Statesmen Top Three Records in 70-6 Destruction of Peru State
William Penn University Athletics
Oskaloosa–The Penn football team simply ran over visiting Peru State (Neb.) in a 70-6 non-conference win Saturday.
The #15 nationally-ranked Statesmen (7-1) rushed for a school-record 607 yards en route to also breaking the program mark for points. The old record of 69 points (vs. Central in 1916) finally fell as Penn scored touchdowns on ten of its 14 possessions (two fumbles, one punt, one end of game on other four). The Statesmen nearly tripled the Bobcats (3-6) in total yards, 636-218.
After an interception of the Peru State quarterback on the opening drive, the home team got on the board first when DeMarco Sanders (Jr., Horn Lake, Miss., Horn Lake HS) rushed in from 30 yards out just 2:24 into the afternoon.
Peru State answered right back, but the extra point was blocked and Penn stayed ahead for good.
Corey Ketchum (Jr., El Dorado Springs, Mo., El Dorado Springs HS), from six yards out, and Shawn Davis (Fr., Hamersville, Ohio, Western Brown HS), on a 16-yard run, extended the advantage to 21-6. It then became all about Taylor Parsons (Fr., The Woodlands, Texas, College Park HS).
The freshman entered the day with 15 rushing touchdowns this fall, but four scores later (3, 1, 6, and 11 yards), all in the second quarter, and Parsons became the school’s single-season scoring leader with 19 touchdowns. He breaks the previous mark of 18 touchdowns shared by Jack Boender in 1958 and Ryan Van Dalen in 2008. Parsons, who finished with 14 rushes for 103 yards and four scores, still has two games left to play, so all signs point to him getting well into the 20’s by year’s end.
Ahead 49-6 entering the second half, most of the starters were pulled, leaving the offense under the control of back-up quarterback Aaron Kissinger (Sr., Luka, Miss., Northeast Mississippi CC). The senior carried the ball 13 times for 66 yards, but the real story of the second stanza was his fullback, A.J. Littlejohn (Sr., Gaffney, S.C., Gaffney HS), who returned to the team this fall for the first time since 2006.
Littlejohn made the most of his opportunity, breaking free on just his second run of the day and going 65 yards for the score.
He then barreled in from three yards out and capped off the contest’s scoring with a 41-yard dash with 3:50 still left in the third quarter. Littlejohn finished with a team-high 194 yards on just 17 runs (11.4 avg.).
The fourth quarter surprisingly was scoreless although Penn reached Bobcat territory on both of its drives.
Davis also eclipsed the century mark in rushing with 120 yards on 14 runs, while Jonques Wells (So., Columbus, Miss., New Hope HS) added 55 yards on five carries.
Obviously not needing to air it out, Parsons completed two of his three pass attempts for 29 yards, both to Jacob Ballanger (Jr., Carlisle, Waldorf).
While the offense, like it does on most Saturdays, stole the show, the defensive unit gave its counterparts great field position on several drives due to takeaways, seven total (Penn had two turnovers). Six Statesmen scoring possessions came via Peru State turnovers.
The four interceptions were by Terrance Harper (Sr., Miami, Fla., Edgewater HS), Junior Delva (Fr., Miami, Fla., Hialeah HS), Jacob Batterson (Fr., Eddyville, Eddyville-Blakesburg HS), and Michael Wright (So., Olive Branch, Miss., Olive Branch HS), while fumbles were recovered by Chris Ruff (Sr., Highland Park, Mich., Grand Rapids CC), Cody Janes (Fr., El Dorado Springs, Mo., El Dorado Springs HS), and Joel Medina (So., Palmdale, Calif., Canyons CC).
The seven forced turnovers are the most for Penn since Marian (Ind.) also committed seven on September 1, 2007.
The trio of Rushawn Stewart (Jr., Houston, Texas, Eisenhower HS), Dale Stone (Jr., Hebron, Ky., Conner HS), and Ivan Kindell (Jr., Belleville, Mich., Belleville HS) all recorded six stops to guide Penn.
Brandon Dunbar (So., Houston, Texas, Booker T. Washington HS) had one solo sack and shared another sack with Janes.
Next: Penn travels to Forest City next Saturday for its last road game of the year, facing Waldorf in Midwest League action at 1 p.m.
Wade Steinlage
