William Penn Football Game Notes: Week Two: Bethel (Kan.)

William Penn University Athletics

Oskaloosa–The Statesmen meet a new gridiron opponent as they seek to extend their winning streak.

#8 nationally-ranked William Penn (1-0) hosts Bethel (Kan.) (0-0) in Lacey Complex Stadium at 1 p.m. The Statesmen have won four in a row, dating back to last fall.

STATESMEN BROADCASTING: Every William Penn football game can be followed through several different mediums.

Radio (all games): Heard live on KBOE 740 AM or 104.9 FM
Internet (home games): Viewed and heard live at http://origin.peg.tv/pegtv_player?s=wpenn
TV (home games): Viewed and heard live on Mahaska Communication Group’s local channel
Internet (away games): Heard live at http://client.stretchinternet.com/client/kboe.portal

SERIES HISTORY: William Penn and Bethel (Kan.) have never met on the gridiron.

WILLIAM PENN PROFILE: Todd Hafner is in his eighth year as head football coach at William Penn, entering the campaign with a 43-35 career record.

Hafner guided William Penn to its fifth league crown in 2010 and its first since 1976. The team finished 10-1, tying the school record for wins, and also broke NAIA single-season marks for total rushing yards and yards per attempt. Numerous other school marks were set in 2010.

The 2008 and 2010 Midwest League Coach of the Year, Hafner was also the recipient of the VSN NAIA Coach of the Year and the NFCA Region 2 Coach of the Year honors. As skipper, he has produced 98 all-conference players and 12 All-Americans.

Prior to his career at William Penn, Hafner had coaching stops at Carl Junction HS, Southwest Baptist University, Emporia State University, and Pittsburg State University (student coach).

Hafner graduated from Pittsburg State in 1994 with a degree in mathematics.

Last week, William Penn started hot and finished equally on fire, but suffered a lull in the middle in a 42-7 win over Iowa Wesleyan in Midwest League play.

Shawn Davis (So., Hamersville, Ohio, Western Brown HS) rushed for 100 yards, while Taylor Parsons (So., The Woodlands, Texas, College Park HS) was one yard behind at 99, but crossed the goal line three times.

Rushawn Stewart had a team-high ten tackles and Brandon Dunbar sacked the quarterback twice.

For the 2010 year, William Penn averaged 488.8 yards per game, including 406.9 rushing and 81.9 passing.

Davis led the Statesmen offense with 1,042 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns, while Parsons was right behind him with 1,010 yards and a school-record 20 scores.

Seven other players were also over the century mark in rushing.

With such a potent running attack, the passing game took a back seat. Parsons completed 51-of-97 passes for 901 yards and seven TDs.

Bernard Luster led the receiving corps with 26 catches for 483 yards and three touchdowns.

Defensively, the Statesmen gave up an average of 294.9 yards, including 185.5 passing and 109.4 rushing.

Chris Ruff played in only seven games, but still headed the crew with 63 tackles. Jacob Batterson (So., Eddyville, Eddyville-Blakesburg HS) had a squad-best four interceptions, while Reggie Franco topped everyone with 4.5 sacks. Damon Harrison (Sr., Lake Charles, La., Lake Charles Boston HS) headlined the defense with 11 tackles for loss.

Marcus Kerrigan (So., Cary, Ill., Cary-Grove HS) guided the kicking effort as he was 48-for-53 in extra points and 7-for-9 in field goals. William Penn utilized two punters, Kerrigan and Jason Johnson (So., Geneseo, Ill., Geneseo HS). Johnson punted 19 times for a 40.1 yard average, while Kerrigan kicked 15 times for a clip of 34.9 yards.

Andrew Harris was the squad’s best return man with a 20.2 yard average on 13 kickoffs, while DeMarco Sanders (Sr., Horn Lake, Miss., Horn Lake HS) owned a 12.6 yard mark on five punt returns. Sanders actually had the best kick return average (23.0), but on just seven attempts.

William Penn is picked to win the Midwest League, the first time it has been chosen as the favorite since joining the MSFA in 2002.

Bethel (kan.) PROFILE: Travis Graber is in his second year as head football coach at Bethel (Kan.), owning an 0-10 career record.

Prior to his head coaching stint, he spent nine years as an assistant on the staff. Before Bethel, Graber coached at Lawrence (Kan.) HS and Wamego (Kan.) HS.

Graber has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Bethel in 1997 and a degree in secondary education and business education from Kansas State University in 2000. He earned his master’s degree in sports administration from Wichita State University in 2005.

The Threshers ended 2010 with a 62-14 loss to Sterling in KCAC play.

The squad racked up 353 yards and had 21 first downs, compared to just 17 for Sterling, but giving up 593 yards and committing five turnovers doomed Bethel.

Jason Vail led the offense with 147 passing yards and two scores.

For the 2010 year, the Bethel offense tallied 294.5 yards per game, including 206.5 passing and 88.0 rushing.

Vail topped the Threshers on the ground and in the air, but mostly in the air. He completed 96-of-192 passes for 1,206 yards and ten touchdowns. Vail also rushed for 366 yards and crossed the goal line three times.

Andrew McNary was Vail’s top target, hauling in 39 passes for 723 yards and eight touchdowns.

Defensively, Bethel gave up 478.0 yards per contest, including 280.2 passing and 197.8 rushing.

Chris Bloss headed the defensive side of the ball with 89 tackles. Caleb Stephens took down ball carriers behind the line of scrimmage 13 times, including four quarterback sacks. Five different players had one interception apiece.

James Cousler was nearly perfect in PATs, making 8-of-9. Ben Suchsland punted the ball 39 times for a 32.2 average.

Cameron Stultz was the team’s best returner, taking 33 kickoffs back for an average of 17.0 yards, while his punt return clip was 10.3 yards over three attempts.

William Penn RANKED IN NAIA & VSN POLLS: The Statesmen open up 2011 as one of the nation’s hottest teams. William Penn is #8 in both the NAIA and VSN preseason polls.

Coach Hafner Says:

On Bethel (Kan.): “We have had a good week of practice. With the unknown of playing an opponent we have never seen on the field, we have had to practice against anything possible. Given some of the errors last week, I feel that has helped us improve in every area of the game.”

On Iowa Wesleyan Game: “I thought last week our kids played extremely hard. We played with great energy and enthusiasm. It was really nice to come out of the tunnel to a packed house. We made some mistakes, but they were all correctable.”

SATURDAY’S TWO-DEEPS:

WILLIAM PENN OFFENSE
QB
6-Taylor Parsons, 6-0, 195, So.
15-Drew Knowles, 6-2, 200, Fr.
18-Jacob Ballanger, 6-0, 160, Sr.
RB
4-P.J. Perry, 5-9, 180, Sr.
22-Corey Ketchum, 6-0, 175, Sr.
RB
2-DeMarco Sanders, 5-11, 180, Sr.
34-Dalton Phelps, 5-6, 170, Jr.
FB
33-Shawn Davis, 5-10, 205, So.
27-Larry Reed, 5-11, 210, Fr.
WR
8-Aaron Broyles, 6-3, 190, So.
84-Jack Borcherding, 5-9, 150, Jr.
WR
86-Derek McIntyre, 6-3, 210, Sr.
10-Perry King, 6-1, 195, So.
TE
81-Jake Adams, 6-4, 255, Fr.
45-David Harris, 6-3, 219, Sr.
RT
65-Nick Harris, 6-1, 290, Sr.
56-Ryan Claeys, 6-3, 240, So.
RG
67-Cory Alfermann, 6-3, 298, Jr.
70-Cash Lovett, 6-2, 280, Jr.
C
66-Mason Woods, 6-1, 275, Jr.
71-Justin Lewis, 6-2, 280, Fr.
LG
73-Steve Steele, 6-0, 275, Sr.
62-Shawn Rucker, 6-0, 275, Fr.
LT
74-Shawn Oaks, 6-3, 290, Sr.
76-Jacob Davis, 6-2, 275, Fr.
PK
16-Marcus Kerrigan, 6-0, 180, So.
46-Cam Shearon, 5-11, 160, Sr.
HOLDER
88-John Bryan, 6-4, 215, Jr.
KR
17-Jacob Batterson, 5-11, 187, So.
2-DeMarco Sanders, 5-11, 180, Sr.
PR
10-Perry King, 6-0, 195, So.
3-Junior Delva, 5-10, 175, So.

WILLIAM PENN DEFENSE
DE
91-Travis Provo, 6-0, 254, So.
47-Carl Lewis, 6-4, 210, Jr.
NT
94-Jordi Vernor, 6-1, 300, Sr.
90-Brandon Dunbar, 5-10, 285, Jr.
DT
43-Damon Harrison, 6-4, 350, Sr.
52-Greg Beatty, 6-1, 240, Fr.
DE
44-Micheal Welch, 5-11, 275, So.
35-Jason Johnson, 6-1, 220, So.
OLB
11-Sean Colemon, 6-0, 190, Sr.
57-Brock Peery, 6-3, 210, So.
MLB
55-Scott Adams, 5-11, 220, Fr.
14-Nick DiMarco, 6-3, 240, Fr.
OLB
38-Rushawn Stewart, 5-8, 190, Sr.
32-Michael Crowe, 6-0, 195, Fr.
SS
17-Jacob Batterson, 5-10, 187, So.
21-Michael Wright, 5-8, 190, Jr.
FS
1-Joseph Frye, 6-2, 200, Fr.
9-Chris Adeshina, 5-10, 195, Sr.
CB
13-Andrew Reed, 6-0, 175, So.
37-Ben Taylor, 6-1, 160, Sr.
CB
3-Junior Delva, 5-10, 175, So.
23-Ivan Kindell, 5-9, 175, Sr.
PUNTER
16-Marcus Kerrigan, 6-0, 180, So.
35-Jason Johnson, 6-1, 220, So.
LONGSNAPPER
85-James Jenkins, 6-4, 220, Sr.

BETHEL (KAN.) OFFENSE
QB
7-Levi Keffer, 6-0, 190, So.
10-Rodney Artmore, 6-1, 180, Fr.
TB
29-Jorden Oden, 5-8, 200, Fr.
28-Marquis Sykes, 5-11, 175, Fr.
FB
38-Ben Suchsland, 6-2, 210, Jr.
48-Cole Barton, 5-9, 200, Fr.
WR
85-Chris Allen, 6-2, 190, So.
82-John Regier, 6-1, 170, Jr.
WR
84-Andrew McNary, 5-11, 170, Sr.
15-Chris Smith, 6-1, 170, Jr.
WR
88-Aaron Rudeen, 6-3, 185, Jr.
44-Aaron Hopkins, 6-2, 230, Jr.
LT
71-Charlie Hansen, 6-3, 250, So.
68-Sam Morrison, 6-2, 250, Fr.
LG
54-Jared Kaufman, 6-1, 250, So.
57-Parker Kelling, 6-1, 230, Fr.
C
53-Seth Tarrant, 6-1, 200, Fr.
66-Zach Harris, 6-1, 300, Fr.
RG
63-Edward Davila, 6-1, 280, Jr.
RT
62-Levi Minkevitch, 6-2, 200, Jr.
61-Ethan Knight, 6-2, 240, Fr.
PK
1-Brandon Lluis, 5-8, 180, So.
KR
84-Andrew McNary, 5-11, 170, Sr.
15-Chris Smith, 6-1, 170, Fr.
PR
84-Andrew McNary, 5-11, 170, Sr.
15-Chris Smith, 6-1, 170, Fr.

BETHEL (KAN.) DEFENSE
DE
94-Gus Palacios, 6-1, 240, Fr.
97-Leland Brown, 6-3, 290, Fr.
DT
99-Glen Salisbury, 6-2, 270, Fr.
59-Carlos Hernandez, 5-11, 230, Fr.
NG
96-Bryce Newton, 6-2, 300, Fr.
58-Jeremiah Howington, 6-0, 225, So.
DE
32-Garrett Garcia, 6-1, 210, So.
92-Nathan Knight, 5-11, 215, Jr.
LB
55-Taylor Morris, 6-0, 215, So.
35-Josh Kaufman, 6-0, 190, Fr.
LB
20-Christian Howell, 6-1, 210, So.
52-Jesus Chavarria, 6-0, 190, Fr.
ROVER
22-Grady Stultz, 5-11, 185, Jr.
39-Cody McCall, 5-11, 200, So.
CB
12-Travis Atkins, 5-9, 200, So.
8-Tevin Freel, 5-9, 165, So.
WS
6-Nathan Murphy, 6-1, 190, So.
27-Kellen Goertzen, 6-2, 190, Jr.
FS
31-Joey Creiglow, 5-8, 190, Jr.
26-Alex Roepke, 6-1, 185, Sr.
CB
4-Jacob Stucky, 5-9, 165, Jr.
2-Lance Loganbill, 5-11, 165, So.
PUNTER
1-Brandon Lluis, 5-8, 180, So.
38-Ben Suchsland, 6-2, 210, Jr.
LONGSNAPPER
83-Jason Smith, 6-2, 210, Fr.
45-Bryan Griffith, 5-9, 180, Fr.