Rally with the Rams Photo Gallery
WEST CHESTER, Pa. - West Chester's football team looked like it was firing on all cylinders on a morning made for football Saturday afternoon inside John A. Farrell Stadium. The event was the highlight of the athletic department's first "Rally With The Rams", which kicked off the beginning of the fall sports season.
The rally included all of West Chester's fall sports programs as student-athletes signed autographs, played tailgating games with fans and took their turn being interviewed on WCHE 1520 AM during the football team's scrimmage. There was a bounce house outside the stadium for the young children in attendance.
Inside the stadium, under blue skies, moderate temperatures and virtually no humidity, the Golden Rams' football team was put through the paces of an exhilerating scrimmage as the team prepares for its Sept. 7 opener against preseason ranked No. 13 University of New Haven at home. The season opener is set for 12 p.m.
"The first defensive group and the first offensive group look good," WCU head coach Bill Zwaan evaluated afterwards. "The second group defense is ahead of the second group offense because we are young. That is where our concern is right now because we are young on the offensive line. But, it has progressed exactly the way we had hoped so far. We have things to work on as you can imagine any team does, and we have to stay healthy."
"Our running backs look good, and (QB Sean McCartney) looks really good. He is throwing the ball really well right now. He just looks so much better than he did a year ago. He has such a better feel right now. He knows when to get rid of the ball and when not to.
"When you have these scrimmages, you always worry if you are going to come out of them OK - no injuries. And, so far we have done that.
"There is no question that (the secondary) is getting better every day by going up against our wide receivers in practice. I think you saw that today. Brandon Pepper had a really good scrimmage, and we need him to step up.
"This team is ready to play right now. We, as coaches, want that extra week to get them prepared. But, they want to line it up right now and go play."
Sr, WR LaRonn Lee
"The one difference I have noticed is that during other camps, we haven't been healthy. This time around, we are all healthy. Our offensive line is healthy, and as they go, so will we go. If you are healthy, you will play that much better. So, that is the biggest improvement I have seen in camp.
"Red (QB Sean McCartney) looks really good. He actually looks more mobile than he has looked in the past. With the O-Line holding up, he has been able to sit in the pocket a little longer and get better reads.
"The young guys (in the secondary) have been stepping up. Brandon Pepper, Blaise Schieler and Kevin Malone are very disciplined players. They know what they have to do."
So., DB Al-Hajj Shabazz
"The defense looks pretty good. We are looking pretty fast right now. The secondary is a little young, but we have hungry guys. I think we are going to be OK. We have to support everyone back there. We all have a job to do. We are going to come ready to play.
"(Sept. 7) feels like it can't come fast enough.
"The offense is ready to go. They look amazing. Red has been awesome all camp. He looks better than I thought he would coming off that injury. Our offense is going to put up points, I know that. All (the defense) has to do is stop the other team.
"From day one of camp, our eyes have been on a championship. New Haven is the first step. But, I think we are in the embryonic stages of a special season."
