Editor's Note: This preview is part two of a two-part story, focusing on the offense for this upcoming football season. Yesterday's installment looked at the defense and the special teams.
WEST CHESTER, Pa. - Seven-year mentor Bill Zwaan is known for high-powered, quick-strike, exciting offenses. However, he has always had a seasoned veteran at quarterback to orchestrate his patented Spread Wing-T system. This year, sophomore Mike Mattei will rely on an awful lot of experience around him as he has been handed the reins of the offense this fall.
Mattei inherits an offense that was ranked third overall in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) and second in passing.
“He has all the tools,” Zwaan lauded. “I just wish his first college start wasn’t going to be in Delaware Stadium. I wish we had a game under our belts before that Delaware game.
“He throws a very catchable ball, which the receivers like,” Zwaan explained. “He is also a lot more mobile. We will probably do some things to take advantage of that. It adds another dimension to your offense and makes opposing defenses do things that maybe they aren’t comfortable doing.”
The second-year man out of Chestnut Hill Academy in Philadelphia better acclimate himself to his new surroundings quickly. The Purple & Gold faithful have grown accustomed to the Golden Rams winning the Eastern Division of the PSAC and making a playoff run all powered by an explosive, high-scoring and exciting offense to watch.
Picked to win the East once again by the loop’s head coaches and ranked 22nd in the American Football Coaches' Association (AFCA) preseason national poll, West Chester and its young signal-caller already feel the pressure to perform.
Fortunately, Mattei will have plenty of experience around him in the huddle. His offensive line is entering its third season as a collective unit while his running backs are all seasoned veterans with a plethora of starts on their resume. That is the biggest reason that Zwaan and his coaching staff feel Mattei is in a position to succeed.
“When you stop and look at it, we are inexperienced at quarterback,” Zwaan admitted. “But, we are really experienced on the offensive line and really experienced in the backfield. Those two factors may help settle down the quarterback position.”
Mattei oversees the league’s second-ranked scoring offense (33.9 points per game). However, those numbers were put up by an experienced senior throwing to some of the best wide receivers in the conference.
“There are going to be a few positions where guys, who have not played much in the past, will take on bigger roles,” Zwaan debated. “That means we have some inexperience. But, I think we are replacing great football players with some good football players. It may take awhile, but their talent will start to show.
“You have to find a way to replace that experience. That is where the growing pains will be. With a young quarterback, you are always going to have young mistakes. You just hope those mistakes do not cost you. You have to be able to overcome them.”
A period of transition is to be expected when a team returns just three of its 10 All-PSAC honorees. Center Kyle O’Neill, WR Dan DePalma and DE Travis Ford-Bey are the new trio of leaders for the 2010 West Chester University Golden Rams gridders.
OFFENSIVE LINE
“If you were to ask me what group must play better, I would have to say the offensive line,” Zwaan declared. “This is the year that you really look for them to take their game to the next level.”
That is an awful lot of pressure for a unit that enters its third year working together. The offensive line allowed just 13 sacks in 11 games, which ranked third in the conference. O’Neill and classmates Gerry Penrose and Chris Faix are the cornerstone of that front wall. Add in sophomore Tim Gramlich, who started 10 of 11 contests in 2009, and Ryan Costello, and the Golden Rams front five are as solid as any unit in Division II.
“It all starts with Kyle,” Zwaan said. “He is our all-conference, and possibly All-American, at center. If we have an offensive line that opens holes for our running backs, then that takes the pressure off of Mike (Mattaei).
“If we are able to do that, then we will be able to run the ball, mix the pass and run and Mattei will not be forced to make a play to win games.”
O’Neill, Penrose and Faix have rarely missed a start in the last two years. Costello transferred into the program from Colgate last fall and appeared in eight games, making three starts. He is penciled in at the left guard spot. Junior Sean Mayer started all 11 games for the Golden Rams at tackle in 2009. He may bump over to a guard position and fight Costello for playing time. Classmate Eric Hawthorne has plenty of experience to draw from as well. He is slated to be starting at right tackle when the season opens on Thursday, Sept. 2 at Delaware.
“We have a lot of depth with so many kids who have playing experience,” Zwaan beamed. “I am expecting an awful lot from them this fall.”
Reserves Brian Margetich and Eric Pratt also bring limited playing experience with them. Both are listed second on the preseason depth chart. Margetich will back up O’Neill at center while Pratt spells the left tackle position. Red-shirt freshman Trey Farmer will backup one of the guard spots, and sophomore transfer, Zach Zielinski from UConn, will battle Hawthorne for playing time at right tackle. Mike Martin is another option somewhere along the offensive line as well.
Farmer has made tremendous strides after red-shirting in 2009. Zielinski is listed at 6 feet, 8 inches tall and weighs 325 pounds. He is a load for anybody to move. Both possess the ability to step in and play if called upon.
RUNNING BACKS
Senior D’Andre Webb is the featured running back in West Chester’s offense. He led the Golden Rams in rushing a year ago with 423 yards on the ground and seven touchdowns. The coaching staff expects big things from their tailback in his final season. Webb suffered a knee injury midway through his sophomore campaign, and the staff feels that setback dogged him all year long in 2009. With that injury now behind him, Webb is ready to showcase his talent on the big stage.
“Webb is easily one of the fastest running backs I have ever coached,” Zwaan proclaimed. “And, he is so physically strong. He looked really good in the spring. If he continues the way he finished up this spring, then I am looking for him to have a breakout year.”
There is no doubt that Webb looked like West Chester’s most explosive running back at times last fall. He will certainly benefit from running behind an experienced offensive line this season and should improve upon the Rams’ conference ranking of 12th in rushing offense. The senior can electrify the audience with his shifty maneuverability. Webb follows his blocks very well and hits the hole without reservation.
Behind Webb is junior Jackson Fagan. A north-south runner who knows his role and rarely loses yards on a carry, Fagan is multi-dimensional and could line up in any number of spots in West Chester’s complicated formations. He rushed for a team-high 979 yards in 2008 and scored seven TDs. Last year, he piled up 203 yards rushing and scored four touchdowns.
“(Fagan) catches the ball really well out of the backfield,” Zwaan described. “He sets screens, he runs routes from the slot position, and he is a change-up runner from D’Andre. That tandem, with the offensive line maturing, could really set off this offense.”
That would be a change from Zwaan’s offensive style which he has utilized out of his patented Spread Wing-T. However, that style would alleviate the pressure on Mattei at quarterback and play into the Golden Rams’ strengths much more prevalently.
A pair of juniors, Corey Broyles and Derrick Deitz, each saw limited playing time in reserve roles last fall. They are the next two options in the backfield for the Golden Rams. Both averaged nearly five yards per carry in 2009. Broyles is a compact runner much in the style of Webb. He can disappear behind the offensive line and hit the hole quickly. Deitz is more of a stand-up runner with good speed and instincts.
A pair of Irishmen will battle it out at fullback for playing time. Incumbent starter Matt McLaughlin and junior Brian McDermott are excellent blocking backs with ability to run the ball. McLaughlin racked up 156 yards rushing last season and scored three TDs. He averaged 4.7 yards per carry. McDermott averaged 4.3 yards per tote and finished with 87 yards and one TD.
“McLaughlin looks bigger and stronger every day in practice,” Zwaan said. “He is another weapon running the ball. There will be times when we make McLaughlin or McDermott a second tight end in a two-tight end set.”
Senior Adam Young also saw limited playing time at fullback in 2009. He doubled as the long-snapper for the Golden Rams. He will share that duty again with Victor Iturbides. Young knows the offense and is a capable reserve to both McLaughlin and McDermott.
TIGHT ENDS
Zwaan readily admits that he cannot replace Ryan Paulson’s pass-catching abilities at tight end. The all-leaguer led all PSAC tight ends in reception yards a year ago. That void will have to be filled in other ways.
“I think we have a better blocker in Alex Tosi,” Zwaan explained. “We may have to put a fourth wide receiver on the field to replace Paulson’s receiving ability, which we will do. But, I think we will be better in the run game.”
Tosi appeared in nine games and made one start. He knows the offense and is comfortable in his role. The junior adds to an offensive line that already is one of the top in the conference.
When Zwaan wants to throw the ball to his tight end, sophomore Justin Curry will most likely be the target. Curry caught two passes for 34 yards last season. He appeared in five games for West Chester.
WIDE RECEIVERS
DePalma has waited two years to be the featured guy on the perimeter. 2010 will be his turn to shine, and the Golden Rams’ coaching staff feels he will be extra-special. DePalma was a second team all-league selection last fall, leading the Rams with 832 yards receiving on 45 catches. He tied for the team lead in TD receptions with nine and averaged 75 yards per game. DePalma also averaged 24.4 yards per return on 13 kickoffs. He will once again be asked to return both kickoffs and punts.
“He has the potential to carry a team,” Zwaan gloated. “He has a tremendous work ethic, great speed and he scores touchdowns. I expect him to have an All-American type year.
“He is looking forward to being ‘the-guy’. He relishes in that role and wants to be the next Mike Washington and Steve Miller and carry on that tradition at wide receiver.”
Along with DePalma is a group of very young, but very talented wide receivers. Sophomores Sean Beahan, Jim Kelly, Bill Pommerer and Tom Shrader team up with red-shirt freshman Tim Keyser to complete the receiving corps. Beahan appeared in 10 games and made four starts for the Golden Rams a year ago. He and DePalma are listed at the end position on the preseason depth chart. They provide a very potent one-two punch split out wide. Beahan caught 15 passes for 188 yards last fall and averaged 12.5 yards per catch.
Zwaan describes Kelly has having the best hands on the team. Pommerer red-shirted in 2009 after switching over from defense where he was in the secondary. Shrader caught just one pass last year. But, it went for a 58-yard touchdown against Cheyney. The coaching staff is really excited about his potential at wideout. Keyser is slated to be the starting flanker in the fall. How he progresses will determine whether or not he keeps that spot.
Blaze Wasserleben is coming off an injury that kept him out all of 2009. Nick Hall is also recovering from a non-football related injury a couple of years ago that has limited his playing time and hindered his progression.
“We have a lot of speed, a lot of talent and a lot of touchdown-makers, who can stretch a defense,” Zwaan assured. “All of these guys have tremendous talent and have waited their turn. They just don’t have the experience of the guys they are replacing. There will be growing pains there as well.
