OSKALOOSA — The William Penn football team was able to please the Homecoming crowd Saturday as it escaped with a 9-6 victory over Central Methodist in a Heart of America Athletic Conference crossover matchup.

WPU (2-3) start the game with the ball against CMU (0-6) and drove the field well, but it fizzled out on the Eagles’ side of the field.  Fortunately, the defense, as it would all day, shut down the visitors with a three-and-out.

The first quarter continued in that same theme as neither side could not fine the endzone.

The Statesmen offense started to get things rolling in the second quarter, marching the ball inside the Central Methodist five-yard line.  Unfortunately, the offense was yet again turned away on downs.

The navy and gold received possession again, but it ended catastrophically as Sterling Ramsey II (Fr., Tulsa, Okla., Business Management) was sacked and fumbled the ball.  Central Methodist recovered the pigskin and returned it for the first points of the game and a 6-0 lead with 49 seconds left in the first half (the extra point was blocked).  Ramsey II, who was knocked out of the contest on the play, finished 10-for-15 for 69 yards and one interception.

Emilio Monsivais (Grad., St. Louis, Mo., Master’s of Sports Management) came off the bench and was immediately intercepted on his first drive.  Fortunately, his afternoon improved as, in leading WPU to the victory, he was 9-for-15 for 81 yards.

Following the Statesmen turnover, Howard Huerta (So., Pananorma City, Calif., Sports Management) returned the favor with his own pick to keep the game a one-score deficit entering intermission.

WPU’s defense opened the third quarter on the gridiron and promptly got the ball back for the offense with another three-and-out, one of an incredible eight such showings on the day.

The Statesmen took advantage this time, pushing 80 yards and finally hitting paydirt on a 19-yard rushing TD from Destynd Loring (Fr., Charleston, S.C., Sports Management) with 7:16 remaining in the third quarter (extra point was blocked).

Now tied 6-6, another stop meant another scoring chance for WPU and the offense did indeed get points, taking the lead for good at the 1:19 mark of the third on a 31-yard field goal by Ethan Olivas (So., Eddyville, Iowa, Mechanical Engineering).

Kyriee Lewis (So., Eight Mile, Ala., Sports Management) collected a sack in WPU’s next defensive drive, while the remaining minutes ticked away with little offense.

That was until the final drive, when CMU doubled its yard total; in the end, WPU outgained the Eagles 315-116.  Sandwiched between a pair of long pass plays was a sack by Marquis Knighten (Grad., Buena Park, Calif., Master’s of Organizational Leadership).

A WPU penalty pushed the visitors even closer, inching to the 12-yard line with just 12 ticks left on the clock.  Jaden Curtis (Sr., Glendale, Ariz., Digital Communications) then emphatically closed the door with a game-winning sack.  Central Methodist was void of timeouts and could not get back to the line in time to run a final play and time expired, giving the Statesmen their second-straight win.

In an outing where the defense stole the show, Trey Mosley (So., Fort Dodge, Iowa, Kinesiology) slowly chipped away at the Eagles’ defense with a school-record 14 catches for 109 yards.

For the second game in a row, Loring led the offense a with a workhorse-like performance of 35 rushes for 131 yards and a touchdown.

Harlan Plumber (Jr., Bryan, Texas. Exercise Science) topped the defense with 10 tackles, while Jagger Blubaugh (Jr., Wichita, Kan., Exercise Science) added five of his own.

Next Up: William Penn, which is idle next weekend, returns to action on Thursday, October 13 at Statesmen Community Stadium, facing #2 Grand View in Heart North Division play at 6 p.m.