The Shippensburg University football team has enjoyed a brilliant 5-0 start to the 2017 season, but the team’s main goal before the season started was to find itself playing for the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) championship come season’s end.

This week’s matchup at Seth Grove Stadium against West Chester University, (4-1, 2-0 PSAC East), could go a long way in determining who comes out of the PSAC’s Eastern Division.

The Red Raiders come into today riding a dominant defense and a steady offensive attack featuring quarterback Ryan Zapoticky, and a strong group of running backs who have kept SU balanced offensively. 

“Our goal is to be 6-0,” Zapoticky said. “We’ve done everything the same as we have every other week and hopefully we’ve prepared enough to come away with the win.”

The Golden Rams will head to Seth Grove Stadium winners over PSAC East foe Kutztown University, in a 27-21 thriller last week. Meanwhile, SU stomped Lock Haven University last week, 37-6.

West Chester quarterback Paul Dooley comes into the game fresh off a 318-yard passing performance, but Dooley will face an SU defensive unit that is coming off three-straight excellent performances, allowing just six points in its last 12 quarters of football. Dooley also threw three interceptions last week.

“Getting the ball back into our offense’s hands is one of the most important things,” SU senior defensive back Kevin Taylor said. “The one thing we try to do is get them the ball by focusing on three-and-outs and turnovers so they can put points on the board.”

The SU offense comes into the game led by Zapoticky, who became the first SU quarterback and ninth quarterback in conference history to rush for more than 1,000 yards in a career. Zapoticky is also just 54 yards away from passing SU’s Mike Carver for fourth all-time in career passing yards at SU.

“The guys around me are really doing a great job and that’s opened up a bunch of different lanes,” Zapoticky said. “The offensive line is doing a great job blocking and it’s just a great team effort. The receivers and backs are a really special group.”

The game should be a battle of two Eastern Division powers, and SU hopes to use the game as a form of revenge for its 31-15 loss at West Chester last season. The Golden Rams were the preseason favorite in the East Division. With the win, SU could control its own destiny in Eastern Division play.

“West Chester is a quality football team and we’re going to have to play well,” SU head coach Mark Maciejewski said. “We’re approaching it like we do every other week. It’s like a championship game for us.”

SU will look to shut down the Golden Rams’ biggest receiving threat Rasheem James, who was named PSAC East Offensive Athlete of the Week after hauling in six passes for 142 yards an 85-yard touchdown last week.

“We will give them different looks and we’re going to play,” Maciejewski said. “We just need to cover and I think our guys will do a great job.”

Look for home field advantage to play a big factor in SU’s performance this week, as the last time the Red Raiders hosted the Golden Rams in 2015 SU defeated West Chester 27-11 on homecoming.

“It’s huge. Playing at Seth Grove Stadium is an advantage for us,” Maciejewski said. “We’ve got a lot of people who attend our games and care about our football family and support us. It’s a great atmosphere and our guys feed off that.”

The test looks to be SU’s toughest test as the midpoint of the 2017 campaign nears. SU and West Chester will kickoff today at 1 p.m. in Shippensburg.

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