Offenses Shine as WPU Falls to Saint Xavier in 48-46 Shootout

William Penn came up just short against St. X on Saturday.

William Penn came up just short against St. X on Saturday.

Oskaloosa–Jatavius Stewart (Jr., Rock Hill, S.C., Biology) recorded one of the best single-game performances in school history, but not even he could help the William Penn football team from watching victory slip through its grasp in an intense 48-46 Midwest League loss to #9 Saint Xavier Saturday.

With the loss, the #11 nationally-ranked Statesmen (5-3, 1-1 MWL) are now in a must-win situation for the remainder of the fall. By going perfect though, WPU, which outgained the Cougars 631-564, can still earn a share of the conference crown and likely punch a ticket for the postseason.

The afternoon had an ominous start with SXU taking the opening kickoff the entire 100 yards (actually 3-4 yards into the endzone) for a 6-0 lead only 14 seconds into action.

The navy and gold, who picked up 431 rushing yards and an additional 200 passing, answered right back with a three-play, 61-yard scoring drive.

Stewart’s record-setting outing started by capping off that first drive with a 38-yard reversal that ended up in the endzone. It was the lone rush of the junior’s day, but he made plenty of impact in other ways.

Following one of the few stops by either side on Saturday, the host offense took advantage of its defense’s effort by traveling 73 yards in 3:52 to lead 14-6. Sam Tvedt (Sr., Oskaloosa, Iowa, Business Management) finished the possession with a 25-yard scamper.

Back-to-back-to-back quick scores were next in the high-scoring affair with Stewart hauling in a 46-yard toss from Tyler Hafner (Jr., Oskaloosa, Iowa, Undecided) for his first receiving touchdown. WPU was up 21-20 after the first stanza.

The second quarter was all Saint Xavier (5-2, 1-1 MWL) as it tallied three touchdowns to lead 34-21 at intermission.

A revitalized Statesmen group blew out of the locker room with consecutive scores as Nathan Tvedt (Jr., Oskaloosa, Iowa, Business Management) sprinted in from five yards out, while Stewart caught another Hafner pass–this time from six yards away to tie things up at 34-34 with 6:04 remaining in the third quarter.

Not only was the game knotted for the first time since the opening kickoff, but the momentum had moved swiftly into WPU’s favor. That unfortunately did not last as the Cougars produced scores in two straight drives.

Never surrendering, the Statesmen came right back with another Hafner-to-Stewart TD. The extra point was blocked for the second time on the day, but the home squad had pulled to within one score at 48-40.

Needing a stop, the defense accomplished its side of the deal with a three-and-out. The offense showed its appreciation with another touchdown. The Hafner-Stewart connection hooked up one final time with a 60-yarder at the 3:22 mark. Hafner finished 11-for-15 for 200 yards, while Stewart posted 175 yards on six grabs. The four touchdown passes tie for the most in a single game, while the four TD receptions are a new school mark. Stewart’s yardage is also third-best tally in program history and the most since 2007.

Including his first-quarter rushing score, Stewart had five TDs, which also ties a single-game mark.

With a two-point conversion the difference, WPU was unsuccessful in its first try, but a pass interference call gave the hosts another shot. The Statesmen could not take advantage, however, as Michael Thomas (Sr., Visalia, Calif., Undecided) was denied at the goal line.

With little time left on the clock and still trailing, the Statesmen coaching staff had a decision to make and it opted to try an onside kick. The offering by Ante Rogic (Fr., Chicago, Ill., Biology) was a beauty. It bounced off an SXU player and Sam Tvedt was in the right place and fell on the loose pigskin.

Fifty-five yards to paydirt and 3:22 still remaining, WPU was in a grand position to steal its second top-ten win this fall. The Statesmen gobbled up 34 yards to eventually set up a potential game-winning 38-yard field goal with 14 ticks left.

Unfortunately, Rogic’s kick hooked just right of the goalposts and William Penn lost consecutive contests for the first time in 2014.

Thomas paced the ground game with 112 yards, while Sam Tvedt and Tyler Goble (Sr., Des Moines, Iowa, Secondary Education) each managed 96 yards. Nathan Tvedt closed out the matchup with 52 rushing yards.

Considering they combined for nearly 1,200 yards of total offense, the final score was actually fairly low. Both sides were limited in their final tallies by turnover issues (WPU had three, while SXU committed four–including the onside kick recovery). Keegan Murphy (Jr., Ark City, Kan., Physical Education) and Deshon Conley (Sr., Chicago, Ill., Physical Education) each had an interception and Isaac Samek (Jr., Bolivar, Mo., Industrial Technology) managing the other fumble recovery. Samek paced the unit with 12 stops, while Clayton Temaat (Jr., Alba, Mo., Industrial Technology) recorded the lone sack.

“I am extremely proud of the way we hung in and battled all day,” Head Coach Todd Hafner said. “Our players were positive and continued to stick together even through some tough times. We will continue to prepare and get better and try to get a big win next week.”

Next Up: William Penn travels to Bourbonnais, Ill. next Saturday to face Olivet Nazarene in Midwest League play at noon.

Posted by on Oct 27 2014. Filed under College Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.

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