Statesmen Fail to Cool Off Peru State in Home Return
Oskaloosa–If the William Penn football team was hoping some home cooking would turn its fortunes around, it did not happen as the Statesmen lost 28-0 to Peru State in Heart of America Athletic Conference North Division play Saturday.
WPU (1-7, 0-2 North), which had not played inside Statesmen Community Stadium since September 25, was kept off the scoreboard while being outgained 302-170, including producing 144 rushing yards.
In an ominous start to the afternoon, the hosts fumbled on their first two plays of the game, losing possession on the latter. The Bobcats (6-2, 2-0 North), who extended their winning streak to four games, took advantage nine plays later for a 7-0 lead.
The offense clicked, even for just one play, in WPU’s next drive as Danny Amezquita (Fr., San Antonio, Texas, Kinesiology) broke free for a 26-yard scamper on the opening snap. Unfortunately, the navy and gold were quickly quieted and punted the ball right back. PSC then marched down the gridiron to double its margin to 14-0 late in the first quarter.
Both sides punted on their ensuing possessions before the Statesmen produced their best sustained attempt of the day, moving 47 yards over 12 plays. The drive stalled out, however, as the Bobcat defense stopped the home team on fourth down at the Peru State 16-yard line. It would prove to be the lone trip for William Penn inside its opponent’s red zone.
Looking for additional points, the visitors pushed across midfield, but were eventually stopped in WPU’s red zone. A field-goal attempt failed, keeping the score at 14-0. Unfortunately, three plays later, the Bobcats regained possession on an interception.
The visiting crew was not denied this time around, scoring on the very next play from scrimmage and took a 21-0 advantage into halftime. The Statesmen sought out an answer in the waning seconds of the first half, but came up empty at PSC’s 43-yard line.
Zenin Hall (Fr., Chicago, Ill., Business Management) helped to hold the deficit at 21 points in the opening moments of the third quarter as he intercepted a pass at the William Penn 32-yard line and returned it into Bobcat territory. The Statesmen could not do anything with that renewed life, though, as both offenses went cold in a scoreless third period.
Peru State then ran off nearly 11 minutes of clock to wrap up the third stanza and start the fourth, but no points came of it. One last-ditch effort for points by the Statesmen witnessed them turning the ball over on downs deep on their side of the field and the Bobcats pounced four plays later for the final touchdown of the outing.
As signal-caller, Amezquita rushed for 36 yards and completed three of his nine passes for 26 yards. Ben Sherman (Grad., Troy, Pa., Master’s of Sports Management) topped the running attack with 12 carries for 42 yards.
Conner Hasz (Fr., Paola, Kan., Sociology) added 21 yards on the ground as well, while Luke Masters (Sr., Branson, Mo.) hauled in one reception for a team-high 11 yards.
Punter Trapper Behm (Fr., West Haven, Utah, Biology) did a solid job of improving William Penn’s field position as he averaged 38 yards per kick and stuck PSC inside its own 20-yard line on three occasions.
The defense gave the Statesmen a chance and Rogan Pforts (Sr., Wapello, Iowa, Industrial Technology) paced that crew’s efforts with 12 tackles, including two for loss. D’Mauryon Hunter (So., Bolingbrook, Ill., Sports Management) was next with 10 stops, while Spencer Steele (Fr., Goddard, Kan., Mechanical Engineering) was a part of nine tackles. Armon Pledge (Fr., Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Education) and Marquis Knighten (So., Buena Park, Calif., Digital Communication) both managed seven tackles as well.
Next Up: William Penn travels to Canton, Mo. next Saturday to face Culver-Stockton in Heart North play at noon.
