Statesmen Defense Stands Tall in 14-13 Win Over Missouri Valley
Oskaloosa–The William Penn football team beat Missouri Valley 14-13 in a defensive Heart of America Athletic Conference North-South crossover game Saturday.
No. 13 WPU (2-0) overcame being outgained by the Vikings 363-201, including tallying 115 yards on the ground and 86 through the air.
After a scoreless first quarter, the Statesmen defense limited the Vikings (0-1) to a short field goal for a 3-0 edge with 13:27 remaining in the second stanza.
WPU then broke into the scoring column just four minutes later when an eight-play, 44-yard drive saw Emery Floyd (Grad., Tampa, Fla.) cross the goal line from one yard out to give the Statesmen their first lead of the game at 7-3.
On the ensuing kickoff, Semaj Smith (Fr., Florida City, Fla.) forced and recovered a fumble, giving the Statesmen the ball at the MVU 35-yard line. Kendrick Canon (Jr., North Miami, Fla., Wellness and Recreation) then found the endzone the very next play when he caught a 35-yard pass from Floyd, putting the Statesmen up 14-3 going into halftime.
It proved to be the only completion for Floyd on the day, while fellow quarterback Christian Benning (So., Streator, Illinois, Business Management) was 5-for-11 for 51 yards.
Both offenses stalled out until the 9:08 mark of the third quarter when the Vikings knocked through another field goal, cutting the deficit to 14-6. After a Statesmen turnover on downs, the Vikings managed their lone touchdown. The visitors, however, chose to only kick the extra point, keeping WPU’s lead at one at 14-13 with 12:26 left in regulation.
The Statesmen bend-don’t-break defense came up clutch two more times down the stretch. Midway through the final quarter, MVU marched into William Penn territory. The drive fortunately ended with a field-goal try that hit off the left upright.
Then inside of the two-minute timeout, the Vikings were given the pigskin one last time. The Statesmen ended their foe’s hopes by coming up with their third and final takeaway as Jaden Reed (So., Missouri City, Texas) forced a fumble which was recovered by Kameron Cummings (Jr., Houston, Texas, Business Management).
The Statesmen relied on a two-back duo of Derion Morris (Fr., East Chicago, Ind.) (11 carries, 34 yards) and Emmanuel Igbonagwam (So., Vancouver, Wash.) (8 carries, 52 yards). Floyd also rushed nine times for 36 yards.
Jeremiah Dennard (Jr., St. Petersburg, Fla.) and Jovoni Welch (Sr., La Habra, Calif., Business Management) led the way for the Statesmen defensively with eight and seven tackles, respectively. WPU tallied three sacks, including Rhyan Sewell (Fr., Little Elm, Texas) recording two and Reed adding another.
“It was a hard-fought victory under some extreme heat conditions,” Head Coach Marc Benavidez said. “I am proud of how our guys continued to battle and finish with the win. We have a lot of teaching tape and getting ready for a big week ahead!”
Up Next: The Statesmen kick off their road schedule next Saturday as they head to Atchison, Kan. to face off with Benedictine in a Heart North-South crossover game at 1 p.m.
