Statesmen Finish 2024 with 17-7 Victory Over Missouri Valley
Marshall, Mo.–The William Penn football team closed out its campaign on a high note as it dropped Missouri Valley 17-7 in a Heart of America Athletic Conference North-South crossover game Saturday.
WPU (4-6) nearly doubled up the Vikings (4-6) in yardage with a 389-204 edge, including 285 yards on the ground.
Keegan Simmons (Sr., Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Elementary Education) was the main rusher on the game’s opening drive, carrying the ball eight times and eventually depositing it in the endzone from five yards away for a 7-0 Statesmen lead. The senior ended his collegiate playing career with 16 rushes for 74 yards and the TD.
MVC answered on its first possession and the contest was square at 7-7 after one quarter of action.
Both sides came up empty the next time they had the ball, but the navy and gold bounced back early in the second with a six-play, 71-yard scoring drive. Sterling Ramsey II (Jr., Broken Arrow, Okla., Business Management) completed three passes, including one to Destynd Loring (Jr., Charleston, S.C., Sports Management), before Loring finally scrambled 37 yards for the go-ahead touchdown.
Ramsey completed nine of his 16 passes for 104 yards.
With 10:05 still left in the second period, the bout would become a defensive battle as only three more points were scored.
The three combined ensuing drives netted nothing, but then the Statesmen took advantage of a short field after a one-yard Viking punt. They moved the pigskin 21 yards to just outside the redzone before the drive stalled out. Chris Paniagua (Fr., Houston, Texas, Mechanical Engineering) then stepped in and drove a 39-yard field goal through the uprights, extending WPU’s advantage to 17-7 with 1:01 remaining until halftime.
Although no points were put on the scoreboard, the second half was certainly not void of excitement.
After both offensive crews were stopped on their first possessions, Brandon Young (So., Houston, Texas, Computer Science) ended Missouri Valley’s second drive with an interception in Statesmen territory.
William Penn failed to capitalize, though, driving inside MVC’s 10-yard line, but coming away empty-handed.
Later on, Jeremiah Dennard (So., St. Petersburg, Fla., Business Management) matched Young with a pick, doing so midway through the fourth stanza.
WPU then put the game on ice by picking up four first downs (21 for the day) in a game-ending drive that milked over seven minutes off the clock. On the final drive, Loring rushed for 62 yards, giving him 203 for the afternoon on 30 carries.
With the running game on point, the navy and gold were able to extend drives, going 8-for-14 on third down. Overall, the visitors dominated the time of possession by holding the ball for over 37 of the 60 total minutes.
Amir Everett (Jr., Minneapolis, Minn., Sports Management) was the most productive Statesmen receiver Saturday with two catches for 35 yards, while Alexander Price (Jr., McKinney, Texas, Sports Management) was the most popular of Ramsey II’s targets with three receptions.
Matt Mehrhoff (Jr., Fenton, Mo., Business Management) guided a stalwart defense, recording a team-high seven tackles in the win. Dennard added four tackles to his interception.
“I could not be prouder of our guys,” Head Coach Marc Benavidez said. “We played well in all three phases of the game. Most importantly, we sent our seniors out on a high note. They have been the backbone of this program and their leadership has set the standard for the future. We are excited to carry this momentum into the offseason and get ready for next year.”
