Clarke falls to William Penn, 28-17

DUBUQUE, Iowa – A quick start saw quarterback Kenyon Williams (SO/San Diego, Calif.) put the Pride on the board first, but Clarke's offense struggled in the second half in a 28-17 loss to William Penn on Saturday.

Williams found Max Steffen (JR/Peosta, Iowa) on a 27-yard touchdown pass to cap off the 10 play, 74-yard drive that took up the game's first five minutes of play. The Pride lead didn't last long, as William Penn's Ben Sherman scored on a 19-yard rush on the ensuing drive to even things up at 7-7.

Anthony Gomez (FR/Santa Ana, Calif.) connected on a 35-yard field goal with 10:42 left in the first half to put Clarke (1-9 overall, 1-3 North) back on top. A three and out by the Statesmen (2-8, 1-3) on the ensuing drive put the ball back in Williams' hands, to which he responded by uncorking a pass for 40 yards, finding Gabe Deadwiler (FR/Chicago, Ill.) for a score to go up 17-7.

On the next drive, Ron Jones (SR/Fairview, Ill.) forced and recovered a fumble by William Penn's QB Alex Crehan to stop a Statesmen drive that found itself near the Clarke red zone, but the momentum would swing back in William Penn's favor after Crehan found wideout Gavin Rountree for a 68-yard touchdown to trim the deficit to three with 1:16 to play.

After runs of five, seven and 17 yards by Clarke running back Craig Elmore (SO/Chicago, Ill.), the Pride found themselves with an opportunity to tack on three points by way of a 55-yard field goal attempt, but Gomez's kick was blocked to end the half.

The Statesmen went on to score on a 19-yard rush from Archer Charles just over three minutes into the second half to take their first lead of the game before scoring a knockout punch off of a 92-yard rushing score by Sherman at the top of the fourth quarter to make it 28-17.

The Statesmen finished the game with 433 yards of total offense, highlighted by its 351 yards gained via the ground attack, which was led by Sherman's 247 yards on 23 carries. Crehan and Rodney Hall finished a combined three for six for 82 passing yards.

Williams completed 13 of 21 passes for 140 yards. Elmore rushed for 137 yards on 23 carries, making it three-straight games eclipsing the century mark on the ground.

Bryan Valdes (FR/Florida City, Fla.) led the defense with seven total tackles, including half a tackle for loss that he shared with Adrian Tamayo (SO/Oak Hills, Calif.), who finished with five tackles of his own. Jones played his best game of the season, as the senior defensive lineman racked up five tackles (three solo). Kenneth Spaight (JR/Rodeo, Calif.) and Steven Thomas (SO/Montgomery, Ala.) each notched a tackle for loss, while Johel Gonzalez (SO/Norco, Calif.) recorded an interception.

With only one game left in the regular season, the Pride will host Grand View next Saturday, Nov. 13. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.