Comeback Falls Just Short in Rock and Ladder Trophy Game
Des Moines, Iowa–Emery Floyd (Grad., Tampa, Fla.) accounted for four touchdowns and the Statesmen led late, but the William Penn football team could not hold back No. 8 Grand View in a 36-34 Heart of America Athletic Conference North Division loss Saturday.
WPU (6-3, 3-2 Heart North) outgained the Vikings 379-261, but lost the turnover battle 3-1 (only interceptions for both sides) as GVU (8-1, 5-0 Heart North) retained the Rock and Ladder Trophy.
The contest came down to turnovers as Grand View scored 17 points off William Penn’s giveaways, while the Statesmen tallied just three off the lone Viking mistake.
Although a combined 70 points were tallied Saturday, the first quarter was a low-scoring affair with Grand View leading just 3-0.
With WPU’s offense sputtering, the defense proved to be the catalyst as Quincey Classeus (Jr., Pompano Beach, Fla., Business Management), in his first game on the gridiron this fall, took an interception 57 yards to the GVU eight-yard line.
The navy and gold settled for a 16-yard field goal by Chris Paniagua (So., Houston, Texas, General Accounting) to knot the score at 3-3 with 4:44 to go until halftime.
The Vikings closed strong, however, and led 13-3 at the break. The hosts added another touchdown early in the third period, but then Floyd took over, beginning with a 45-yard touchdown pass to Branden Powell (Jr., Waco, Texas, Kinesiology) to cut the deficit to 20-10 just 1:44 into the second half.
Grand View then tacked on a pair of field goals for a 26-10 lead. By game’s end, the Viking kicker would make five field goals.
Floyd got the Statesmen train back on the tracks with a two-yard rushing touchdown, while his two-point conversion pass attempt to Powell was successful. Powell’s day included two receptions for 52 yards.
Following a Viking punt, Floyd capped a quick possession by scampering 46 yards for a touchdown. He also converted on the two-point conversion as WPU drew even at 26-26 with 11:53 left in regulation.
GVU used seven minutes to regain the lead at 33-26, but it took less than three minutes for WPU to go on top for the first time when Floyd hit paydirt from 18 yards out. He then completed a pass to Keithon Davis (So., McKinney, Texas, Kinesiology) for the two-point conversion as the Statesmen led 34-33 with 1:51 on the clock. Davis headlined the receiving corps with nine catches for 159 yards.
Unfortunately, there was too much time left for the Vikings, who marched into Statesmen territory and eventually knocked through a 43-yard field goal as time expired to take the win.
Floyd, who was the backup quarterback on Saturday, ran the pigskin just nine times, but picked up 103 yards and scored three times. He also completed seven of his 12 passes for 196 yards and one touchdown (one interception). Overall, he had a part in 299 of his team’s 379 yards.
Kameron Cummings (Jr., Houston, Texas, Business Management) and Jerome Schaubert (Sr., Spring, Texas, Biology) paced the defensive effort with 12 tackles each.
“A loss is a loss, and a win is a win, regardless of how close the game is,” Head Coach Marc Benavidez said. “We did not come here to play Grand View close, we came to win. With that said, I am incredibly proud of how our players prepared this week, the game play our coaching staff put together, and the fight our guys showed from start to finish.”
“There is no such thing as a moral victory, but there is a lot to be proud of with our team and the direction we are headed.”
Next Up: William Penn returns to Oskaloosa next Saturday to host Peru State in Heart North Division play at 12 p.m.
