WPU Drops Trinity International 23-18 in Season Finale
William Penn Statesmen Football claims victory over Trinity International (file photo)
Deerfield, Ill.–The Statesmen football team put an exclamation point on its 2013 campaign with a 23-18 Midwest League win over Trinity International Saturday.
William Penn (5-6, 3-3 MWL), although outgained 354-283 on the afternoon, took a sizeable early lead (only to watch it fall away) before rallying late for the win.
The navy and gold offense was dominant by scoring on each of its first three possessions, going distances of 81, 61, and 72 yards to lead 17-6 at intermission.
Sam Tvedt (Jr., Oskaloosa, Iowa, Business Management) put the visitors on the board with a four-yard run, while the Trojans answered to make it 7-6 (missed extra point) after one period.
Evan Ressler (Jr., Cascade, Iowa, Biology), who finished with a team-high 82 rushing yards, hit paydirt from three yards out on WPU’s next drive. Marcus Kerrigan (Sr., Cary, Ill., Sociology) then extended the advantage to double figures at 17-6 with a 44-yard field goal with 4:55 left until the break.
The third quarter unfortunately did not go as well for the senior kicker as he missed a 31-yarder and then had a punt blocked. Trinity International (5-5, 2-4 MWL), on the other hand, was clicking as it scored a pair of touchdowns. Neither two-point conversion was converted fortunately, leaving the Statesmen down just one at 18-17 entering the final period of the year.
It took a takeaway to finally get WPU back on track. With the Trojans driving in Statesmen territory, Brock Peery (Sr., Payson, Utah, Secondary Education) intercepted a TIU pass, one of four by his defense in the game. Peery paced the unit with 12 tackles.
The offense used its newly-acquired momentum as a catalyst to drive 70 yards on ten plays to gain the lead back for good. Dylan Latham (Fr., Bettendorf, Iowa, Undecided) capped it off with a four-yard plunge. The freshman managed 70 yards on the ground.
The hosts had one final chance to ruin William Penn’s day and looked on their way by charging down to the WPU 32-yard line with about two minutes to go. Two plays later, though, Jacob Batterson (Sr., Eddyville, Iowa, Industrial Technology) finished a terrific collegiate career with an interception to secure the triumph. It was his second pick of the day.
John Land (Fr., Mission Viejo, Calif., Education) also recorded an interception, while Nick DiMarco (Jr., St. Charles, Mo., Physical Education) tallied five stops behind the line of scrimmage (one sack).
William Penn’s four takeaways were a season high as was the +4 turnover margin. It was only the second time this year that the navy and gold did not commit a turnover.
Tyler Hafner (So., Oskaloosa, Iowa, Undecided) added 56 rushing yards and 13 passing yards. Tvedt tallied 54 rushing yards Saturday.
“This was a great win for our seniors,” Head Coach Todd Hafner said. “Our kids played extremely hard and competed for four quarters. It was a great way to send our seniors out.”
“This was not quite the season anyone expected, but our players were exceptional all the way to the end!” Hafner added.
