West Chester Football won their first NCAA Tournament game since 2014 on Saturday afternoon, as they went on the road and took down Shippensburg University 27-6, staging a match-up with IUP, whom WCU just lost to on Nov. 11 in the PSAC Championship game.
The Golden Rams used a balanced and meticulous offensive attack to fend of the Red Raiders, with big contributions coming from all-around.
Quarterback Paul Dooley was 10-19 for 121 yards and one touchdown, and he also ran for 17 yards and another score as well.
A.J. Long saw some time at QB, going 3-4 for 86 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Long managed to do major damage on the ground, scampering for 70 yards.
Head coach Bill Zwaan was very content with the performance from his two-headed quarterback monster, and offered his praises after the win.
“Offensively, we did what we had to do. Kept the ball. Got a couple of big touchdowns early and got great play out of our quarterbacks. The offensive line played great. Defensively, just all over the place and did a great job.”
Rasheem James (three receptions, 67 yards) Marcus Sydnor (one reception, 36 yards) and Jarel Elder (two receptions, 38 yards) all reeled in touchdown catches on the afternoon, with Elder also picking up 110 yards on the ground.
WCU put up 300 yards of total offense on the afternoon, and slapped 21 unanswered points on the Red Raiders until they got on the board late in the fourth quarter, when the lead was at a figure that was insurmountable.
WCU will now square off against IUP in the next round of the NCAA Tournament this Saturday, looking to avenge their Nov. 11 PSAC Championship loss.
B.J. is a fourth-year student majoring in communication studies. He can be reached at WB806695@wcupa.edu.