Football Game Notes: Week Seven: St. Mary (Kan.)‏

Recent William Penn Statesmen Football action at the Lacey Complex Stadium

Oskaloosa–A week after claiming a big top-20 victory in league action, the Statesmen football team will be looking to keep the momentum going as it travels to face St. Mary (Kan.) in non-conference action Saturday.

#5 William Penn (6-0) hits the road for Leavenworth, Kan. to meet the Spires (2-4) of the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference in the USM Football/Soccer Complex at 1:30 p.m.

STATESMEN BROADCASTING: Every William Penn football game can be followed through several different mediums.

Radio (all games): Heard live on KBOE 740 AM or 104.9 FM
Internet (all games): Heard live at http://client.stretchinternet.com/client/kboe.portal
TV (home games): Viewed and heard live on Mahaska Communication Group’s local channel
Internet (home games): Viewed and heard live at http://origin.peg.tv/pegtv_player?s=wpenn

St. Mary (Kan.) will also provide a video broadcast at http://www.ihigh.com/usmspires/broadcast_234853.html?silverlight=1

SERIES HISTORY: William Penn is 1-0 all-time in its series against St. Mary (Kan.).

The Statesmen defeated St. Mary (Kan.) 38-16 in the first-ever meeting between the programs one year ago.

The teams had a good battle of two strengths–William Penn’s rushing and the Spires’ passing–as the defenses gave up over 900 total yards. The navy and gold rushed for 464 yards in the win.

P.J. Perry and Evan Ressler (So., Cascade, Iowa Biology) both rushed for two scores, while Taylor Parsons (Jr., The Woodlands, Texas, Sociology) (159) and Shawn Davis (Jr., Hamersville, Ohio, Physical Education) (111) each eclipsed the century mark in rushing.

2011–William Penn, 38-16

WILLIAM PENN PROFILE: Todd Hafner is in his ninth year as head football coach at William Penn, entering the campaign with a 52-37 career record.

Hafner guided William Penn to a 9-2 record last year and the team again led the NAIA in rushing with 3,634 yards. He was also at the helm in 2010 when the navy and gold won their fifth league crown (first since 1976). The team finished 10-1, tying the school record for wins, and also broke NAIA single-season marks for total rushing yards and yards per attempt. Numerous other school marks were set in 2010.

The 2008 and 2010 Midwest League Coach of the Year, Hafner was also the recipient of the VSN NAIA Coach of the Year and the NFCA Region 2 Coach of the Year honors. As skipper, he has produced 119 all-conference players and 14 All-Americans.

Prior to his career at William Penn, Hafner had coaching stops at Carl Junction HS, Southwest Baptist University, Emporia State University, and Pittsburg State University (student coach).

Hafner graduated from Pittsburg State in 1994 with a degree in mathematics.

A great defensive effort sparked the Statesmen to a 19-8 win over then-#15 St. Francis (Ill.) last Saturday.

William Penn forced three turnovers and scored on two of them. Jacob Batterson (Jr., Eddyville, Iowa, Physical Education) returned one fumble 54 yards, while Perry King (Jr., Valdosta, Ga., Physical Education) nearly went the distance with his interception, only to fumble it into the endzone. Fortunately, Brock Peery (Jr., Payson, Utah, Secondary Education) fell on the ball for the other TD.

The Statesmen were outgained 296-186, but kept the Fighting Saints well below their season average of 432 yards.

For the year, William Penn is averaging 36.3 points and 359.8 yards per game, including 319.3 rushing and 40.5 passing.

The squad is third in the NAIA in total rushing yards (1,916) and rushing yards per game. The Statesmen are also eighth in total scoring (218).

Ressler leads the Statesmen offense with 405 rushing yards and seven touchdowns. Five other players, including Parsons with 397 yards and five scores, are also over the century mark.

Parsons is now 17-of-44 in the passing game, accounting for 243 yards and one TD. Aaron Broyles (Jr., Escondido, Calif., Physical Education) has five receptions, while Ed Cazenave (Jr., Marietta, Ga., Communications) has collected 96 yards through the air.

William Penn has only committed seven turnovers this year.

Defensively, the Statesmen are giving up an average of 8.0 points and 240.2 yards, including 129.3 passing and 110.8 rushing.

William Penn is strong nationally in points allowed per game (second), passing yards allowed per game (third), and total yards allowed per game (fourth).

Peery tops William Penn with 50 stops. Nick DiMarco (So., St. Charles, Mo., Physical Education) has a team-best 3.5 sacks, while King has recorded three interceptions to rank ninth in the NAIA. The Statesmen have forced 18 turnovers.

Marcus Kerrigan (Jr., Cary, Ill., Sociology) is nearly perfect this year, going 20-of-23 in point-after-attempts and 5-of-6 in field goals.

The team is again utilizing a two-punter formation with Kerrigan, DiMarco, and Jason Johnson (Jr., Geneseo, Ill., Industrial Technology) having all sent the pigskin into the air. Johnson has kicked seven times for a clip of 35.6 yards, while Kerrigan has nine punts for a 34.4 yard average. DiMarco also has six attempts for a 29.3 mark.

Cazenave is the main kickoff returner, taking seven back for an average of 11.6 yards (long of 21 yards), while Joel Medina (Sr., Palmdale, Calif., Sociology) has taken five punts back for a clip of 15.8 yards (long of 40 yards).

William Penn was picked to finish second in the Midwest League.

St. Mary (Kan.) PROFILE: Lance Hinson is in his eighth year as head coach at St. Mary (Kan.), entering the campaign with a 28-42 mark.

Prior to his head coaching appointment, Hinson was an assistant from 2002-2004.

In his first season in 2005, he was named KCAC Co-Coach of the Year as his defense ranked high in many statistical categories.

Hinson began coaching as a student assistant at North Texas and also had a stint at Baker (Kan.). He graduated from North Texas with a degree in kinesiology and psychology and earned his master’s from Baker in 2001.

The Spires won their second game in a row with a 34-20 KCAC victory over Bethany (Kan.) last week.

St. Mary (Kan.) won the yardage battle 419-339, including 265 yards on 18-of-31 passing by Mike Keese. Jerrell Young, with eight grabs for 121 yards, and Ronnie Cooper, with five catches for 100 yards (2 TDs), were his top targets.

For the year, St. Mary (Kan.) is averaging 28.0 points and 401.8 yards per game, including 326.7 passing and 75.2 rushing.

Keese has been having a big year behind center, leading the nation in total passing yards (1,949). He has completed 151 of his 268 passes for 17 touchdowns.

As a unit, the Spires are third nationally in total passing yards (1,960) and fourth in passing yards per game.

Young and Cooper are also putting up big numbers on the other end of the reception. Young has 49 catches for 665 yards and five scores, while Cooper has 38 receptions for 587 yards and eight TDs.

Young is second in the NAIA in total receptions, third in receptions per game (8.2), and fifth in both total yards and yards per game (110.8). Cooper is eight in total yards, ninth in total receptions, and tenth in yards per game (97.8).

Evan Hearn and Will Ryan have led the rushing attack with 233 and 202 yards, respectively.

Defensively, the Spires are giving up an average of 32.5 points and 368.3 yards, including 203.2 rushing and 165.2 passing.

Cris Basch has a squad-best 47 tackles, while Ray Munger has two sacks. Laurence Myers has tallied two interceptions, while the defense has forced 11 turnovers total.

Trevor Spaulding is 19-of-23 in extra points and 3-of-5 in field goals, while Hearn has punted 22 times for a 40.4 average.

David Harley has returned 21 kickoffs a total of 436 yards (20.8 avg.), ranking sixth nationally in total yardage. He has also returned four punts for a clip of 10.3 yards.

St. Mary (Kan.) was picked fifth in the KCAC’s preseason coaches’ poll and fourth in the media ranking.

COACH HAFNER SAYS: On the St. Francis (Ill.) game: “That was a very physical football game with a playoff-like atmosphere. Our defense was outstanding and our offense was good at the right time. We were able to run the clock and keep the ball away from their offense in the fourth quarter. This was a great win for our team after last year’s loss.”

On St. Mary (Kan.): “We will be playing a much-improved team on Saturday. They have really started to put things together offensively and defensively. They have won their last two games and are gaining confidence. We will have to go down there and play our best football in a tough atmosphere. We had a hard time defending them last year, and it took us a while to get our offense going. We expect to get everyone’s best effort; we cannot let our guard down or it could be a long day for us.”