September 15, 2007
(West Chester, Pa.): West Chester quarterback Bill Zwann tossed 5 td passes and led the Golden Rams to a 49-21 victory over visiting Clarion on Saturday afternoon.
Held at John A. Farrell Stadium, West Chester raised its record to 2-1, while Clarion dropped to 0-3.
With the game tied at 21-21 late in the second quarter, Zwann tossed a 55-yard td pass to Ryan Paulson to give the Rams a 28-21 advantage with 4:21 left before intermission.
West Chester blocked a Clarion punt on the next possession and recovered at the Clarion 43. Zwann stepped in and fired a 33-yard td pass to Steve Miller in the back of the Clarion endzone to make it 35-21 just before halftime.
Clarion's offense came out smoking in the first half and kept the Golden Eagles in the game.
On its opening drive the Golden Eagles went 53-yards in 9 plays to take a 7-0 lead. On third and seven at midfield, qb Tyler Huether hit Pierre Odom across the middle for 19 yards to the West Chester 31. Huether then dashed off right tackle for 17 yards to the Ram 14. Three consecutive Eddie Emmanuel runs put the pigskin on the 1 yard line, where Huether sneaked over for the game's first touchdown. Robert Mamula's kick at 10:16 put Clarion ahead 7-0.
West Chester went in front 14-7 on two Bill Zwann td passes, but the Clarion offense again rose to the challenge.
This time the Golden Eagles raced 70-yards in 10 plays to tie the game at 14-14. A big play in the drive came with Clarion at the West Chester 44. Emmanuel rushed 14 yards for a first down, and a personal foul on the play advanced the ball to the Ram 15. On third and 6 at the 11, Huether hit Alfonso Hoggard at the Ram 5, and Hoggard turned up field and dove into the endzone for the touchdown. The game was tied 14-14 at 13:00 of the second quarter.
West Chester went ahead 21-14 later in the second driving 72 yards to paydirt. Osagie Osunde scored on a 5-yard td run to cap the drive and give West Chester a 21-14 lead at 8:00 of the second.
Clarion again answered the call when freshman Craig Bunney returned the kickoff 45 yards to the West Chester 48. Three plays later, Emmanuel dashed 12 yards to the Ram 23, and West Chester was called for a personal foul, which moved the ball to the Ram 12. On third down from the 11, Huether attempted a pass to Jaques Robinson toward the left sideline, the ball was deflected as it arrived, and an alert Pierre Odom grabbed the pigskin, kept both feet in bounds, and posted the Clarion touchdown. Mamula's PAT tied the game at 21 with only 5:23 left before intermission.
Zwann stepped up and hit Ryan Paulson on a 55-yard post pattern to give the Rams the lead for good (28-21) with 4:21 left before intermission. Then after blocking a Clarion punt and recovering at Clarion's 43, Zwann applied the back breaker hitting Steve Miller for a td, giving West Chester a 35-21 halftime lead.
Clarion had 291 yards of offense including 143 rushing and 148 passing on the day. Huether completed 9 of 18 passes for 102 yards and 2 td's. Huether also rushed 5 times for 28 yards and 1 td. Running back Eddie Emmanuel rushed 27 times for 93 yards and Odom grabbed 4 passes for 42 yards and 1 td.
Clarion's defense was led by freshman Shawn Sopic who had 9 tackles, Nick Sipes posted 8 and 1 tfl, and Kyle Cathcart had 5 stops, including 2 tfl's to lead the defense.
West Chester had 572 yards of offense including 206 rushing and 366 passing. Zwann completed 14 of 19 passes for 354 yards and 5 td's.
Running back Osagie Osunde rushed 8 times for 91 yards and 2 td's, and Ryan Paulson caught 4 passes for 90 yards and 1 td.
Clarion returns home to Memorial Stadium next Saturday to host Bloomsburg. Kickoff is set for 6pm in a game that will also recognize Clarion's 1977 PSAC Championship team at halftime.
