William Penn Claims Sixth Straight in 19-14 Win Over Ravens
Statesmen sophomore fullback Nate Van Veldhuizen in action against Baker. (file photo)
Atchison, Kan.–One of the measures of a championship team is the ability to snatch victory from the hands of defeat and the Statesmen football team can now check that off its list as it rallied to knock off #22 Benedictine 19-14 in Heart of America Athletic Conference North Division action Saturday.
Despite being outgained 403-253, William Penn (6-3, 3-0 Heart) left the turf victorious for the sixth consecutive game with help from some key defensive stops and a pair of big special teams plays.
The special teamers stepped to the plate first as Benedictine (5-4, 1-2 Heart) drove into navy and gold territory on the day’s opening drive. The possession eventually stalled out, resulting in a field-goal attempt, but Resean Coleman (So., River Rouge, Mich., Exercise Science) got his paw on the pigskin to block the kick and keep the score unchanged.
Following an unsuccessful turn by each team, the Statesmen moved into the red zone. They failed to convert on a short fourth down, though, and turned the ball back to the opposition.
BC finally put the first points on the board with a touchdown on the ensuing drive (mid second quarter) and threatened to add a few more with a field goal, but Cooper Gosch (So., Reeds Springs, Okla., Education) matched his teammate with a blocked field goal of his own.
Winston Green (Jr., Sacramento, Calif., Psychology and Sociology) had proven earlier this season that he has a nose for the ball and Saturday he added to his legacy. He found the pigskin after Coleman’s block and did the same on Gosch’s as well, but the difference on the second was that the junior scooped up the ball AND returned it 85 yards for a score to tie the contest at 7-7.
Green has now scored four times this fall (three defensive, one special teams). It is the second score of the year for WPU off of a blocked kick.
The Ravens responded, however, and recaptured the momentum with a TD right before halftime to enter the locker room up 14-7.
The third quarter started slowly with both programs punting the ball away once, but on its second possession, William Penn went 61 yards (all rushes) to narrow the margin to 14-13 (extra point was blocked). Nate Van Veldhuizen (So., Oskaloosa, Iowa, Mechanical Engineering) crashed in from a yard out for the score.
The Statesmen defense continued to tighten the screws on the Benedictine offense, but their own offense could not get over the hump until late. A missed field goal started the final period, but the Statesmen overcame it with a 57-yard drive that stretched over six minutes. Van Veldhuizen, who ended the day with 46 yards, once again broke the plane of the goal line on a one-yard dive.
WPU, which gained 228 yards on the ground, had at that point, captured the advantage at 19-14, and tried to go up by seven points, but failed to convert its two-point try.
With 3:21 still left to work with, the Ravens had plenty of time to answer back and moved quickly into Statesmen territory at the 25-yard line. Fortunately, BC’s final time with the ball ended abruptly as a lofted ball into the endzone was intercepted by Walter Eastwood (Sr., Garden City, Mo., Computer Science). The pick was the lone turnover in the contest.
The Statesmen offense needed one first down to seal the deal and received help from the hosts with an off-sides call on third-and-one to go into victory formation.
Van Parker (Sr., Muskegon, Mich., Physical Education) paced WPU’s offense with 65 rushing yards; he also completed two passes for 25 yards. Amos Johnson (Jr., Rock Island, Ill., Mechanical Engineering) also posted 62 rushing yards.
The defense was led by Eastwood and Kyle Baldassarre (Jr., Webb City, Mo., Industrial Technology and Business Management), both of whom tallied nine tackles. Gosch, Coleman, and Jake Baptiste (Jr., Salt Lake City, Utah, Psychology) also shared a sack Saturday.
“Today was a great day,” Head Coach Todd Hafner said. “We did not come out and play with much energy in the first half, but our guys somehow found a way to pull together. The second was a whole different ball game for us; we played with a lot of confidence and when we finally got the momentum, we never let them get it back. I am really proud of the way we came together and got a big win!”
Next Up: William Penn returns to Oskaloosa next Saturday for Senior Day, hosting Graceland in Heart North play at noon.
