West Chester defensive end George Shipp had two sacks, including one for a fumble, and a forced fumble in the Golden Rams win (West Chester University photo)

WEST CHESTER, PA – When PSAC East powers West Chester and Bloomsburg get together it’s not supposed to be easy. Turns out it wasn’t despite the Golden Rams building a 19-0 lead in the first half. The Huskies came back and took the lead 22-19 with 3:49 left in the game only to see West Chester answer with a season-saving touchdown drive and go on to win 33-22 before a near capacity crowd on Homecoming Day at John A. Farrell Stadium.

Trailing for the first time all game, the Golden Rams (5-3, 4-1 PSAC East) took over at their own 46 and sophomore quarterback Pat Moriarty led his team on a six-play, 54 yard drive that put them back into the lead when Eerin Young scored on a four-yard run. The key play on the drive was 24-yard catch and run by tight end Tim Brown on a third-and-six play from the Huskies 28-yard line.

“That was the biggest thing for us,” said Brown when asked about Moriarty’s performance on the final drive, “you think young quarterback, he’s going to be flustered. He came out and took charge, it’s his offense. He battled, he made huge throws and matured right before everyone here today.”

“I just knew I had to make plays for us to win” said Moriarty, who finished 17-of-26 for 181 yards with one touchdown and one interception. “The defense kept us in the game all day long so we needed to make something happen for them.”

The West Chester defense which had been making plays all game, made one more to seal the win when Shaquil James took an interception back 92 yards with 19 seconds left.

“We knew it was going to come down to the defense,” said Golden Rams defensive end Andrew Cohen, who combined with Shipp to sack Kelly four times, “and we got that interception. I couldn’t be more proud of the group I’m playing with.”

The Huskies (5-3, 4-1 PSAC East) could do nothing right for three-and-a-half quarters. In the first quarter alone, quarterback Tim Kelly threw two interceptions which led to 10 points for the Golden Rams, he was sacked by George Shipp for a safety and they committed four penalties.

Moriarty hit Brown with a 10-yard touchdown pass to cap the Golden Rams longest drive of the quarter which started at the Bloomsburg 48.

Late in the second quarter, Brandon Monk, who had scored the Golden Rams other first quarter touchdown with a six-yard run, fumbled a punt. Bloomsburg recovered the ball and Kelly punched it in from a yard out just before halftime to make it 19-7. The score would remain that way until late in the fourth quarter.

With less than nine minutes to go in the game, the Huskies started a drive at their own seven-yard line. To that point in the game, they had 77 yards total offense and 38 of that came on a run by Joe Parsnik earlier in the fourth quarter but they would march the 93 yards to make it 19-14. The drive was helped by a pair of 15-yard penalties against West Chester and a 48-yard pass play from Kelly to West Chester native Connor Gades. Lawrence Elliott finished the drive with a one-yard run.

On the ensuing West Chester possession, Jarel Elder fumbled and after three-straight tries from the Golden Rams one-yard line, Kelly finally pushed the ball in. Elliott added a two-point conversion and Bloomsburg was up by three with few than four minutes to go in the game.

With the win, West Chester’s playoff hopes are still very much alive and they’re in a three-way tie for first in the PSAC East with the Huskies and Shippensburg.

Email Rock Hoffman at Rock@footballstories.com