Fast Start Propels William Penn to 28-16 Win Over Graceland
Oskaloosa–The William Penn football team jumped out to a big lead and held off a scrappy Graceland squad as it opened its 2026 season with a strong 28-16 win in a Hearts of America Athletic Conference North Division matchup Thursday.
Under a mobile truck lighting installation by Musco Lighting on Musco Night, the Statesmen (1-0, 1-0 Heart North) dominated the first few minutes of action in the season opener against the Yellowjackets (0-1, 0-1 Heart North).
WPU got on the board early when a blocked punt by John McDonald (Jr., Houston, Texas) turned into a touchdown just one play later as Derion Morris (Fr., East Chicago, Ind.) sprinted in from 14 yards out to give the Statesmen a 7-0 advantage with 12:50 remaining in the first quarter.
William Penn would strike again just 97 seconds later when a Jeremiah Dennard (Jr., St. Petersburg, Fla.) intercepted a Yellowjacket pass, setting up a 10-yard Emery Floyd (Grad., Tampa, Fla.) touchdown run, giving the Statesmen a 14-0 lead.
After forcing another Graceland punt, Keithon Davis (So., McKinney, Texas) took the reverse 20 yards to the endzone, giving WPU three touchdowns on three drives and a 21-0 advantage, still in the first quarter.
Graceland found its footing early in the second quarter on a quick four-play, 27-yard drive that ended in a 24-yard touchdown, making the score 21-7 in favor of the Statesmen.
The next Statesmen drive leaned heavily on the connection between Christian Benning (So., Streator, Illinois, Business Management) and Kendrick Canon (Jr., North Miami, Fla., Wellness and Recreation). Benning completing five passes for 79 yards on the drive while Canon was on the receiving end of 67 of those yards, including a 16-yard touchdown to push WPU back ahead by three scores at 28-7.
The back-and-forth game continued as the Yellowjackets refused to go away, scoring from one yard out after a 16-play, 6:21 drive. The ensuing extra point attempt was blocked by Dennard, keeping the Statesmen lead at 28-13 going into halftime.
The offenses stalled for both teams in the second half with the only points coming off a Statemen turnover. Fortunately, the WPU defense once again came up big, forcing GU to kick a 27-yard field goal, 28-16.
The Statesmen defense wrapped up the night, ending back-to-back Yellowjacket drives with fourth-down stops to keep the score at 28-16.
Morris saw most of the action in the backfield, carrying the pigskin 15 times for 71 yards and a touchdown, while Canon finished with six receptions for 100 yards and a touchdown. Benning ended the game going 17-for-29 for 178 yards and a touchdown.
The hosts were actually outgained Thursday, tallying 295 total yards, compared to 302 by GU. Fortunately, the victors were able to take advantage of Graceland’s mistakes with their two early touchdowns serving as the difference on the night.
The Statesmen took care defensively as Kameron Cummings (Jr., Houston, Texas, Business Management), Brian Weatherspoon (Sr., West Memphis, Ark., Business Management) and Tierre Butler (Sr., Springfield, Ill., Business Management) all finished with seven tackles apiece. Jaden Reed (So., Missouri City, Texas), Jaquarius Butler (So., Cordova, Tenn.), and Byron Jackson (So., Mesquite, Texas) each tallied a sack.
“This was a hard-fought win,” Head Coach Marc Benavidez said. “We are glad to get the win. We will learn a lot from this game as we work forward this season.”
Next Up: The Statesmen remain in Oskaloosa next Saturday to host Missouri Valley in a Heart North-South crossover game at 12 p.m.
