West Chester Golden Rams score touchdown during Homecoming game. Photograph by Olivia Carzo.
On Oct. 2, the West Chester Golden Rams took on the Bloomsburg Huskies in week five of college football action. In a battle of two Pennsylvania state schools, West Chester University emerged victorious in a thriller by a final score of 21-20.
With the win, West Chester improved their record to 4-1 on the season, while Bloomsburg dropped to 1-4. It was the first matchup of the two teams since October 12, 2019 when West Chester University won 20-17 in another close contest.
The Golden Rams had a dominant rushing attack led by Ja’den McKenzie and Phil Poquie. McKenzie finished with 121 yards and two touchdowns, both of which came in the first half. Poquie had 107 yards and scored a touchdown in the final minute to put the Golden Rams on top and clinch the win. The passing offense was a non-factor in today’s game as Shane Dooley completed 10 passes for 74 yards. However, he managed the game well and made enough plays to keep West Chester in the game and set them up for the late touchdown drive. On the defensive side, Cole Zapf led the team with 12 tackles, including a tackle for loss. Michael Gobora and Fulani Freeman both finished the contest with a sack each. Bloomsburg’s quarterback David LePoidevin played well despite the loss, passing for 222 yards and three touchdowns. However, West Chester did manage to force a turnover on an interception by Kendall Singleton.
The energy of the fans was felt throughout the game as Farrell Stadium was packed with spectators for the team’s second home contest of the season. This game took place during Homecoming weekend, which is an annual tradition where students, alumni, athletes and fans alike come together to celebrate and honor the school’s history. Many other events took place leading up to the game including a movie marathon on Tuesday, a pep rally on Wednesday, a silent disco party on Friday and a block party on Saturday.
This year’s homecoming theme was “Once Upon a West Chester” as the university celebrates its 150th anniversary of its founding in 1871. WCU was founded as West Chester State Normal School with the intention of training elementary school teachers. After several name changes, they became West Chester University in 1983 and started offering advanced degrees beyond just teaching. Not only is West Chester celebrating their 150th anniversary, they are also celebrating their return to campus after a year like no other spent virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, this is the first homecoming game for the Golden Rams since October 26, 2019 when they defeated East Stroudsburg 28-21.
The Golden Rams have six games remaining on their schedule as they look to make the playoffs for the fourth straight season. They will travel to Shippensburg next Saturday for a road matchup with the Raiders. They return home on Oct. 16 for a battle with the aforementioned East Stroudsburg University Warriors. For more information on the football team and how to get tickets to any of the upcoming games, visit the West Chester University Athletics website.