Statesmen Rush to 31-9 Victory Over Luther
William Penn Statesmen defeated Luther 31-9 on Saturday at the Lacey Complex Stadium
Oskaloosa–Many of the stat categories from Saturday will indicate a tight ball game, but the only one that mattered was the score and that showed William Penn claiming a big 31-9 win over Luther in non-conference football action.
The navy and gold started a bit slow in their home opener, but finally got the offense ignited, and courtesy of some big defensive plays, closed out the contest early. William Penn (3-0) barely out-gained the Norse (0-2) 314-310, but forced three turnovers compared to just one by itself.
After a pair of three-and-out drives, Evan Ressler (So., Cascade, Cascade HS) made sure his team was not shut out in the first quarter as he crossed the goal line from 11 yards out with 1:51 remaining. William Penn, as it normally does, dominated on the ground with 299 yards (4.8 yards per attempt).
Luther answered halfway through the second stanza with a Seth Streeter 23-yard field goal. That would be all the closer the visitors would come as the Statesmen drove 73 yards on their next possession (all on the ground) to make it 14-3. Ressler, who finished with 58 yards, broke through the line on a one-yard dive with 2:23 still left in the half.
Dalton Phelps (Sr., Tipton, Tipton HS) set up the score with a 19-yard sweep around the right side on the previous play. The senior, who led the offense with 78 yards on just nine carries, was denied that score, but would be redeemed later in the contest.
The defense helped build the Statesmen momentum on the next play from scrimmage as Jacob Batterson (Jr., Eddyville, Eddyville-Blakesburg HS) intercepted a Kody Moore pass near midfield and returned it 34 yards down to the Luther six-yard line. The junior recovered a fumble in the third quarter as well.
Sam Tvedt (So., Oskaloosa, Pella Christian HS) made the Norse pay on the very next play, scoring his first collegiate touchdown on a six-yard scamper, giving the Statesmen a 21-3 advantage with 2:20 until intermission. Tvedt had 40 yards on only four runs.
Both offenses stalled out on their first drives of the third quarter, but Joel Medina (Sr., Palmdale, Calif., Canyons CC) energized the crowd with the special teams play of the day when he took a Luther punt back 40 yards to the 11-yard line.
The Statesmen failed to deliver the knockout punch there, however, settling for a 25-yard field goal by Marcus Kerrigan (Jr., Cary, Ill., Cary-Grove HS). A few more stagnant possessions followed before William Penn finally closed the door. Phelps found his redemption in the way of a ten-yard scoring run with 7:37 left in regulation.
Luther added a late, fairly meaningless touchdown in the final two minutes, but was unable to recover an onside kick and the hosts milked away the final seconds to remain perfect in 2012. William Penn also kept its record perfect (7-0) at Lacey Complex Stadium.
The balanced running attack also witnessed Taylor Parsons (Jr., The Woodlands, Texas, College Park HS) pick up 64 yards, while Tye Sparks (Jr., Oskaloosa, Oskaloosa HS) finished with 30 yards. Parsons went 3-of-8 passing for 15 yards as well.
Andrew Reed (Jr., Oskaloosa, Oskaloosa HS) added an interception, while Scott Adams (So., Park City, Utah, Park City HS) led the defense with 13 tackles. Brock Peery (Jr., Payson, Utah, Payson HS) was right behind him with 12 stops. Nick DiMarco (So., St. Charles, Mo., Francis Howell North HS) sacked Moore once, and Jason Johnson (Jr., Geneseo, Ill., Geneseo HS) and Greg Beatty (So., Brooklyn, BGM HS) combined for another sack.
“I thought we played much better today,” Head Coach Todd Hafner said. “We have some corrections to make in all three phases but our kids are playing hard on every snap.”
“We had a few penalties, but those are things we can correct,” Hafner added. “We look forward to another tough week and are really excited to be 3-0.”
Next: William Penn opens Midwest League play next Saturday by traveling to Forest City to face Waldorf at 6:30 p.m.
