Malakai Brown is hard to bring down as he nears the sidelines of Coach Monte Cater Field on Saturday afternoon. David Pennock

SHEPHERDSTOWN — They conferred upon the playing facility at Shepherd University a new name last Saturday, when the hometown Rams gave themselves new life in their search for still another NCAA Division II region playoff berth.

Now brandishing the name Coach Monte Cater Field, long-time Ram Stadium was the dual site for the plaudits generously tossed at the winningest football coach in school history as well as the football team’s 44-17 sinking of conference opponent East Stroudsburg University.

Cater, who guided Ram fortunes for some 31 seasons (and had six undefeated regular seasons along that conference championship-laden path) was feted for being elected to the National Football Foundation College Hall of Fame, the first and only Shepherd coach or player to be so honored.

The current-day Rams downed highly ranked East Stroudsburg, a team that entered the mild November afternoon with an 8-1 record and the No. 4 ranking in the Super Region One rating system, by a sizzling 44-17 score that kept them firmly in the running for a postseason playoff spot.

Shepherd is now 8-2 overall and remains a viable candidate for one of the seven berths that are given teams into next week’s beginning of the Super Region One playoffs.

Shepherd University quarterback Seth Morgan sprints around the end on a run, during Saturday’s game against East Stroudsburg University. David Pennock

After Coach Cater was given a plaque on-field at halftime denoting his national Hall of Fame induction, the current Rams inflated their 21-7 lead, by scoring the highly important game’s last two TDs and 13 points.

Shepherd had the far better quarterback in Seth Morgan. And it owned the more effective running backs in Jordan Barnett and Malakai Brown.

Morgan went 25-for-39 (245 yards) with his passing and had three TD throws. Warrior’s starter Charlie McKee was 2-for-8 before being replaced by Aaron Tobias. East Stroudsburg landed only 139 passing yards. Barnett rushed for 105 yards and Brown had 148 additional yards as the Rams’ 511 yards of total offense easily engulfed the Warriors meager 207 yards. The Rams severely limited the East Stroudsburg runners, holding them to only 68 rushing yards.

When the teams weren’t being penalized (Shepherd flagged eight times for 82 yards and the Warriors penalized eight times for 99 yards) the emotionally charged Rams were notching 29 first downs while limiting the visitors to only 11. Shepherd had 75 offensive plays to the Warriors 54.

Morgan’s most-favored targets were Jeremiah Taylor (six catches for 71 yards and a score), Brown (six catches for 57 yards) and Barry Hill (four receptions for 45 yards and one TD).

Shepherd University freshman defensive back, Miles Greer, makes a tackle on East Stroudsburg University quarterback Charlie McKee on Saturday. David Pennock

Easily East Stroudsburg’s most effective player was Sergei Felizor, who registered 15 tackles.

Shepherd’s defense scored an all-important TD when their somewhat tenuous 24-14 lead became 31-14 after Naeem Alexander went 76 yards with his interception with just over three minutes left in the third quarter. When in front, 31-17, the Rams got last quarter scores on a 21-yard pass to Taylor and a six-yard run from Barnett.

Coach Cater had presided over Shepherd’s longest thrust into the national playoffs in 2015 when the Rams reached all the way into the Division II national championship game. He had 13 league championships in the WVIAC in addition to another four titles in the Mountain East Conference.

And now his name is lettered on the artificial turf on Shepherd’s field as well as having his plaque on a wall of the Hall of Fame building in Irving, Texas.

And the Rams hope to still be playing on Nov. 18, when the national playoffs begin around the country.