Football Season Preview

Charles Dickens classic novel, Great Expectations, describes the 2013 West Chester University Golden Rams football club to a tee. After a pair of losing seasons and an improved, but still sub-standard 7-4 campaign in 2011, this year's Golden Rams certainly seem to be coming of age.

It's been a while since West Chester University's football team could say that it is a legitimate contender for the Eastern Division title in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC). However, players and coaches alike have one goal in mind as preseason camp opens. The Golden Rams last played in the "State Game" in 2008, a loss to California (Pa.) on the road, but this group has some scores to settle and will not be satisfied with second place.

"We are looking for a pretty good year this year," Head coach Bill Zwaan stated matter-of-factly. "

With seven starters returning on each side of the ball, a pair of all-league kickers in place and two of the most electric return men in the conference ready to go, West Chester seems to have all the pieces of the puzzle in place. It is just hoping that the picture has them holding the blue trophy high above their heads at Farrell Stadium on Nov. 16. To do that, the Golden Rams will need to get past defending champion Shippensburg and returning Harlon Hill Trophy winner Zach Zulli at quarterback while also taking down perennial rival Bloomsburg and another Harlon Hill runner-up Franklyn Quietah at running back. Nobody said the road to the championship was going to be easy. But the 2013 edition of West Chester University football has the makeup to knock off the other two heavy hitters in the East.

"We have all the pieces to be a great team," White added. "We just have to put it together."

Senior RB Rondell White will take a shot at the school's all-time rushing record while fifth-year junior quarterback Sean McCartney sees what he can do, after missing all of last year with a broken leg suffered against Delaware in the season opener. A lot of weapons return offensively while perhaps two of the most feared inside linebackers anchor a defense that stacks up to be even better than last year's unit. Juniors Mike Labor and Ronell Williams tie everything together for a defense that ranked second in the PSAC against the run a year ago. A trio of seniors up front will also shut down the run and generate a pass rush. Senior place-kicker Shawn Leo was an all-region selection at the end of last year and is on the verge of breaking nearly every kicking record in the WCU record book. Junior punter, Rich Bruno, was a second-team All-PSAC East pick last fall as well. Though his 36.6 yards per punt seems a bit low, Bruno landed 10 of his boots inside the opponent's 20-yard line and coverage forced 12 fair catches. In fact, West Chester opponents returned just five punts for a total of 24 yards in 11 games last year.

Maneuvering the mind field that is the PSAC Eastern Division is as daunting a challenge as there is in Division II. Outside of the top three teams in the preseason coaches' poll (Shippensburg, Bloomsburg, West Chester) sits Kutztown and East Stroudsburg. The Golden Bears are one year removed from a squad that was an NCAA participant while ESU returns one of the most prolific passers in Division II.     The Warriors offense has always been able to score points. Stopping its opponents from doing the same has been the challenge. Any of those five programs could end up at the top of the heap by the middle of November. The rest of the division probably has some work to do to stay with the pace-setters. But, with a new head coach at Millersville, Lock Haven switching over to the East and Cheyney returning most of its starters on both sides of the ball, these teams could have a say in who wins the division crown.

"We are ready for any challenge you put in front of us," White stated. "This is a hungry bunch of guys out here. We know that we will be fine, if we put it all together."

QUARTERBACKS
Head coach Bill Zwaan enters his 11th season at West Chester with unbridled enthusiasm and his sights set on the programs first division title since 2008. His complicated Spread Wing-T offense has always relied on a quarterback that knows the system and can pull the strings like a gifted marionette handler. Junior signal-caller Sean McCartney is in his fifth year running that offense, and Zwaan finally has the experience under center that he needs to make his offense click. For the first time in a while, Zwaan feels he has a quarterback with control of the offense.
 
"You could see that (McCartney) was coming into his own last year," Zwaan said. "He knew where he wanted to go with the football, and you could see that he was comfortable running the whole offense.

"That is the goal for all of our quarterbacks in this offense. When they are younger, it is harder because they don't want to make the wrong decision. Sean understands the offense and knows what we want him to do. So, he is making the right decision 95 percent of the time."

McCartney has made nine starts in his previous three years. West Chester holds a 4-3 record against Division II opposition with McCartney under center. In 2011, his last campaign as starting quarterback, McCartney threw for 1,471 yards and completed 54.2 percent of his passes. Expect those numbers to improve dramatically as he has now put two more years under his belt in Zwaan's offense.

"It's a complicated system," McCartney admitted. "But, if you do what (Coach Zwaan) wants you to do and you play within the system, then it is easy to get down. (The system) puts a lot of the pressure on the quarterback's shoulders, which I like. It gives you the freedom to make the checks you want to make. It really is a fun offense."

Behind McCartney on the depth chart is junior Drew Loughery, who was the backup to Mike Mattei a year ago, after McCartney went down in game one. He is only in his second year running the offense, but has caught on quickly. Loughery appeared in five games, mostly in mop-up duty, and went 3-for-5 for 30 yards. He is an athletic quarterback with good instincts for the position. That has enabled him to pick up Zwaan's offense more quickly.

Red-shirt sophomore James Rusenko would be third after McCartney and Loughery. Zwaan felt like he needed to move Rusenko to tight end at the end of spring ball. However, Rusenko has proven himself to be too valuable at quarterback. Now in his third year in Zwaan's system, Rusenko is starting to show some of that promise that Zwaan and the coaching staff saw coming out of Mechanicsburg High School.

"We are pretty deep at quarterback," Zwaan interjected. "I feel good about the guys behind (McCartney).

Rusenko has one appearance in his college career (versus LIU-Post last fall). He needs some game experience to sharpen his skills. That opportunity may come this year as his confidence grows.

Red-shirt freshman Andrew Derr and a pair of true freshmen, Ryan Corkery and Pat Moriarty fill in the depth at the quarterback position. This fall will be a learning experience for that trio of signal-callers. However, the coaching staff is confident that they will develop in time.

RUNNING BACKS
Senior Rondell White is the featured back in Zwaan's offense. He will be the workhorse and see most of the snaps at tailback. And why shouldn't he? White broke the school's single-season rushing record last fall with 1,548 yards on the ground while also leading all of Division II in all-purpose yards per game (200.2). White can do it all. He is fast, hits the hole with aggression and is decisive in his decision-making. He also tied for the team lead in receptions with 51 catches out of the backfield. No running back in West Chester history caught that many passes in a single season, nor did they ever lead the team in catches.
 
"(Rondell White) does a lot of things well. In addition to running ball, he catches the ball well out of the backfield, makes a lot of people miss and it is great having him back." Zwaan offered.     

White ranks 11th on the school's all-time rushing charts with 2,347 yards in three seasons. His 4.561 all-purpose yards is fifth all-time at West Chester. He certainly has stated his case as one of the most dangerous players to don the purple & gold. White rushed for more than 200 yards in a game four times last fall and his five 200-plus games is a school record as well.

Behind White, Zwaan has a pair of running backs that could most likely be starting in almost any other PSAC school's backfield. Red-shirt sophomore Brandon Monk and sophomore Eddie Elliott have shown a great deal of ability running the ball. Each of them doubles as return men on punts and kick offs. Monk was the team's second-leading rusher with 235 yards on the ground, including one touchdown. He averaged 6.4 yards per carry. Elliott amassed 56 yards rushing and scored a TD as well.

West Chester ranked fourth in the PSAC and rushed for over 2,000 yards combined as a team – thanks in large part to White's efforts – and scored 17 rushing touchdowns. With the top three running backs returning, the Golden Rams are both deep and talented in the backfield. Zwaan and his staff can continually run fresh legs into the game, keeping the opposition at bay.

Fullbacks are not featured all that often in Zwaan's offense. However, senior Jared Bonacquisti is a returning starter, who is a gifted blocker and receiver out of the back. He ran the ball five times in 2012 and caught three passes. Bonacquisti provides stability at the position and works well with White, Monk and Elliott. Behind him is junior Camille Max, who has also been listed as a linebacker on the Golden Rams' roster. He should start to make the switch full time to fullback this fall. Max has a low center of gravity and runs hard.
 
Three freshman running backs round out the ground game in 2013. They are most likely staring at a red-shirt season. Anthony Brown, Jarel Elder and Dylan Thomas are all learning the offense.

WIDE RECEIVERS
Saying that your team's leading returning wide receiver is a running back would not normally be a vote of confidence in a program's group of wideouts. However, West Chester welcomes back a plethora of talent on the perimeter that Rondell White just complements with his exploits out of the backfield.

LaRonn Lee needs to bounce back from a sub-par 2012, but has all the size, strength and ability to be one of the PSAC's top pass catchers. His long arms and leaping ability enable him to come down with a lot of balls that defensive backs just don't have the opportunity to defend. On the other side, senior Tim Keyser is back from a leg injury that ended his campaign a year ago just six games in. Both have caught for over 1,000 yards in their college careers and are as sure-handed as they come. Lee caught 15 passes for 225 yards and a pair of scores last year while Keyser caught six passes for 88 yards and a touchdown.

Junior Erick Brundidge caught six touchdown passes last year and finished third on the team in receptions with 22. He racked up 414 yards receiving and averaged 18.8 yards per catch. The track star possesses blazing speed and is a threat to take it to the house whenever he catches a pass. Adam Dempsey finished with 15 receptions, same as Lee, for 162 yards and a TD. He is back and expected to put up bigger numbers this year.  With Keyser and Dempsey on the end and Lee and Brundidge filling in at flanker, QB Sean McCartney has plenty of weapons to choose from at wide receiver. The Rams can also go four or five wide without sacrificing athletic receivers as capable targets.

Red-shirt freshman Shannon Mayer has also been the topic of conversation since the spring season concluded. He has a great deal of potential. The Rams' coaching staff is excited to see where he fits into the fold. Mayer has been labeled one of the top receivers to come to West Chester since Mike Washington – high praise for the second-year man out of Norristown. Senior Nick Hall also saw considerable playing time last fall and will provide a lot of depth at wide receiver. He knows the offense and works well with McCartney. Courtland Bragg also made the move over to wide receiver from the defensive side of the ball. He was a defensive back his first two years in school, but did a nice job in the spring catches passes on offense.

A pair of red-shirt freshmen, A.J. DePietro and Jim Hurley have a leg up on the rest of the receivers in camp. They have been in the system longer and have worked with all of the quarterbacks to improve their standing on the depth chart. True freshman Jordan Banks, Tony McGuane, Ted Patton and Marcus Sydor will have to wait and see how they fit into the mix. This year's recruiting class focused on wideouts and this group is talented. But, they will most likely have to wait their turn in the pecking order.

TIGHT END
There is not a tight end on West Chester's roster that has caught a college pass, which is a bit unusual for a program that has seen its fair share of talented tight ends come through the system. However, Coach Zwaan will look to a pair of sophomores, Shawn Driggins and Tim Brown, to carry the load. Driggins appeared in nine games last fall and even made three starts, mainly when West Chester opened in a double-TE set. He has the most experience of the returning ends. However, Brown is capable and has earned his second spot on the depth chart.

True freshmen Bill Ford and Connor McGrath and sophomore Mike Gallo will also fight for playing time at tight end, if either Driggins or Brown do not work out.

OFFENSIVE LINE
Three seniors and two juniors make up the Golden Rams' starting offensive line. Second-team All-PSAC pick Trey Farmer headlines the group up front at left guard. He is a two-year returning starter and an all-region candidate. Joining Farmer up front as a returning starter is senior Adam Citko at right tackle. The remaining offensive linemen slotted in at the top of the depth chart have considerable playing experience and collectively make up one of the top lines in the PSAC.

Center Derek Schatz transferred in from Villanova a year ago and made an immediate impact, platooning with Brian Margetich. Schatz is a very skilled center, who now has a year under his belt in the Golden Rams' system.

Junior James Colivas has paid his dues as a reserve for the first two years of his career. He is ready to step into the spot at right guard, next to Citko, and open holes for Rondell White and the other running backs. Senior Justin Bathurst protects QB Sean McCartney's blind side at left tackle. He, too, has been paying his dues in a reserve role during his college career. However, he has seen plenty of playing experience, and the coaching staff feels comfortable with him on the left side.

Junior Antoine Bland should also work his way onto the field at right guard. If anything were to happen to Colivas, or if Colivas had to slide over to center in place of Schatz, Bland would fill the hole at right guard. He has plenty of game experience and is capable of starting, if he needed. These six offensive linemen are proven and game-tested. They will shoulder the burden of protecting McCartney and giving White and his entourage room to run.
 
"I like the top seven guys that are returning," Zwaan disclosed. "We are really happy with that group. They are a mature group of guys. They understand what we are trying to do, and they practice well.

"We are going to be young in the second level because we have a couple freshmen, who are going to have to be backups. That's the concern. If we can keep that first seven healthy, then we are going to be really good."

Red-shirt freshman Doug Gilbert will push Bathurst for playing time at left tackle. The coaching staff likes his development in such a short time and feels he is ready to show what he can do on the field. After that, the offensive line lacks the depth most coaches covet with their "big uglies". True freshmen Michael Unger and Tyler Drob appear on the Rams' depth chart in the preseason. No doubt, the coaching staff likes their potential. However, they would prefer to give them a year to mature at the college level, before throwing them into the fire.

Amongst the other offensive linemen on the roster, only sophomore Barry Lyons has collegiate experience. Everyone else is a true freshman. Lyons has a year in the system and could move up the depth chart quickly. Matt Brockman, Brandon Dalberto, Alex Horst, Devan LaBau, Vince Lostracco, Justice Smith and Evan Stadulis are all part of a recruiting class that was heavy on offensive linemen.

DEFENSIVE LINE
Senior Eric Edwers is poised for a breakout year, and nobody knows that better than the man himself. He knows the coaching staff is looking to him to be a leader of this group, but to also lead by example. Edwers doesn't consider that pressure. He considers it a challenge that he is willing to accept. If West Chester's pass rush, which ranked 13th in the conference last fall, is going to be any better this time around, then it is up to Edwers to set the bar.

"It's not really pressure," Edwers explained. "It's what's expected. It should be a breakout season for all of us up front."

Classmate Anthony McCloskey returns at nose guard, and sophomore Andrew Cohen is back at defensive tackle where West Chester welcomes back three of four starters on the defensive line. McCloskey is a team co-captain, who made 28 tackles a year ago, including five for a loss. Cohen led the squad in QB sacks as a freshman with 4.5. He made 33 stops, including 7.5 tackles for a loss.

Senior Chris DiValentino is the only newcomer to the starting lineup on the line. He played in all 11 games last fall and finished with 20 tackles. Behind him is sophomore Barry Lyons, who may also be playing on the offensive side of the ball this season. Last year, he finished with 10 tackles, including one sack. Another senior, Demrick Cook, is slated second on the depth chart to Cohen. He brings plenty of game experience to the table as well.

Red-shirt freshman Kavon Johnson had his rookie season cut short against Delaware as well last year. He showed quite a bit of potential in his short stint on the field against the Blue Hens. Johnson is an interior lineman with a lot of quickness and strength. He should push the incumbents for playing time.

Finally, junior Kayo Bakare made the move from linebacker to down lineman on the end last fall and showed a great deal of success in that role. He will be back to support Edwers on the outside. Together the two will provide the biggest threat in the pass rush.

For a unit that was second in the conference against the run, Zwaan feels that was just the tip of the iceberg.

"What did we lose? One guy up front," Zwaan asked. "So, yeah. I expect us to be better against the run this year."

Newcomers to the team, Jamiel Sims and Matt Sanderson will have to see where they fit in, along with Brian Butler. They are listed as interior defensive lineman in the preseason, but things could change as camp progresses. Red-shirt freshman Shaquil Ryder will fight for time with freshmen John Dubyk, Pete Kirlin and George Shipp. Ian Nanni and Josh Ganzelli are interior prospects.

LINEBACKERS
To listen to Coach Zwaan talk about his linebackers and see his eyes light up, you can see why people throughout the country are taking notice of Ronell Williams and Mike Labor. Zwaan labels both as pro prospects while calling the duo close to one of the best tandems he has every coached at that position. Quite honestly, the Golden Rams reserves at linebacker are some of the more impressive athletes on the team. The group behind Williams and Labor are just as capable.

Williams was a first team American Football Coaches' Association (AFCA) All-America pick last year – the first sophomore in school history to earn that distinction – and led the PSAC in tackles with 119. Labor, who has been plagued with injuries for much of his career, still posted 48 tackles in eight contests last season.

Sophomore Drew Formica is the outside linebacker in Zwaan's 4-3 formation. He posted 10 tackles a year ago in a reserve role and on special teams. The rest of West Chester's talented 'backers will see the bulk of their playing time on special teams with some action getting in on downs. Drew Persa and Mike Culbreath are the next line behind Williams and Labor. Culbreath notched 47 tackles in 2012. Teon Lee is slated to by Formica's backup at outside linebacker. He is a converted fullback and younger brother to LaRonn Lee. The younger Lee has picked up the linebacker position very will in such a short time. He got some playing time on downs a year ago at linebacker and should see his playing time increase again this fall.

"What's good about (having so many talented linebackers) is that linebackers make up the special teams. So, they will always find their way onto the field," Zwaan said. "But, they will get their chances when we have an opportunity to give guys a rest, or if injuries occur, which happened last year."
 
Red-shirt freshmen Ralph Reeves and Tyler Morrissey are talented. Freshman Kevin Duggan was the only linebacker in this year's recruiting class.

DEFENSIVE BACKS
The defensive secondary is where West Chester suffered its greatest losses. John O'Donnell scored three defensive touchdowns a year ago, and Bob Sabol was credited with 12 pass breakups. However, the presence of team co-captain Shawn Krautzel at strong safety, and the experience of Al-Hajj Shabazz on one corner should help considerably. No doubt, some younger players are going to have to step up. But, the coaching staff feels that the younger talent in the secondary is ready to meet that challenge.

Right now, the younger DBs rising to the top of the depth chart include Brandon Pepper at free safety and Blaise Schieler at the other cornerback. They enter camp as the other two starters in the backfield. Two red-shirt freshmen, a true freshman and a junior round out the two-deep depth chart for the Golden Rams entering camp. John McGilligan and Kevin Malone are the two red-shirts while Pete Galiano is the true freshman.

Coach Zwaan needs these young kids to make an adjustment quickly and fill in when called upon. Clint Passarella, the junior in the group, is the only player on the second level in the defensive backfield that has any collegiate playing experience. In fact, he is the only non-freshman or red-shirt freshman in the secondary, after Krautzel, Shabazz and Pepper.

The rest of the secondary, Pat McCabe, Kyle Keyser, Aramon Piedra, Brandon Spatz, Dan Sherry, Byron Cooper, Joe DeMaio, Jeremy Irving, Kenny Williams, Grant Garbutt, Ryan Pannella nor Nasheed Parker have played a college down in their careers.

Any injuries to the starting unit in the secondary could mean some growing pains in a conference that seems to be saturated with throwing quarterbacks and pass-happy offenses.

SPECIAL TEAMS
Senior All-Super 1 Region place-kicker Shawn Leo returns as does second team All-PSAC East punter, junior Rich Bruno, highlighting West Chester's special teams. Leo will graduate with almost every school record and is one of the most prolific kickers in Golden Rams' history. Leo has made 82 percent of his field goal attempts in his career and is one of the most accurate kickers Coach Zwaan has been around. But, what is most important is that Leo is very accurate from over 40 yards. He is 10-for-15 (67 percent) from beyond 40 yards in his career with one of those misses a 56-yarder that was long enough, but just wide of the upright last year at Clarion.

Bruno averaged 36.6 yards per punt a year ago, but earned the reputation of having a lot of hang time on his kicks that allowed for just five punt returns against the Golden Rams last year. He pinned 10 inside the 20-yard line and boomed five longer than 50 yards.

"(Bruno) has such a strong leg that he gets great hang time on his punts," Zwaan said. "Every once in a while the strength of his leg comes out and he gets off a 60-yarder. But, I think, opposing coaches recognized that he consistently had a lot of hang time that prevented them from getting returns."

In the return game, both Brandon Monk and Eddie Elliott are back. Rondell White could also begin the season returning punts for the Golden Rams as well. Monk ranked fifth in the PSAC averaging 25.6 yards per kickoff return. He returned 17 kicks for 436 yards, including a 75-yarder. Elliott returned eight kicks for 141 yards, averaging 17.6 per return. Monk averaged 12.1 yards per punt return. He brought back nine punts for 109 yards. White returned one punt and one kick last year, but has plenty of experience in the return game. White ranks seventh all-time at WCU in kick-return average (19.9).

Junior Will Huff is Leo's backup at place-kicker while wide receiver Tony McGuane can also punt. Huff has a little game experience, but not enough to challenge Leo for the No. 1 spot. He is certainly a capable reserve.

Handling the long snaps again for the Golden Rams will be sophomore Chuck Kuklinski. He was West Chester's long-snapper for all 11 games as a freshman. He gives the coaching staff and the kickers somebody they can rely on for consistency in the snaps. His experience should help dramatically in the kicking game.

OVERVIEW
A healthy offensive line throughout the season may be the difference between a championship season and a second- or third-place finish in the division. Questions also exist in the secondary with just two game-experienced players returning. However, there is just too much talent elsewhere for West Chester to not be excited about the upcoming season. A junior QB in his fifth year with the nation's all-purpose yardage leader returning to the backfield will put a great deal of pressure on opposing defenses. Red-shirt freshman Shannon Mayer is a young player to watch while LaRonn Lee should have a breakout year. That makes West Chester multi-dimensional with the ball.

Defensively, six of the front seven return, which means the "box" will look much like it did a year ago for the Golden Rams. Labor and Williams are two of the best linebackers in Division II while Edwers, McCloskey and Cohen will plug holes up front. If the secondary stays healthy, and Krautzel and Shabazz can stabilize that unit, then West Chester's defense will be tough on which to move the ball.

The PSAC East can be a meat-grinder and this year is no different. Bloomsburg and Shippensburg will be tough games. However, look for West Chester to be right in the mix for the division title with a trip back to the NCAA II Playoffs more than likely in mid-November.