William Penn Shuts Out Bethel (Kan.) 56-0
William Penn defeated Bethel (Kansas) on Saturday September 3, 2011
Oskaloosa–A spattering here and there of rain did very little to stop the Statesmen football team in a 56-0 shutout of Bethel (Kan.) in non-conference play Saturday.
In tallying the seventh-largest margin of victory in program history, #8 William Penn (2-0) claimed its first shutout in the past nine games. This streak-snapper came much faster than the last time (77 games between the previous two shutouts).
A fairly large home crowd sat through the rain and were rewarded with quality entertainment early and often.
After missing a field goal in its opening drive, William Penn went 86 yards on ten plays (3:38 time of possession) to put the first points on the board. Taylor Parsons (So., The Woodlands, Texas, College Park HS) scored in a bit of a foreign way, rolling out to his left and then floating a pass to DeMarco Sanders (Sr., Horn Lake, Miss., Horn Lake HS), who eluded a tackle for a 48-yard touchdown.
Parsons completed of 6-of-8 passes for 136 yards and two scores.
It was one of the longest drives of the day as the team’s next possession took only 59 seconds off the game clock. It ended with Corey Ketchum (Sr., El Dorado Springs, Mo., El Dorado Springs HS) sprinting around the right edge from eight yards out. He posted 47 yards on just three carries.
One minute and 42 seconds elapsed the next time William Penn’s offense hit the endzone. Sanders recorded the second of his two touchdowns on a 22-yard scamper, making it 21-0 early in the second quarter.
Another defensive stop and the Statesmen claimed the ball Three plays and 1:16 later, Parsons found Derek McIntyre (Sr., Eddyville, Iowa Central CC) behind the secondary for a 31-yard passing score. The touchdown is McIntyre’s first of his career.
Although the previous four TDs were quick, none were faster than the one-play, ten-second, 38-yard run by Dalton Phelps (Jr., Tipton, Tipton HS), giving William Penn a 35-0 advantage. Phelps contributed 63 rushing yards in the win.
Shawn Davis (So., Hamersville, Ohio, Western Brown HS) started slow, but everything went forward for him in the team’s sixth scoring drive. The sophomore was the epitome of a workhorse, taking the ball all ten times and going 89 yards for paydirt. It was the longest set of plays for William Penn on Saturday, milking a whole 4:20 off the scoreboard.
Davis once again led the Statesmen with 108 yards on 15 carries.
Parsons capped off the first team’s action with an early third-quarter touchdown. The signal-caller finished off a five-play, 99-yard drive with a two-yard plunge. He nearly went the distance two plays earlier, darting 86 yards down to the four-yard line. The 86-yarder accounted for nearly all of his final mark as he picked up 105 yards on the afternoon.
Jacob Ballanger (Sr., Carlisle, Waldorf) put the cherry on top with a two-yard rushing score in the team’s next drive, making it eight straight scoring possessions for the navy and gold.
William Penn easily outgained the Threshers, 589-174, including 453 yards on the ground.
The defensive effort was superb as well, but not only in keeping Bethel off the scoreboard. The unit also forced five turnovers (3 interceptions, two fumbles).
Eric Walzer (So., Park City, Utah, Highland HS) led the Statesmen with seven tackles, but Andrew Reed (So., Oskaloosa, Oskaloosa HS) likely had the biggest day with two interceptions, both in Statesmen territory. Joel Medina (Jr., Palmdale, Calif., Canyons CC) managed the other pick.
On a special teams note, Marcus Kerrigan (So., Cary, Ill., Cary-Grove HS) connected on all eight of his extra-point tries and utilized the wind to pound two kickoffs through the south endzone for touchbacks.
“Anytime you can pitch a shutout, you feel really good about the way you have played,” Statesmen Head Coach Todd Hafner said. “Our defense made some big plays and our offense capitalized on those turnovers.”
Next: William Penn hits the road for the first time in 2011, traveling to Decorah next Saturday to meet Luther in non-conference play at 1 p.m.
