Statesmen Fall on Senior Day
Oskaloosa–The William Penn football team could not deliver on Senior Day as it lost 30-13 to Peru State in Heart of America Athletic Conference North Division action Saturday.
WPU (3-5-1, 1-2 North) was outgained 337-286 (209 rushing) and unfortunately committed three turnovers compared to two for the Bobcats (1-8, 1-2 North).
Following recognition of the 21-member senior class, the navy and gold went right to work with their best drive of the day. William Penn took the opening kickoff and marched 73 yards on 12 plays (all rushes) in 5:03, capped by a five-yard scoring run by Alex Jung (So., Fullerton, Calif., Exercise Science). The extra point was blocked, but the squad was still up 6-0.
WPU’s defense also starred in its first action, forcing a three-and-out. Unfortunately, a chop block penalty on first down put the Statesmen in trouble on their next possession and they punted the ball right back. That unfortunately was the start of a rough afternoon for the hosts.
William Penn fumbled away the pigskin on its next drive and PSC claimed the edge for good at 7-6 early in the second quarter.
The home team struggled to move the ball the rest of the half and hit the locker room down 13-6 as the Bobcats found the endzone with just 10 seconds left in the second quarter.
Peru State extended its advantage to 16-6 with a field goal to begin the third period. WPU attempted to match the three points, but a 39-yard attempt by Anthony Torres (Fr., Washington, Iowa, Business Management) sailed to the left.
The Statesmen remained close via an interception by Jonathan Thomas (Sr., Americus, Ga., Sports Management) on the ensuing drive. William Penn was unable to capitalize on the takeaway, however, losing its second fumble of the day inside the Bobcat redzone.
A long touchdown pass then pushed the visitors ahead 23-6 three snaps later.
For the first time since the first quarter, the hosts finally produced some offensive success, moving 51 yards. Yet again, unfortunately, the drive fell short of points on another missed field goal in blustery conditions.
The crew’s next possession was a winner, though, as Alex Crehan (Grad., Troy, Ill., Business Management) connected with TJ Hayes (So., Chicago, Ill., Industrial Technology) for a 49-yard touchdown pass. Crehan finished with two completions for 73 yards, while also topping the team with 72 rushing yards on 21 carries.
It proved to be the final points for William Penn, while PSC scored one more touchdown inside the final two minutes of action to make it 30-13.
Ben Sherman (Jr., Troy, Pa., Wellness and Recreation) added 70 yards on the ground, while Archer Charles (So., Guntersville, Ala., Business Management) managed 38 of his own.
Defensively, Jace Neugebauer (So., McArthur, Calif., Business Management) and Thomas were all over the gridiron with 14 and 11 tackles, respectively. Thomas added a fumble recovery to his interception for both of WPU’s two takeaways.
Next Up: William Penn travels to Dubuque next Saturday to face first-year program Clark in Heart North Division action at 1 p.m.
