West Chester Golden Rams

2013 Record: 13-2 (6-1) *NCAA Playoffs, Super Region 1 Champion, National Semi-Finalist

Head Coach: Bill Zwaan
Defensive Coordinator: Mike Furlong
Offensive Coordinator: Bill Zwaan Jr.

Top returning players: QB Sean McCartney, LB Ronell Williams, LB Mike Labor, DB Al-Hajj Shabazz, OL Derek Schatz

The upside: QB Sean McCartney gets better every year...and this is sixth year in the program.
The downside: It will take more than one player to make up for the loss of Rondell White and his 3,000 all purpose yards.




The 2014 West Chester Golden Rams have a tough act to follow. Last year's team finished with 13 wins (the most in a single season in program history), three playoff wins, a Super Region 1 championship and a trip to the national semi finals. Coach Bill Zwaan said it was the best team to ever play football at West Chester, which is quite a statement considering the history of success at WCU. That said, there is still some unfinished business to tend to - a PSAC Championship.

A season like 2013 is bound to have some very positive impact and it appeared to carry over to spring practice. Zwaan indicated that the Rams' spring practice program was possibly the best he has ever had, and that is great for competition within the team. The Rams have some holes to fill and need to re-establish depth in a few key areas, but this is hardly a rebuilding year. There is a lot of returning talent from last year's final four team, including the key leadership positions on both sides of the ball.

For several years West Chester has been viewed as an offensive team, but in the last couple of seasons, the defense has also been one of the best in the conference. If they can fill some vacancies on the D-line, they should be very stout once again. They will have an outstanding linebacker corps, led by All-American Ronnell Williams. The senior has a chance to become the first player in program history to lead the team in tackles in all four years of eligibility. Williams needs 99 tackles (well within his reach) to set a new school record for total tackles in a career. Mike Labor, who yours truly dubbed the team's defensive MVP in 2013, also returns . Labor had 105 tackles and may have beaten Williams for the team lead had he not missed a game. Labor was originally a D1 recruit (James Madison) before coming to WCU in 2011. Drew Formica enters his second year as a starter, coming of a season of 63 total tackles and two recovered fumbles.

The secondary is similarly loaded with talent. Safety Brandon Pepper (5 interceptions, 7 pass breakups) and CB Blaise Schieler (72 total tackles) are back, along with pre-season All-American Al-Hajj Shabazz (4 interceptions, 8 pass breakups). The Rams were among the better pass defenses in 2013 and they should be even better with this much talent and experience returning to the fold. This group will be a huge asset in meetings with Kutztown, Shippensburg and East Stroudsburg. If there is a potential weakness, it may be in the defensive line. Andrew Cohen is returning at end, but the rest of line is up grabs and there is a lot of youth on the roster. Establishing depth early in the season will be critical. The top four rushing teams in the conference from 2013 are all on the schedule this year, and all will remain very good at running the ball.

On the offensive side of the ball, it doesn't get much better than having a sixth year quarterback at the helm. Sean McCartney has been in the program since the Fall of 2009 and has had two redshirt seasons (freshman and medical) during his time. The 6'2" senior completed 63% of his passes last year for a total of 3,569 yards and 34 touchdowns. Some of his best games came very late in the season and he was a major reason for the Rams's playoff success. The unfortunate thing for McCartney is that Rondell White - possibly the best offensive player in West Chester history - has graduated and it will take more than one player to fill his shoes. Juniors Brandon Monk and Eddie Elliot should be ready for the challenge. Monk averaged a whopping 7.5 yards per carry last year on just 66 carries (makes you wonder why there weren't more touches for him!) Elliot actually better that with 12.2ypc on just 14 touches. Clearly, the Rams have some explosive talent to fill the gap left by White.

White was also the team's leading receiver, but there is no shortage of proven talent to catch the ball. Eric Brundidge (46 catches, 759 yards, 10TD) and Adam Dempsey (37 catches, 526 yards, 4TD) will be fine starting duo and Shannon Mayer (14 catches, 195 yards) is ready for an expanded role. The Rams also have two very big weapons in tight ends Shawn Driggins and Tim Brown who combined for 24 catches and 8 TDs in 2013. Watch for them to be bigger contributors this year. As with the defense, the only possible concern is in the line. Derek Schatz returns at Center on the heel of a first team All-PSAC East season and will be joined by G James Colivas who earned second team. However, after Schatz and Colivas, there is only one other offensive lineman on the team that is not a freshman.

Outlook
The line is a development area on both sides of the ball, but if they can come together and hold their own, the Rams should be really good again. Probably good enough that I'm crazy to have picked them to finish third.