Shippensburg’s historic season ended Saturday with a 37-14 loss to power house and No. 2 ranked Winston-Salem State. The Raiders’ day seemed like it was going to be a long one when the Ram’s first drive was a three-play 70-yard strike that happened before you even realized the game had started. Shippensburg’s offense couldn’t respond, but their defense did the next time the Rams had the ball. Brian Sourber intercepted a pass and ran it back 63 yards. Suddenly, Shippensburg was only down by one point after a blocked extra point. That is where the day officially ended for the Raiders, as their offense could not find their groove at all the rest of the first half. After several long passes, several of which went for touchdowns, Winston-Salem took a 28-14 lead into the half.
Half time didn’t seem to recharge or aid the Shippensburg team, as the second half went on to over shadow a mundane first half. Raider quarterback Zach Zulli, who went into the game owning various Shippensburg single season passing records, never appeared to be the player who led the PSAC in every major passing category. The burden didn’t fall on the quarterback alone; his receivers didn’t exactly help him as the Winston-Salem defense blanketed Raider receivers all day. When the game was all said and done, the Winston-Salem defense picked off three Zulli passes, and shut out the Raiders’ offense in the second half.
Shippensburg still has a lot to hang their hats on. As mentioned, the Raiders went on to break a total of 57 school records, many of which were also PSAC records. The offense proved to be one of the top units in all of Division II Football and Zulli might have been the most impressive part. Shippensburg football hadn’t even won a National Playoff game in over two decades until their first round win over rival Bloomsburg. Of the many accolades and numbers that represent this team, they would probably contribute it all to the bonds the team used to propel their successes. The two wins against East Division rival, Bloomsburg were amoung the many moments that made it a memorable year for the Raiders.
Fortunately for the Raiders, the future appears bright. Many of the core offensive and defensive players are returning. The Raiders will be without 13 departing seniors, but will still have offensive and defensive leaders, Zulli and Jake Metz. I would expect this team to build off of a record breaking year, and advance further into next year’s playoffs. Until then, the Raiders can reflect on what was probably the best Shippensburg squad in over 20 years.
Photo Credits: Shippensburg
