West Chester Cruises in Regular Season Finale, 37-10

CLARION, Pa. – West Chester was clicking on all cylinders in the regular season finale, defeating host Clarion, 37-10, in the regular season finale inside Memorial Stadium. The duo of Mike Class (Souderton, Pa. / Pennridge) and Jarel Elder (Allentown, Pa./Parkland) proved to be effective as 237 of West Chester's 425 total yards of offense came on the ground. Class led West Chester (8-3, 7-1 PSAC) in rushing, carrying the ball 15 times for a team-high 118 yards and a Golden Ram touchdown. Meanwhile, his teammate Elder eclipsed a 1,000 yards on the season with his performance this afternoon, rushing the ball 21 times for 83 yards. He finished his junior campaign with 1,058 yards on the ground with 11 touchdowns. The Golden Rams had success through the air as well, striking first in the game as junior QB Andrew Derr (Willow Grove, Pa./Upper Dublin) connected with sophomore Jordan Banks (Harrisburg, Pa. / Susquehanna Twp.) from 31-yards out to grab a 7-0 lead in the first quarter. Derr would later find Banks once again, but from 35-yards out for his second touchdown grab of the day. Banks' eighth touchdown this season tied him for the team lead with teammate Tyler Karpinski. The junior quarterback finished the day 10-17 for 188 yards with a pair of touchdown passes going to Banks and one on the ground. Sophomore kicker Brendan Paulison (Milford, Pa. / Delaware Valley) chipped in a 21-yard field goal to extend the lead for West Chester. With the Golden Ram defense shutting down the Clarion offense, Derr was able to capitalize right before the half. Derr capped off a 10-play, 67 yard drive with a one-year touchdown run to put 17 unanswered points on the scoreboard for a 17-0 at the half. Clarion (4-7, 3-4 PSAC) would later answer by registering 10 points in the second half, including a 78-yard touchdown pass by Connor Simmons to Kevin Genevro in the fourth quarter. However, the Golden Rams' defense was the story of the game, forcing Clarion into five turnovers. Additionally, the squad only allowed 72 rushing yards. Four different members of West Chester's defense recorded an interception, including Kevin Malone (Philadelphia, Pa. / West Catholic)who returned it 85-yards for a touchdown in his final game. Nydair Rouse (Philadelphia, Pa./Simon Gratz) recorded his fourth interception of the season, while also adding a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. A pair of players also contributing interceptions were senior Pete Galiano (Haddon Heights, N.J. / Camden Catholic) and redshirt freshmanJarey Elder (Allentown, Pa./Parkland). West Chester finished its 2016 campaign with a six-game winning streak against conference opponents.