Sherman Breaks Rushing Record as Losing Streak Snapped
Dubuque–Ben Sherman (Grad., Troy, Pa., Master’s of Sports Management) not only set a new career rushing mark Saturday, but did it by tying another mark as the Statesmen football team defeated Clarke 28-17 in Heart of America Athletic Conference North Division action Saturday.
Entering Saturday, Sherman was certainly within striking distance of becoming the program’s leader in career rushing yards, and with William Penn (2-8, 1-3 Heart) trying to put away the Pride (1-9, 1-3 Heart) in the fourth quarter, the graduate student put his name at the top of the list.
Sherman took the ball at the eight-yard line, was awarded a huge hole to run through, and then turned on the afterburners and ran away from the defense for a 92-yard touchdown run.
Sherman needed just 58 yards going into the play to break the record of 3,709 yards, held by James Jackson (2003-2006), but went the distance to also tie Donald Carpenter’s 2001 record for longest touchdown run with the 92-yarder. He netted a career-high 247 rushing yards on the day on 23 attempts and now has 3,744 yards in his Statesmen career.
While Sherman’s run will steal the headlines, it was part of a big afternoon for the Statesmen, who snapped a six-game losing streak.
The snapping of the streak was in doubt much of the day as Clarke kept with the visiting crew through three quarters, actually leading 17-14 at halftime.
CU scored on its first drive of the game, but WPU answered right back. Armon Pledge (Fr., Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Education) returned the ensuing kickoff 42 yards, and six plays later Sherman broke free for a 19-yard rushing score.
The Statesmen offense went cold after that, while the Pride scored a field goal and a touchdown in the early moments of the second quarter for a 17-7 edge.
Following two punts and a fumble in Clarke territory, WPU pulled to within three as Alex Crehan (Grad., Troy, Ill., Master’s of Business Leadership) dropped a pass behind the Pride defense. Gavin Rountree (Fr., Stephenville, Texas, Sports Management) ran it down and darted untouched for a 68-yard score. It proved to be the only completion for Crehan in the contest.
Marquis Knighten (So., Buena Park, Calif., Digital Communication) then kept the score 17-14 entering intermission by blocking a CU field-goal attempt as time expired on the first half.
William Penn continued to build on its momentum in its first drive of the second half as Archer Charles (Jr., Guntersville, Ala., Sports Management) took the pitch from Crehan and sprinted 19 yards along the sideline to paydirt for a 21-17 William Penn advantage. Charles finished the win with 42 yards on five rushes.
The visitors tried to tack on more points, but Crehan was intercepted in Pride territory to start the fourth quarter.
The defense then stepped up with a big stop and two plays after the Clarke punt, Sherman broke loose and broke records to put WPU up by double digits.
Turner Ellis (Fr., Urbandale, Iowa, Secondary Education) added an exclamation point on the victory with an interception in the final two minutes of action. Ellis, who finished with five tackles, also forced a fumble Saturday.
Behind Sherman’s 247 yards, the Statesmen rushed for 351 en route to 433 overall. The defense limited the home team to 294 total yards (154 rushing, 150 passing).
Rodney Hall (Fr., Detroit, Mich., Psychology) also spent some time at quarterback, completing two of his three passes for 14 yards, while Alex Jung (Sr., Fullerton, Calif., Exercise Science) added 33 rushing yards, including a long of 27 yards.
Rogan Pforts (Sr., Wapello, Iowa, Industrial Technology) topped the defensive effort with nine tackles and also shared a sack with Jaden Curtis (So., Glendale, Ariz., Digital Communication). Knighten, who managed seven stops, also sacked the CU quarterback once. Zenin Hall (Fr., Chicago, Ill., Business Management) was in on six tackles (five solos) as well.
“I am so happy for our players,” Head Coach Todd Hafner said. “They have been doing so many good things; they prepare hard, they practice with purpose, and they have been giving us everything each and every week. We have not always executed the best, but our guys have been battling.”
“We have learned plenty of football and life lessons this year, but the fact that these guys keep persevering means the world to us as coaches,” Hafner added. “We have one more week and we are excited to give our seniors a day they will remember forever.”
Next Up: William Penn returns to Oskaloosa next Saturday to host Graceland in Heart North Division play at 2 p.m. The season finale will also serve as Senior Day.
