The Quad

Issue date: 9/17/07 Section: Sports

"I feel bad for Clarion next week," Bill Zwaan Jr. said following his team's 42-14 dismantling at the hands of the Delaware Blue Hens. Last week the quarterback talked the talk, and on Saturday he more then walked the walk in West Chester's history making home opening win, 49-21 over the Golden Eagles.

West Chester executed a trick play to perfection early on. In the club's second drive of the game, with the score knotted at seven, Zwaan Jr. handed the ball off to Osagie Osunde who reversed it to Washington, who then pitched it back to Zwaan Jr, who hit a wide open Darrell Canty for a 44-yard touchdown.

Confused? So was Clarion.

The fourth-year starting quarterback, and captain threw for a personal best 354 yards and five touchdowns. Shockingly, those numbers came in just under three quarters of play.

Stealing the show from Zwaan Jr. was fifth-year tailback Osunde, who marched into the record books when he plunged into the endzone for his forty-first career touchdown with 8:02 remaining in the second quarter.

The tailback broke the school record, formerly held by Joe Iaccone, in the third quarter. It's fitting that the record-breaking score came on a vintage Osunde 24 yard touchdown run. He cut back, saw the hole and scampered in for a touchdown with 13:09 remaining in the third quarter.

"I'm real happy for him," Head Coach Bill Zwaan said after the game. "He's been through a lot and his name deserves to be in the record book some places, and I'm glad he got in there today".

Mike Washington entered Saturday with just six catches for 67 yards, showed once again why he is the most feared receiver in the PSAC. The third-year wideout led all receivers with three grabs for 138 yards and one of the greatest touchdowns you will ever see.

With 2:06 remaining in the third quarter, Zwaan Jr. heaved a pass down the middle of the field into double coverage. The pass bounced off Washington's hands, and off a Clarion defender before Washington spun towards the ball, grabbing it out of the air and streaking untouched down the middle of the field for a 79-yard touchdown.

"After I tipped it I just turned around to see if I could make the tackle on the interception and it happened to drop in my arms on the left," Washington said. "It was exciting, when the ball came back to me I was very shocked."

Washington broke the school record with five touchdown receptions in his first collegiate game, a 43-14 win over Clarion in 2005.

Continued...

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