William Penn Gets by Missouri Valley for First Win of Season
Marshall, Mo.–Behind a stout defensive effort, the Statesmen football team put it all together Saturday, picking up its first win of the season 21-10 against Missouri Valley in a Heart of America Athletic Conference crossover game.
The game started off with William Penn (s1-3) bending but not breaking as it held the Vikings (3-2) to a field goal. The defense unfortunately had to head right back onto the gridiron as Missouri Valley recorded an interception on the second play of WPU’s first possession.
The defense stepped up after the turnover as Kyriee Lewis (So., Eight Mile, Ala., Sports Management) and Jaden Curtis (Sr., Glendale, Ariz., Digital Communications) both tallied sacks on the ensuing series to force a three-and-out.
Sterling Ramsey II (Fr., Tulsa, Okla., Business Management) then got into a rhythm, pushing the Statesmen 79 yards and eventually scoring on an 11-yard rushing touchdown. Ramsey II was 7-for-17 passing for 53 yards with two total touchdowns and two interceptions.
The Statesmen defense kept the Viking offense out of sorts with consecutive three-and-outs. William Penn, on the other hand, found the endzone again a few possessions later as Destynd Loring (Fr., Charleston, S.C., Sports Management) punched the ball into the endzone from eight yards out to put the Statesmen up 14-3 with 5:18 left until the break.
Zenin Hall (Jr., Chicago, Ill., Business Management) then got into the stat book with an interception, but unfortunately, the Statesmen were not able to capitalize.
The Vikings, however, did click late in the second quarter and scored to trim the Statesmen lead to 14-10 at halftime.
The second half was all defense. The lone offensive score even came off a turnover as linebacker Harlan Plumber (Jr., Bryan, Texas. Exercise Science) intercepted a pass at the Missouri Valley 25-yard line in the waning minutes. A few plays later, Ramsey II found Jaron Roush (Jr., Newton, Iowa, Mechanical Engineering) in the back of the endzone for an eight-yard touchdown pass with 2:15 left in regulation. It was Roush’s lone catch, but it was a big one as it put the game out of reach.
The William Penn defense then shut the door on the Vikings as MVC turned the ball over on downs.
Loring headlined WPU’s rushing attack with 34 rushes for 153 yards and a touchdown. Overall, the Statesmen outgained the Vikings 289-158, including limiting the home team to just 59 rushing yards on 31 carries.
Lewis was the defensive star with nine tackles and three sacks, while Curtis added three more tackles (two sacks). William Penn finished with six total sacks, while Ramsey II was well protected by his line and was not sacked. Plumber also added seven stops of his own.
The Statesmen were also the more disciplined team Saturday, committing just two penalties for 20 yards, while the Vikings were flagged seven times for 106 yards.
“We are so excited for our players,” Head Coach Todd Hafner said. “They have been doing everything we have been asking of them, from watching film, practicing hard, going to weights, and getting ready to play every week. We beat a really good team today. Our defense played great and our offense performed at a very high level. We are looking forward to getting better this week and bringing home a win at Homecoming next week!”
Next Up: William Penn returns to Oskaloosa next Saturday to host Heart South foe Central Methodist for Homecoming at 2:30 p.m.
