2011 William Penn Football Preview
William Penn Football August 2011 Practice
2010 record: 10-1 (6-1 MWL, T-1st)
Starters returning/lost: 18/6 (including special teams)
Letterwinners returning/lost: 45/25
Notable returners:
Taylor Parsons So. The Woodlands, Texas
(Second-team all-MWL, 1,010 rushing yards, 20 TDs, 901 passing yards, 7 TDs)
Shawn Davis So. Hamersville, Ohio
(Second-team all-MWL, 1,042 rushing yards, 12 TDs)
Damon Harrison Sr. Lake Charles, La.
(Second-team all-MWL, 47 tackles, 11 TFL, 2 sacks)
Sean Colemon Sr. Burlington
(Honorable-mention all-MWL, 44 tackles)
Notable losses:
Steven Dawley
(Two-time AFCA All-American)
Dale Woods
(Two-time VSN All-American)
Javaras Thomas
(Two-time all-MWL)
Bernard Luster
(Second-team all-MWL)
Notable newcomers:
Kevin Bolak Fr. Woodstock, Ga.
Jacob Davis Fr. Rock Island, Ill.
Alex Kops Fr. Woodstock, Ga.
Sam Tvedt Fr. Oskaloosa
With a bull’s-eye on their back, the Statesmen are seeking to take care of some unfinished business as they enter the 2011 gridiron campaign.
Although it was expected to be just another solid year (preseason fourth in the Midwest League), 2010 was one of the most successful in school history. William Penn went 10-1, tying the program mark for most wins in a season, and shared the MWL crown at 6-1 (its fifth title in history).
The squad dominated the trenches, breaking NAIA marks for single-season rushing yards (4,476) and yards per attempt (6.9). Numerous school records fell to the ground as well, highlighted by total yards in a season (5,377), total yards in a game (672), points in a season (486), and points in a game (70).
As great as the campaign was, it unfortunately ended with a very bitter taste with the Statesmen left out in the cold as 16 other teams danced into the NAIA Championship Series (William Penn was the first team out).
“We felt we played as good as we could have last year,” Statesmen Head Coach Todd Hafner said. “We had that one stumble down at McKendree when we committed just too many mistakes. Other than that, our players really prepared well and played hard from week to week.”
“The conference championship was a great way to end the year and something we will now strive for year after year,” Hafner added.
Motivation abounding, the offseason was a busy and successful one for coaches and players with recruiting going as well as ever and a strength and conditioning program also showing its benefits.
“We felt that our recruiting class is as good as we have ever had,” Hafner said. “We were able to add depth at every position with quality student-athletes.”
“In talking with (Strength and Conditioning) Coach (Ike) Hammerly, our offseason was as good it could have been,” Hafner said. “Getting slighted in the final ranking really left a burn and that pushed our guys during the winter months. We are very fortunate to have Coach Hammerly and his staff and that has been a major asset for us over the past few years.”
Spring practice was equally impressive, allowing several 2010 backups to get more reps and fine tune their skills for this fall.
“Due to losing our entire offensive line, spring ball was more important than ever to get reps for former backup players,” Hafner said. “We found guys that were ready to step up. They corrected some mistakes of the past and with adding new players, we should not have much of a dropoff.”
“Our offseason program, all the way through the summer, was fantastic and we are ready to go,” Hafner added.
Quarterback
Captaining the 2011 brigade will be Taylor Parsons (So., The Woodlands, Texas, College Park HS), who entered last fall in a three-way battle for the starting slot and finished it with a second-team all-MWL award.
Parsons rushed for 1,010 yards and a school-record 20 touchdowns. When he was not flying through the line, the sophomore dished it out with accuracy, completing 51 of 97 passes for 901 yards and seven touchdowns.
“Taylor is one of the best quarterbacks in the nation,” Hafner said. “With him behind center, we feel really good about who is leading the offense.”
Newcomers Kevin Bolak (Fr., Woodstock, Ga., Woodstock HS) and Drew Knowles will fight for the position as well, giving the Statesmen tremendous depth, a reoccurring theme for 2011.
“With these two young men behind Taylor, we are confident that we will have a capable replacement if needed,” Hafner said.
Slot Back
Hafner cannot help but smile when talking about another aspect of his backfield with four incredibly talented individuals vying for time at the slot back position.
Corey Ketchum (Sr., El Dorado Springs, Mo., El Dorado Springs HS), who lost significant time last season due to a knee injury, P.J. Perry (Sr., Clermont, Fla., East Ridge HS), DeMarco Sanders (Sr., Horn Lake, Miss., Horn Lake HS), and Dalton Phelps (Jr., Williamsburg, Williamsburg HS) will all share time.
Phelps led the foursome with 411 yards and six touchdowns, while Perry (406 yards, 3 TDs), Sanders (382 yards, 2 TDs), and Ketchum (73 yards, 2 TDs) also produced well.
“We return a lot of quality depth at slot,” Hafner said. “It is kind of a dream situation as we have never had so many talented players at this key spot.”
Newcomers Sam Tvedt (Fr., Oskaloosa, Pella Christian HS) and Nate Wilmes (Fr., Carlisle, Carlisle HS) plan to push as well in their inaugural collegiate campaigns, while several other returners will also work for playing time.
“We have so many great players in the wings as well,” Hafner said. “This is an important year for the backups because they need to set themselves up for next year and beyond when our current starters are gone.”
Fullback
Shawn Davis (So., Hamersville, Ohio, Western Brown HS) bulldozed defenders last year en route to a team-best 1,042 yards and is another welcome sight behind the line.
“Shawn was obviously a great player and leads the crew at fullback, but he will be pushed for that slot,” Hafner said.
Tye Sparks (Jr., Oskaloosa, Oskaloosa HS), Larry Reed, and newcomer Evan Ressler (Fr., Cascade, Cascade HS) are all quality backs who will give depth.
“It is becoming easier for us to recruit great players at this position because they will see the ball a lot,” Hafner said. “It is a position in which you must have depth because the ball carrier gets pounded a lot, but all of these guys have the potential to put up big numbers.”
Wide Receiver
Derek McIntyre (Sr., Eddyville, Iowa Central CC), Aaron Broyles (So., Escondido, Calif., Escondido Charter HS), and Jack Borcherding (Jr., Washington, Mo., Washington HS) give the Statesmen a trio of returning options in a position that is not as utilized in the option offense, but is still integral to the team’s success.
Chris Crawford (Jr., Muskegon, Mich., Grand Valley State) provides a new, very explosive wrinkle in the offense after transferring from NCAA Division II Grand Valley State where he was the team’s top return man.
“Chris is an outstanding player that will be utilized in a variety of ways, including in the return game,” Hafner said. “Although this is a position that does not get used a lot in our offensive system, these guys do need to catch the ball when it is thrown to them and make plays when they are called upon.”
Tight End
John Bryan (Jr., Cary, Ill., Cary-Grove HS) has waited patiently in the wings and with four-year letterwinner Jimmy Deegan gone, his time is now.
Jake Adams (Fr., Park City, Utah, Park City HS) will have something to say about that, however, as William Penn will have two competent bodies vying for a spot on the perimeter of the offensive line.
Offensive Line
No matter how quick, strong, and shifty their ball carriers might be, the Statesmen must still rely on an equally powerful line for production. This year, that job will be taken on by a completely new crew as five seniors, including three-time All-American Steven Dawley, have departed.
Steve Steele (Sr., Freeland, Mich., Nouvel Catholic HS) and Mason Woods (Jr., Williamsburg, Williamsburg HS) will pace the new line, while fellow returners Shawn Oaks (Sr., Murray, Iowa Central CC), Nick Harris (Sr., Salt Lake City, Utah, Brighton HS), and Cash Lovett (Jr., Southaven, Miss., Northeast Mississippi CC) have gained experience as well.
“Even though we have a ton of talent behind them, our offense will only go as far as our linemen can take them,” Hafner said.
Newcomers Jake Davis (Fr., Rock Island, Ill., Rock Island HS) and Shawn Rucker (Fr., Elkhart, Ind., Jimtown HS) should also present a fight for starting nods.
“We feel good about what we have coming to camp,” Hafner said. “All of these young men will work hard and set us up well.”
Defensive Line
Dale Woods will be missed after earning two All-America honors in the navy and gold, but Hafner believes his team has reloaded just fine.
Damon Harrison (Sr., Lake Charles, La., Lake Charles Boston HS) is primed for a big year in the middle, while returners Michael Welch (So., Houston, Texas, Booker T. Washington HS), Brandon Dunbar (Jr., Houston, Texas, Booker T. Washington HS), Cody Janes (So., El Dorado Springs, Mo., El Dorado Springs HS), and Carl Lewis (Jr., Memphis, Tenn., Westwood HS) are also licking their chops, eager to snuff out anything or anyone that dares to come between the tackles.
Harrison paces the returning linemen with 47 tackles last year, including 11 for loss.
“Damon will lead us up front as one of the best interior linemen in the country,” Hafner said. “He should have a huge senior year.”
“We will be able to stop the run and that will help us win a lot of games,” Hafner added. “Our line is the strength of our defense and will cause opposing offenses fits.”
Linebacker
The Statesmen hope an enormity of talent will make a good substitution for experience as Sean Colemon (Sr., Burlington, Burlington HS), Dale Stone (Sr., Hebron, Ky., Conner HS), Rushawn Stewart (Sr., Houston, Texas, Eisenhower HS), Nick DiMarco (Fr., St. Charles, Mo., Francis Howell North HS), Brock Peery (So., Payson, Utah, Payson HS), and Scott Adams (Fr., Park City, Utah, Park City HS) return in the defensive midfield.
Stewart leads all returners with 51 stops last season in addition to two interceptions.
“Our linebacking corps is deep and has a ton of skill,” Hafner said. “There is an apparent lack of experience there, but we should have enough speed and talent to make up for that. Our talent level and athleticism is probably the best it has ever been.”
A constant stream of new faces and names will battle with the aforementioned group for time on the field.
Secondary
2010 starters Chris Adeshina (Jr., Detroit, Mich., Highland Park Community HS), Jacob Batterson (So., Eddyville, Eddyville-Blakesburg HS), and Joel Medina (Jr., Palmdale, Calif., Canyons CC) have the inside track for starts in the defensive backfield, but nothing is a certainty with talent the world over at the cornerback and safety spots.
In only his freshman season, Batterson had the biggest impact in the secondary with a 2010-high four interceptions.
Ivan Kindell (Sr., Belleville, Mich., Belleville HS) and Junior Delva (So., Miami, Fla., Hialeah HS) also saw time last year and figure to be on the field quite a bit in 2011.
Joseph Frye (Fr., Detroit, Mich., Highland Park HS) and Andrew Reed (So., Oskaloosa, Oskaloosa HS), a transfer from Drake last winter, impressed the coaching staff during spring ball and will add their names to the discussion.
“We have 35-40 kids that have to be sifted through to get about 27-30 players that we can travel with,” Hafner said. “That will be a challenging endeavor because there are so many good players.”
Special Teams
Marcus Kerrigan (So., Cary, Ill., Cary-Grove HS) had more kicking attempts last year than most players do in a career and his proficiency in those tries is a big reason the placekicker job is his to lose this fall.
Kerrigan was 48-of-53 in extra points and 7-of-9 in field goals as a freshman.
Were he to fall off, though, Cam Shearon (Sr., St. Peters, Mo., Francis Howell Central HS) is ready to claim his spot back. Shearon was the team’s starter in 2008.
“Marcus had a tremendous year and we are thrilled to have him back kicking for us,” Hafner said.
Jason Johnson (So., Geneseo, Ill., Geneseo HS) is back on the turf to resume his punting responsibilities, giving William Penn a profound edge in special teams. Johnson was a second-team all-MWL pick last year, while Kerrigan earned an honorable mention.
In addition to playing linebacker, DiMarco is projected to fight for a spot as the kickoff specialist.
“Overall, a lot of the kids in our program do not have a lot of live game experience, so it will come down to how quickly they can adapt to the speed of the game,” Hafner said. “Talent-wise, we believe we can make up for experience and win a lot of games.”
Schedule
The 2011 season begins with a bang on August 27 with William Penn christening the new Lacey Complex Stadium against rival Iowa Wesleyan.
Back-to-back non-conference matchups then ensue as the Statesmen host Bethel (Kan.) in the first football game ever between the two schools, while an old Iowa Conference rivalry is renewed with William Penn meeting Luther. It will be the 40th game in the all-time series with the Norse holding a 26-12-1 edge.
The schedule returns to some level of normalcy with a home game against Waldorf before the team takes on McKendree in a non-conference rematch (the Bearcats have moved to NCAA Division II). William Penn’s lone setback last year was to McKendree, and while the teams are no longer in the same division, that fact does not lessen the importance of revenge for the Statesmen.
“Although they are no longer in the conference, the McKendree game is huge to us,” Hafner said. “If we could have taken a mistake or two away from last year’s contest, we could have won. We know what we have to do to win and we are excited to play them one final time.”
The squad hits the road for contests versus Olivet Nazarene and St. Francis (Ill.) before its final two home showings of the year against St. Mary (Kan.) and Trinity International for Homecoming.
“St. Francis has most of their starters back from last year and they are always tough at their place,” Hafner said.
All of that leads up to potentially two of the most important games in program history with the Statesmen traveling to St. Ambrose and Grand View. It is a strong possibility that the MWL crown could be up for grabs when William Penn meets its fiercest rival, the Vikings, on November 12 in Des Moines.
“Honestly, whoever set up that schedule should get a good kick in the belly,” Hafner said. “It is a really tough way to finish the year, but by that point, we hope to still be playing for something. If so, those will be great games against quality opponents.”
Conference
Favorites for the first time since joining the league in 2002, Hafner is aware the road to a championship and a playoff berth will not come without some blood, sweat, and tears. Grand View, St. Francis, and St. Ambrose are figured to all pose considerable challenges, while the rest of the MWL will not be pushovers either.
“It will be a great fight for the title between the four of us,” Hafner said. “I think Iowa Wesleyan is a darkhorse as well and could be in there if things work out for them.”
“There is a lot of positive anticipation for this fall,” Hafner said. “I know it is cliche, but we have to stay from the injury bug and prepare ourselves one week at a time. We feel like we have a chance to win a lot of games and accomplish our goals by year’s end.”
