Statesmen Stumble Out of Gate, Battle Back to a 23-17 Victory
Fayette, Mo.—The William Penn football team overcame four turnovers and a 17-point first-quarter deficit to win 23-17 over Central Methodist in a Heart of America Athletic Conference North-South crossover game Saturday.
No. 19 WPU (4-1) outgained CMU 344-266, doing almost all its damage through the air with 227 passing yards.
The Eagles (2-3) found the endzone first, giving them a 7-0 advantage early into the first quarter. On the very next play from scrimmage, the Central Methodist defense added to the lead with a sack that resulted in a fumble. CMU picked up the ball and took it 20 yards into the endzone to make it 14-0.
William Penn’s slow start continued when the Eagles knocked through a 22-yard field goal, giving the hosts a 17-0 advantage going into the second quarter.
The visitors had a chance to get on the board to open the second, but a completion from Emery Floyd (Grad., Tampa, Fla.) to Anthony Jones Jr. (Fr., New Orleans, La., Business Management) ended with Jones Jr. losing possession just outside of the endzone and the Eagles recovering the ball in the endzone for a touchback.
While far from pretty, the rest of the afternoon belonged to the navy and gold.
WPU finally broke through with 4:52 left in the second period when Floyd connected with Shane Helmick (Jr., Moravia, Iowa) for a 37-yard touchdown to cut the deficit to 10 at 17-7. It marked the first of three touchdown passes for Floyd, whose uneven day included completing just eight of 22 passes for 227 yards, while being picked off twice.
The Statesmen offense continued to rely on Floyd’s arm after halftime as he connected with Branden Powell (Jr., Waco, Texas, Kinesiology) from 20 yards out, cutting into the Eagles’ lead to 17-14 with 4:26 still left in the third.
The Statesmen defense forced another punt, which Floyd turned into another score when he found Jones Jr. for 71-yard touchdown pass, putting WPU on top for the first in the game at 21-17. Jones Jr. paced the receiving corps with three catches for 119 yards.
The incredible defensive effort continued for the Statesmen as they added two points of their own with a safety for a 23-17 edge with 5:47 on the clock. WPU’s offense had a chance to put the game on ice, but unfortunately a fumble in the Central Methodist redzone forced the defense to step up one final time.
CMU’s comeback was smothered soon thereafter, though, when Marquis Harry (Jr., Pompano Beach, Fla., Business Management) intercepted a pass in the final minute of play, and WPU went into victory formation.
The running back duo of Emmanuel Igbonagwam (So., Vancouver, Wash.) (7 carries, 41 yards) and Derion Morris (Fr., East Chicago, Ind.) (13 carries, 28 yards) took most of the carries for the Statesmen ground attack. Floyd also added 17 attempts of his own for 62 yards.
The Statesmen defensive rally was headed by Rhyan Sewell (Fr., Little Elm, Texas), who created chaos behind the line of scrimmage as he finished with five tackles for loss, with three of those being sacks. The freshman also forced two fumbles.
Jovoni Welch (Sr., La Habra, Calif., Business Management) recorded a team-high nine tackles, and was followed closely by Kameron Cummings (Jr., Houston, Texas, Business Management) who finished with seven. Jerome Schaubert (Sr., Spring, Texas, Biology), with a sack, and Chidozie Mogbo Jr. (Fr., Bloomington, Ill., Kinesiology), with a blocked punt, also stepped up for William Penn.
“Turning the ball over and going down 17-0 in the first quarter put us in a tough spot, but our guys never stopped fighting,” Head Coach Marc Benavidez said. “They stayed together, kept believing in each other, and found a way to win. I’m proud of how we fought in the second half and brought the energy and effort to win and beat a tough CMU team.”
Up Next: William Penn heads to Cedar Rapids, Iowa next Saturday to face off with Mount Mercy in a Heart North Division game at 11 a.m.
