OSKALOOSA — The William Penn football team earned its first postseason win in program history Saturday, defeating No. 13 seed Texas Wesleyan 38–9 in the NAIA Football Championship Series.
The Statesmen (11-1) outgained the Rams (7-5) 274–190 in total yardage, including a 163–102 advantage on the ground, to advance to the second round of the NAIA postseason for the first time.
William Penn opened the game with a 75-yard drive that lasted 5:26, capped by a 25-yard touchdown run from Destynd Loring (Sr., Charleston, S.C., sports management).
Loring powered the offense with a dominant performance, rushing for 192 yards on 31 carries and four touchdowns.
With the effort Loring became the program’s all-time leading rusher with 3,939 career yards, surpassing the previous record of 3,874 set by Ben Sherman (2017–21).
Texas Wesleyan struggled early, and after a William Penn interception halted the next Statesmen drive, Jeremiah Dennard (So., St. Petersburg, Fla., business management) responded with a pick-six to make it 14–0. The Rams got on the board early in the second quarter with a field goal following a WPU fumble.
The Rams’ momentum was short-lived, as Brian Weatherspoon (Jr., West Memphis, Ark., business management) grabbed another interception for the Statesmen. On the next play, Loring broke free for a 31-yard touchdown to push the lead to 21–3, where it remained at halftime.
The Rams threw another interception on its first drive of the second half, this time picked off by Jovoni Welch (Jr., La Habra, Calif., Business Management), who returned it to the Rams’ 47-yard line. The offense responded with a two play drive, finished off by a 36-yard touchdown run by Loring.
The Rams managed their lone touchdown later in the third quarter after capitalizing on an interception, though the extra-point attempt was mishandled.
The Statesmen defense continued its strong afternoon with another takeaway when Jerome Schaubert (Jr., Spring, Texas, biology) intercepted a pass late in the third. Early in the fourth quarter, Aiden Gibbons (Fr., Apollo Beach, Fla., sports management) converted a 34-yard field goal to extend the lead to 31–9.
William Penn sealed its victory when it took possession at the Texas Wesleyan 44, with 10:50 left in the contest. The drive went for 6 plays and 44 yards, until Loring powered through from a yard out.
Sterling Ramsey II (Sr., Broken Arrow, Okla., Business Management) threw for 111 yards, going 8-20, with two interceptions. The performance brought Ramsey to 2,385 passing yards for the season. This is the most in the history at William Penn. Andy Pickering held the old record from 1991, when he passed for 2,345.
Defensively, Omari Campbell (So., Miami, Fla., Business Management) and Welch led the Statesmen with eight tackles. Matt Mehrhoff (Sr., Fenton, Mo., Business Management) and Tierre Butler (Jr., Springfield, Mo., Business Management) each had six of their own, while Weatherspoon had five.
Welch, Weatherspoon, Dennard, and Schaubert each had an interception for the Statesmen.
Butler and Quincey Classeus (So., Pompano Beach, Fla., Business Management) each had a sack for the navy and gold, while Sherman Johnsnon (So., Tampa, Fla., Sports Management) and Lloydarius Garner (Jr., Sports Management, Sports Management) each finished with 0.5.
“Couldn’t be more proud and appreciative of how our guys have battled all year.” Head Coach Marc Benavidez said. “It’s a great accomplishment to have the most wins in a season since our 1896 inaugural season. Love them. Practicing over Thanksgiving was a huge goal of ours, just one more great accomplishment! Huge week ahead!”
