Statesmen Lose Tight Matchup with Missouri Valley
Oskaloosa–The William Penn football team claimed an early advantage in its Homecoming bout with Missouri Valley, but was unable to hold off the Vikings in a 30-27 Heart of America Athletic Conference crossover loss Saturday.
WPU (1-4) led 14-0 early in the second quarter and held a 21-16 edge in the initial moments of the third period, but failed to keep MVC (3-2) in the rearview mirror despite holding a 422-393 advantage in total yards and a 23-17 margin in first downs.
The first six combined drives were defensive masterpieces as just two first downs were recorded, both by Missouri Valley. The game turned on its head in the seventh possession (WPU’s fourth), however, as the Statesmen picked up 21 yards on a Ben Sherman (Grad., Troy, Pa., Wellness and Recreation) run and then 34 yards on a pass from Alex Crehan (Grad., Troy, Ill., Master’s of Business Leadership) to Gavin Rountree (Fr., Stephenville, Texas, Sports Management), before Sherman darted another 23 yards. The last run saw him hit paydirt and give the navy and gold a 7-0 lead with 1:41 left in the first quarter.
The 21-yard run was especially memorable for Sherman as it saw him eclipse 3,000 rushing yards for his career. He is just the fifth player in program history to reach the mark. For the day, Sherman rushed 26 times for 130 yards and three touchdowns.
Following another defensive stop, the hosts again went to work with the pigskin. Five different Statesmen rushed the ball, the team sprinkled in a pass, a third and a fourth down were converted, but in the end, it was Sherman punching it in from three yards out for a 14-0 advantage with 9:46 to go until halftime.
The outing then made an immediate U-turn as the Vikings scored 13 points in just over three minutes. The visitors scored in just four plays and then they forced and recovered a Statesmen fumble. Three snaps later, Missouri Valley scored again (extra point was missed) and suddenly it was a brand-new game at 14-13 in favor of WPU.
The Statesmen regrouped quickly and took back momentum with a six-play scoring drive, capped by Sherman’s 31-yard scamper into the endzone.
William Penn’s defensive unit made the final noise of the half as they permitted the Vikings to get deep into their own territory, but Colton Horak (So., Crawfordsville, Iowa, Sports Management) snatched his second interception of the year near the goal line to keep the game 21-13 entering intermission.
The visiting crew moved into the WPU redzone to start the second half, but was again denied acceptance into the endzone, settling for a field goal to trim the margin to five at 21-16.
The ensuing Statesmen drive netted points, but for the wrong team as the Vikings intercepted the ball and returned it for a touchdown to capture their first lead, one they would not relinquish the remainder of the afternoon.
William Penn started its next possession at its own seven-yard, but a 25-yard run by Sherman got them out of the hole. Several plays and many yards down the road, the team was in position to get back on top, but a field goal try sailed wide left and MVC stayed on top 23-21. To add injury to insult in this case, Crehan was hurt on the drive and did not return. He rushed 10 times for 94 yards and completed three of his six passes for 34 yards.
The Vikings extended their lead to 30-21 just three plays into the fourth quarter, but the navy and gold kept the fight going eight plays later as Sherman again scored on a three-yard push. The extra point was blocked and with 9:30 remaining, WPU trailed 30-27.
Despite forcing two punts down the stretch, including one midway onto WPU’s side of the field, no late-game heroics occurred as the Statesmen had their four-game winning streak in the series snapped.
In addition to Sherman and Crehan’s outings, Alex Jung (Sr., Fullerton, Calif., Exercise Science) tallied 44 rushing yards and Rodney Hall (Fr., Detroit, Mich., Psychology), Crehan’s replacement at quarterback, added 25 more. Hall went 3-for-6 passing as well for 12 yards. Rountree proved to be his quarterbacks’ favorite target with two catches for 43 yards.
D’Mauryon Hunter (So., Bolingbrook, Ill., Sports Management) paced the defense with 12 tackles, while Rogan Pforts (So., Wapello, Iowa, Industrial Technology) had seven. Zenin Hall (Fr., Chicago, Ill., Business Management) and Turner Ellis (Fr., Urbandale, Iowa, Secondary Education) were each in on six stops as well, while Carvelle Jamison (So., Oklahoma City, Okla.) managed a quarterback sack.
Next Up: William Penn travels to Fayette, Mo. next Saturday to face Central Methodist in a Heart crossover game at 2 p.m.
