSHEN – When asked the overriding key to a successful college football season in 2019, West Chester head coach Bill Zwaan has been very consistent. At the PSAC preseason coaches meeting, the conference had him write it down on and hold it up for a photo. He wrote: ‘stay healthy.’
“We feel like our starters are a good group but our backups are really inexperienced,” he explained. “The more we can stay healthy, the less we have to play guys who aren’t ready yet, and in turn the better we will be.”
So far through two games, however, the 18th ranked Golden Rams (2-0) have been largely fortunate. Heading into Saturday’s PSAC Crossover clash with Seton Hill, only one preseason starter is off the depth chart: defensive end Fulani Freeman. The 6-foot-5 junior suffered a hip injury in the opener.
“Fulani is getting better,” Zwaan said. “It’s going to take some time for him to get better and they want to make sure they don’t rush him.”
Sophomores Zach Liggitt (6-4, 235) and Wyatt Smith (6-3, 255) filled in admirably in last weekend’s 48-14 road win at Gannon, combining for six tackles.
“Both those guys have great motors – they never stop,” Zwaan said. “They are young and they want to play. They will get beat once in a while because they don’t have great size, but they will get off those blocks and get to the play more often.”
West Chester also dodged a bullet when starting offensive tackle Dom Carey was unable to play last Saturday and freshman Quinton Derr (Upper Dublin) came in and performed. And that’s big when you considerer that Carey is playing in place of Pat Ferry, who suffered a broken ankle in the Spring Game and is likely to be redshirted.
“(Derr) played well and did a good job for us,” Zwaan said.
A junior, Carey has an undisclosed injury and Zwaan said he hopes to have him back on Saturday “or for sure by next week.”
DEFENSE FORCES FIVE INTERCEPTIONS
The Rams defense picked off five passes against Gannon, one week after failing to force a single turnover in the season opener. And it was a big-day for WCU’s new cornerbacks — Sterlen Barr and Izaiah McPherson – as well as part-time outside linebacker starter Cole Zapf (Downingtown West).
All three had picks, with Barr’s pick-six opening the scoring.
“The first one goes back 61-yards for a touchdown, and that completely changed the complexion of the game,” Zwaan said. “It just kind of got our kids extremely excited on the sidelines. Then all of the sudden we’re up 21-0 and we look like ourselves.”
A sophomore, Barr added two pass breakups and had three tackles. Also a sophomore, Zapf finished with a team-high six tackles.
“They took a good step forward, which is what we are hoping for,” Zwaan said. “In the opener, everybody played like it was a first game. Practices were better last week and we played a lot better. That’s a really good sign.
“(Zapf) is tough and a good athlete. In high school he was (Downingtown West’s) whole team. They had him doing all kinds of different things. He is one of the smartest guys on our team. Even though he’s not as big as you’d like a linebacker, he’s strong enough.
“He reacts well outside the box, so when he sees plays, he comes up and makes a play. The first play he had a shot at, he made the tackle but he kind of played it cautiously. But from that point, something snapped and he started making hits all over the place. He was doing a lot of things we hope to get out of that position.”
PREVIEWING SETON HILL
Including last season’s 59-14 home loss to WCU, Seton Hill is still looking for its first win in the series. The Griffins have a new head coach in Daniel Day, so West Chester isn’t quite sure what if is going to see on Saturday.
“It’s whole new systems on both sides of the ball and a lot of new players,” Zwaan said. “It’s unpredictable as to what they are going to do, especially since they’ve only played one game.
“We expect them to come in fired-up to play us, just like everybody is.”
In its opener, Seton Hill fell to East Stroudsburg 31-18.
LINCOLN OFFENSE, JACKSON SHOW IMPROVEMENT
It may be hard to believe, but the Lincoln football squad made some strides last weekend despite a 58-12 loss at Delaware State.
The score was frustratingly similar to a Week One setback at Lock Haven (57-13), but the level of competition was not the same. Like the Lions, Lock Haven plays at the Division II level, has not had a single winning season in the 2000s, and is 38-171 since 2000. Delaware State is an FCS (Division I-AA) program.
The biggest progress is on offense, and particularly with senior quarterback Eban Jackson. Despite not having the aid of a running game (-24 against Delaware State), the Los Angeles native was 25-for-39 for 199 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. He connected with six different receivers, including Dah’Mear Triplett (eight for 77 yards) and Shoye Sampson (two TDs).
The biggest issue right now for Lincoln is on defense. The Lions rank 12th and last in the CIAA in scoring defense (57.5) and total defense (517 yards allowed per game).
Lincoln’s home opener will be Saturday against Fayetteville State (N.C.). Kickoff is at 7 p.m.
