CHEYNEY — Not many players have the opportunity to potentially return to their alma mater to be inducted into their hall-of-fame. Lateef Ferguson took yet another step towards attaining that goal Saturday at Cheyney. The senior linebacker recorded 11 tackles against the Wolves in route to becoming the school’s all-time leading tackler.”Lateef plays like that every week. He’s all over the place; he’s a great player. One of the best in school history.” These were the remarks made from head coach Bill Zwaan, Sr. about the Golden Rams middle linebacker.
Entering Saturday’s game against their cross-town rivals, the defensive captain sat five tackles behind former Golden Rams and San Francisco 49ers linebacker Lee Woodall for the most in school history.
With West Chester leading 28-7 late in the second quarter, Cheyney running back Billy Mitchell took the handoff from quarterback Derrick Murry and ran five yards where he was met and stopped by Ferguson. This tackle helped Ferguson surpass the record held by Woodall since his final season as a Golden Ram in 1993.
“I come to play football every time I step on the field. I work hard everyday. I prepare myself. I prepare my body, my mind, every day through practice, and training all through the year,” Ferguson said of becoming West Chester’s all-time leading tackler. “It’s a good accomplishment. It means I have to work a little bit harder.”
Ferguson also became the first player in school history to record over 400 career tackles. With at least one more game left in his illustrious career, Ferguson has the opportunity this post-season to raise the bar even higher for the players who will follow in his footsteps.
LJ Harrell is a second-year student majoring in business. He can be reached at LH639694@wcupa.edu