Oskaloosa–A tougher opponent entered Penn Gymnasium Saturday, but basically the same result was produced as the Statesmen men’s basketball team dominated Crossroads (Minn.) 123-75 in non-conference play.

For the second night in a row, seven players surpassed the double-digit mark for William Penn (8-1), which has now won eight-straight contests.  It is the fourth time this year, and the third-consecutive matchup, in which the Statesmen have scored over 100 points.

The hosts started slowly, playing even with Crossroads (0-8) at 2-2 through the first three minutes of action.  The navy and gold caught fire quickly thereafter with a 9-0 run and never led by less than nine points again.

William Penn was up 65-38 over the Knights at halftime and slowly pushed the advantage to as high as 48 points late in the matchup.

WPU outshot the Knights 59.0{99cd714f394079a7f0ed2eb1518dd31342ff3ceb5b6c267c3ad8acd5b5a7d66b}-46.9{99cd714f394079a7f0ed2eb1518dd31342ff3ceb5b6c267c3ad8acd5b5a7d66b} and held a 43-28 rebounding margin.  The home squad also forced 23 turnovers (14 by WPU), leading the victors to a 27-17 edge in points off mistakes.

Dondre Alexander (Jr., Iowa City, Iowa, Physical Education) was electric from the field, going 10-for-13 (6-for-9 3-PT) for a game-high 27 points.

All 10 Statesmen cagers who scored shot at least 50{99cd714f394079a7f0ed2eb1518dd31342ff3ceb5b6c267c3ad8acd5b5a7d66b} from the field, including Steven Roundtree (Sr., Jacksonville, Fla., Physical Education) who was 7-for-9 for 18 points.  The senior also pulled down a game-best nine rebounds in addition to four steals.

Josh Caldwell (Sr., Denver, Colo., Physical Education) was next with 14 points, while Brady Burford (Sr., Chicago, Ill., Physical Education) finished with 13.  The trio ofJessie Pernell (Sr., North Augusta, Ga., Physical Education), Antonio Levy (Jr., Chicago, Ill., Physical Education), and Shane Bosek (Sr., Lowry, Minn., Physical Education) were in double figures as well with 11 points each.

Pernell just missed a double-double with nine assists.  Charles Knowles (Jr., Chicago, Ill., Physical Education) added nine points and Kevin Smith (Jr., Baltimore, Md., Physical Education) concluded the win with seven points.

WPU was 46.7{99cd714f394079a7f0ed2eb1518dd31342ff3ceb5b6c267c3ad8acd5b5a7d66b} (14-for-30) from the perimeter and 77.3{99cd714f394079a7f0ed2eb1518dd31342ff3ceb5b6c267c3ad8acd5b5a7d66b} (17-for-22) from the free-throw line.

Next Up: William Penn travels to Des Moines Wednesday to face Grand View in Heart of America Athletic Conference action at 7:30 p.m.

Story provided by Wade Steinlage

Clinton–The shots just would not fall for the William Penn women’s basketball team as it dropped a 61-50 non-conference decision to host Ashford as part of the Ashford Classic Sunday.

The Statesmen (3-5) made only 22.4{99cd714f394079a7f0ed2eb1518dd31342ff3ceb5b6c267c3ad8acd5b5a7d66b} of their field goals, while the Saints (1-7) shot 37.5{99cd714f394079a7f0ed2eb1518dd31342ff3ceb5b6c267c3ad8acd5b5a7d66b} on the afternoon.

Already trailing 13-10 after the first 10 minutes of play, WPU took it on the chin in the second quarter to fall behind 34-21 at halftime.

Despite winning the third (13-12) and fourth periods (16-15), the navy and gold could never get closer than a nine-point deficit in the second half.  The Statesmen were also outrebounded 38-36 and lost the free-throw battle (20-11 in made attempts).  The team’s lone saving grace was its ball control as it had just 13 turnovers compared to 17 for AU.

Vashti Nwagbaraocha (Fr., Milwaukee, Wis., Exercise Science) took advantage of numerous trips to the charity stripe, going 10-for-14 at the line en route to a team-high 16 points.  She also paced all participants with 13 rebounds in addition to two blocks and two steals.

Ashlee Harper (Sr., Los Angeles, Calif., Education) was also in double digits with 10 points, while Alyssa Phillips (Jr., Gurnee, Ill., Communications) added eight andKadejah Young (Sr., Minneapolis, Minn., Physical Education) posted four with three assists.

“We did not make shots tonight, but at least we attempted them from the outside,” Head Coach Willie Scott said.  “We now need to get our players to shoot with confidence.  Ashford’s 2-3 zone was very effective against us.  Our strength is in the blocks and we have to make shots on the perimeter and did not do that.”

Next Up: William Penn travels to Des Moines Wednesday to face Grand View in Heart of America Athletic Conference action at 5:30 p.m.

Story provided by Wade Steinlage

Oskaloosa–Paced by six individuals on the first team, the Statesmen football program was rewarded handsomely as the 2015 all-Heart of America Athletic Conference North Division teams were announced Wednesday.

A total of 15 members of the navy and gold were honored, including six on the first team, six on the second squad, and three on the honorable-mention list.  Seven players collected their first recognition.

WPU Offensive Coordinator Chris Stutzriem also took home honors by being named Heart North Assistant Coach of the Year.  Grand View claimed the rest of the top accolades as quarterback Derek Fulton was named North Offensive Player of the Year, lineman Mike Erpelding was Defensive POY, and Mike Woodley was Coach of the Year.

Stutzriem guided the Statesmen (7-4, 3-2 North) to one of the program’s best offensive campaigns ever, including leading the NAIA with 352.2 rushing yards per game.

(Note: Any previous honors by William Penn athletes came in its time in the MSFA Midwest League)

First Team

Despite playing in the run-oriented offensive scheme, wide receiver Jatavius Stewart (Sr., Rock Hill, S.C., Biology) had a superb year.  The now two-time first-teamer, Stewart caught 28 passes for 660 yards and nine touchdowns–all team highs.  He was once named a Heart Offensive Player of the Week.

Senior offensive linemen Hea Tuifua (Salt Lake City, Utah, Industrial Technology) and J.T. Dotson (Jenks, Okla., Business Management) headlined the men in the offensive trenches; they helped the Statesmen average 37.5 points and 448.1 yards per game.  Tuifua’s award is his third (second time on the first team), while Dotson is lauded for the second time (first nod on the top squad).

Defensive lineman Hunter Barry (Jr., Morris, Ill., Physical Education) joined Stewart and Tuifua with his second selection to the first team.  Barry notched 27 tackles (10 solos, 17 assists), including 3.5 for a loss.  He sacked the opposing quarterback twice and forced a fumble.

Seniors Isaac Samek (Bolivar, Mo., Industrial Technology) and Kevin Shrauger (Nixa, Mo., Physical Education) represented the linebacking corps as they returned to the all-conference teams; both are on the first team for the first time.  Samek, who ends his career as a three-time pick, topped WPU with 86 tackles (46 solos, 40 assists) (six for loss), one sack, three interceptions, and two pass breakups.  A two-time honoree (first time on the best group), Shrauger finished 2015 with 74 tackles (26 solos, 54 assists) (9.5 for loss) in addition to two sacks, a pick, and two pass breakups.

Second Team

Quarterback Tyler Hafner (Sr., Oskaloosa, Iowa, Communications) put up the best numbers on the offensive side, recording team highs in rushing (742 yards, 13 touchdowns) and passing (909 yards, 11 TDs).  The signal-caller was a one-time Heart Offensive POW.

Running back Nathan Tvedt (Sr., Oskaloosa, Iowa, Business Management) led four other Statesmen who garnered their first accolades.  Tvedt notched 410 yards and four scores in the WPU running game.

Kalob Gist (Sr., Oskaloosa, Iowa, Business Management) was a versatile offensive lineman, starting at both the left tackle and left guard position this fall.

Cornerback Antonio Brown (Jr., Midwest City, Okla., Undecided) and punter Aaron Allen (Jr., Bolivar, Mo., Secondary Education) were also second-team picks.  Brown posted 41 stops (29 solos, 12 assists) (1.5 for loss) and tied for the squad lead with four interceptions (four pass breakups as well).  Allen punted 38 times for an average of 34.5 yards (long of 63).

Stewart doubled his awards season fun as a second-team Athlete.  In addition to his receiving success, he also rushed for 70 yards (four TDs) and had 457 return yards (431 on kickoffs, 26 on punts).

Honorable Mention

Jarrett Rogers (Sr., Ozark, Mo., Business Management), who is a first-time honoree, gave William Penn its the fourth offensive lineman on the postseason teams, while on the other side of the ball, defensive linemen Taylan Ybarra (Sr., Wellington, Kan., Education) and Clayton Temaat (Sr., Alba, Mo., Industrial Technology) were also acknowledged.

Ybarra, selected for his first laurel, stopped 27 ball carriers (10 solos, 17 assists) (five for loss) along with 2.5 sacks, two fumble recoveries, a forced fumble, and a pass breakup.  Selected for his second career honor (both HMs), Temaat tallied 32 tackles (17 solos, 15 assists) (5.5 for loss), one sack, and two pass breakups.

For a complete list of the all-North Heart teams, go to http://www.haacsports.com/d/2015-16/2015{99cd714f394079a7f0ed2eb1518dd31342ff3ceb5b6c267c3ad8acd5b5a7d66b}20All{99cd714f394079a7f0ed2eb1518dd31342ff3ceb5b6c267c3ad8acd5b5a7d66b}20HeartNorth.pdf

Story provided by Wade Steinlage