Delay Fails to Slow Statesmen in 53-14 Win Over St. Mary (Kan.)
Recent William Penn Statesmen Football action at the Lacey Complex Stadium
Leavenworth, Kan.–A powerful surge was present in more than just the game-postponing lightning Saturday afternoon as William Penn defeated St. Mary (Kan.) 53-14 in non-conference action.
With the win, the fifth-ranked Statesmen improve to 7-0 to start the season for just the second time in school history (also in 1975), refusing to be bothered by sloppy field conditions or a lightning strike that forced players to head for cover.
The Statesmen outgained the Spires (2-5) by a tally of 496-360, including 427 collected running on the muddy turf. It is the team’s highest overall mark this fall.
Evan Ressler (So., Cascade, Iowa, Biology) got his team on the board first with a three-yard dive 8:22 into the afternoon.
Taylor Parsons (Jr., The Woodlands, Texas, Sociology) then doubled the advantage when he hooked up with Ed Cazenave (Jr., So., Marietta, Ga., Communications) for a 38-yard passing score with 2:21 left in the first quarter. The touchdown was just the second through the air for Parsons in 2012. He finished 3-of-9 for 61 yards, while the grab was the only one for Cazenave. It was also his first score as a member of the navy and gold.
A high-scoring second stanza followed, beginning with St. Mary getting on the board twice with a pair of Mike Keese completions. Ressler, who finished with 102 yards, answered the first score with a five-yard run, while the defense stepped up next.
Keese moved the Spires to midfield, but a lengthy pass was picked off by Michael Wright (Sr., Olive Branch, Miss., Physical Education) returned the pigskin 70 yards for the touchdown. The score is the sixth by the Statesmen defensive unit this campaign.
Dalton Phelps (Sr., Tipton, Iowa, Physical Education) then capped off the first-half scoring by scampering 60 yards to make it 34-14 at intermission. The senior carried the ball only four times, but picked up a team-best 116 yards Saturday. It is the second time in 2012 that two individuals have surpassed the century mark in rushing.
The only excitement from the scoreless third quarter came from above. The Midwest was hammered by storms all day and Leavenworth was no spared as lightning struck late in the quarter. The strike was close enough to the field for the referees to be forced to remove all participants from the field.
Following a 45-minute delay, Sam Tvedt (So., Oskaloosa, Iowa, Business Management) resumed the scoring with a 15-yard touchdown run early in the fourth. Tyler Hafner (Fr., Oskaloosa, Iowa, Undecided) concluded the point accumulation with two rushing scores of 14 and 15 yards.
Tvedt just missed making it three players over 100 yards by finishing with 98, while Hafner contributed 74 on the day.
Both teams had issues retaining possession in the rainy weather. St. Mary (Kan.) committed four turnovers and William Penn gave the ball away on three occasions (all fumbles).
In addition to Wright’s interception return, Nick DiMarco (So., Physical Education) posted both an interception and a fumble recovery.
Perry King (Jr., Valdosta, Ga., Physical Education) forced the other fumble, which was recovered by Joseph Frye (So., Detroit, Mich., Physical Education). Brock Peery (Jr., Payson, Utah, Secondary Education) topped all navy and gold defenders with nine tackles, while Scott Adams (So., Park City, Utah, Sociology) added eight (seven solos).
“What a crazy day!” Head Coach Todd Hafner said. “I thought we played very well today. It definitely was not ideal weather, but our players responded very well in the adverse conditions.”
Next: William Penn returns home to face #7 St. Francis (Ind.) in an MSFA crossover game at 1 p.m. St. Francis fell to #1 Marian 45-38 Saturday.
