Oskaloosa--The Penn football team opens up the 2010 slate by renewing an old rivalry as it faces Graceland Saturday.

The Statesmen (0-0) travel to Lamoni to take on the Yellowjackets (0-0) in non-conference action at 6 p.m. at Huntsman Field.

STATESMEN ON THE RADIO/TV: Every WPU football game can be heard live on KBOE 740 AM and also accessed on the World Wide Web at http://client.stretchinternet.com/client/wpu.portal#

Mahaska Communication Group (MCG) will also provide television coverage for all home games on its cable network.

SERIES HISTORY: Penn is 11-6-1 all-time against Graceland. The two programs have not met on the gridiron since 1991, however, with the Yellowjackets winning 17-6.

The last Statesmen win came in 1975, a 41-6 victory.

1909 Penn, 59-0
1913 Graceland, 20-0
1924 Penn, 2-0
1925 Penn, 34-6
1930 Penn, 20-7
1937 Penn, 13-0
1947 Graceland, 19-6
1949 Graceland, 25-13
1958 Graceland, 34-13
1959 Penn, 22-13
1960 Penn, 24-21
1961 Tie, 27-27
1968 Penn, 41-6
1969 Penn, 31-0
1974 Penn, 27-22
1975 Penn, 41-6
1990 Graceland, 19-7
1991 Graceland, 17-6

WPU/GU IN PRESEASON POLLS: Penn is picked to finish fourth out of eight teams in the MSFA's Midwest League, while Graceland is tenth out of 11 teams in the Heart of America Athletic Conference's ranking.

STATESMEN 2009 RECAP: Penn was 7-5 a year ago (5-2 Midwest League, 3rd).

The Statesmen started the year 0-2 and then reeled off three straight wins. Penn also won back-to-back games two other times as well to achieve seven wins for the second campaign in a row.

Sixteen players received some form of all-Midwest League recognition a year ago, led by Co-Player of the Year Dale Woods (Sr., Southaven, Miss., Southwest Mississippi CC). The defensive end was also named a College Fanz NAIA Second-Team All-American.

GRACELAND 2009 RECAP: The Yellowjackets were 3-7 a year ago with all games played within the HAAC.

Graceland started 2-0, but then dropped five in a row.

COACHES: Todd Hafner is in his seventh year as head football coach at Penn, entering the campaign with a 33-34 career record.

Hafner led his 2009 squad to a 7-5 record, including a 5-2 Midwest League mark. The team has now had back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 1975 and 1976.

The 2008 Midwest League Coach of the Year also guided Penn to the program's first winning season in 29 years in 2005 when the team was 6-5. Over his six years, Hafner has produced 74 all-conference players and nine All-Americans.

Hafner started his coaching career at Carl Junction HS in Carl Junction, Mo., where he was an assistant football coach for two years. From there he moved on to Southwest Baptist University where he was a graduate assistant for one year.

Hafner then returned to Carl Junction to take up the head coaching position. He held it for four years before taking an assistant coaching job at Emporia State University in Emporia, Kan. Hafner was the offensive coordinator for two years before adding assistant head coach to his title.

Hafner graduated from Pittsburg State University in 1994 with a degree in mathematics.

Jeff Douglas is in his first year as head coach at Graceland.

Douglas moves up the ladder after serving as defensive coordinator last year and offensive coordinator the year before that.

Prior to his time at Graceland, Douglas spent four years at Interstate 35 HS as defensive coordinator, head girls basketball coach, and assistant track coach.

It is his second stint at Graceland as, prior to his years at the high school level, he spent 14 years within the football program.

A four-year letterwinner on the gridiron at Graceland, Douglas was a two-time all-conference and all-district performer and earned All-American status as a senior. He ranked second in the nation in interceptions that season.

A 1984 graduate of Graceland with a degree in physical education and health, Douglas earned his Master's of Education degree from Northwest Missouri State University. He is currently working on his PhD.

THE STATESMEN A YEAR AGO THIS WEEK: Penn opened the 2009 season by falling 22-14 to Georgetown (Ky.) in the First Annual Big River Bowl.

The Statesmen trailed early, tied the game at 7-7, but never led in the contest. Penn was led by Ryan Van Dalen's 89 rushing yards (TD) and 128 passing yards (TD). The one passing score went to Bernard Luster (Sr., Corinth, Miss., Northwest Mississippi CC) for 65 yards.

Trevon Greene led the defense with 11 tackles, including one and a half sacks. Cody Hackett tallied an interception and Javaras Thomas (Sr., Miami, Fla., Miami Beach HS) blocked a kick to assist the defensive effort.

GRACELAND A YEAR AGO THIS WEEK: The Yellowjackets jumped out to a 17-0 first-quarter lead and held on for a 23-16 win over William Jewell to open the 2009 season.

Jerome Messam scampered 80 yards for a touchdown on the game's first play from scrimmage and had another one-yard rushing score to pace the offense. He rushed for 220 yards in the win. Scotty Roth compled 12 passes for 159 yards, including seven passes to Geoffrey Browning for 95 yards.

Chad Belt led the defense with 12 tackles, one sack, and one forced fumble.

STATESMEN TOP PLAYERS FROM 2009: Van Dalen led the team from behind center as Penn broke school records for single season rushing yards (3,124) and total yards (4,367) in 2009.

The senior rushed for 1,315 yards and 16 touchdowns, while also passing for 1,230 yards and 13 scores.

Stephen Patterson, with 485 rushing yards, and Corey Ketchum (Jr., El Dorado Springs, Mo., El Dorado Spring HS), with 360 yards, also succeeded on the ground. Skyler Crouch was again the top receiver, mostly down the field, catching 28 passes for 842 yards and 11 touchdowns, while Luster had 16 receptions for 220 yards and two scores.

Defensively, Greene narrowly led the team in tackles with 75, while Woods had 74, including 27 for a loss (9.5 sacks). Hackett paced the Statesmen with four interceptions.

Cam Shearon (Jr., St. Peters, Mo., Francis Howell Central HS) headlined the kicking effort by going 4-of-10 in field goals and 34-of-40 in extra points. Penn utilized two punters, Hackett and Michael Harris, and both averaged over 30 yards per kick. Hackett kicked 28 times for a 37.8 yard average, while Harris punted 24 times for a clip of 34.2 yards.

Andrew Harris (Sr., Horn Lake, Miss., Northwest Mississippi CC) topped the return group with a 20.7 yard kickoff average (32 attempts) and a 13.1 yard punt average (15 attempts). He returned one punt for a touchdown.

GRACELAND TOP PLAYERS FROM 2009: Messam headlined the offensive attack with 1,075 rushing yards.

Zachary Stuart passed for 666 yards, while Roth was right behind him with 539 yards through the air. Browning topped the receiving corp with 34 catches for 462 yards.

Defensively, Cameron Willkomm won the tackling title with 92 stops, including 12 for a loss. Rahim Martin recorded three sacks, while five different players had one interception.

Chalium Muir was the team's lone kicker, going 5-of-8 in field goals and 14-of-17 in extra points. Stuart punted 55 times for a 35.0 average.

Browning highlighted the return game as well with 28 kickoff returns for an average of 26.7 yards, while Darrin Miner returned eight punts for 31 yards (3.1 avg.).

SATURDAY'S TWO-DEEPS:

WILLIAM PENN OFFENSE
QB
6-Taylor Parsons, 6-0, 195, Fr.
5-Aaron Kissinger, 6-5, 225, Sr.
RB
28-P.J. Perry, 5-9, 180, Sr.
22-Corey Ketchum, 6-0, 175, Jr.
RB
2-DeMarco Sanders, 5-11, 180, Jr.
34-Dalton Phelps, 5-6, 170, So.
FB
40-Shawn Davis, 5-10, 205, Fr.
27-Travion Johnson, 5-9, 210, Jr.
WR
3-Bernard Luster, 6-0, 185, Sr.
82-Aaron Broyles, 6-3, 190, Fr.
WR
18-Jacob Ballanger, 6-0, 160, Jr.
86-Derek McIntyre, 6-3, 206, Jr.
TE
19-Jimmy Deegan, 6-1, 210, Sr.
88-John Bryan, 6-4, 215, So.
RT
71-Matt Smith, 6-1, 270, Sr.
65-Nick Harris, 6-1, 275, Jr.
RG
63-Steven Dawley, 6-1, 274, Sr.
76-Richard Corcoran, 6-1, 265, Fr.
C
61-Wade Fischer, 6-3, 260, Sr.
66-Mason Woods, 6-1, 265, So.
LG
54-Brett Stewart, 6-1, 275, Sr.
73-Steve Steele, 6-0, 275, Jr.
LT
72-Germarcus Smith, 6-2, 275, Sr.
74-Shawn Oaks, 6-3, 290, Jr.
PK
16-Marcus Kerrigan, 6-0, 190, Fr.
46-Cam Shearon, 5-11, 160, Jr.
HOLDER
88-John Bryan, 6-4, 215, So.
KR
1-Andrew Harris, 5-10, 180, Sr.
17-Jacob Batterson, 5-10, 185, Fr.
PR
1-Andrew Harris, 5-10, 180, Sr.
2-DeMarco Sanders, 5-11, 180, Jr.

WILLIAM PENN DEFENSE
DE
90-Reggie Franco, 6-0, 255, Sr.
49-Jeff Little, 6-5, 215, Fr.
NT
48-Jamal Zollicoffer, 6-0, 295, Sr.
94-Jordi Vernor, 6-2, 320, Jr.
DT
43-Damon Harrison, 6-4, 320, Jr.
93-Brandon Dunbar, 5-11, 310, So.
DE
8-Dale Woods, 6-2, 250, Sr.
44-Michael Welch, 5-11, 290, Fr.
OLB
26-Aaron Palacios, 5-9, 190, Jr.
38-Rushawn Stewart, 5-8, 190, Jr.
MLB
12-Chris Ruff, 6-1, 235, Jr.
24-Dale Stone, 6-1, 230, Jr.
OLB
11-Sean Colemon, 6-0, 190, Jr.
21-Matt Mich, 5-11, 195, Sr.
SS
7-Javaras Thomas, 6-0, 180, Sr.
29-Joel Medina, 5-11, 190, So.
FS
9-Chris Adeshina, 5-10, 195, Jr.
17-Jacob Batterson, 5-10, 185, Fr.
CB
13-Terrance Harper, 5-10, 175, Sr.
1-Andrew Harris, 5-10, 180, Sr.
CB
23-Ivan Kindell, 5-9, 175, Jr.
31-Junior Delva, 5-10, 165, Fr.
PUNTER
16-Marcus Kerrigan, 6-0, 190, Fr.
39-Jason Johnson, 6-1, 215, Fr.
LONGSNAPPER
85-James Jenkins, 6-4, 220, Jr.

GRACELAND OFFENSE
QB
14-Rich Martinez, 5-11, 175, Jr.
12-Taylor Saunders, 6-1, 200, Fr.
HB
28-Dirinna Uwakwe, 6-0, 210, So.
3-John Cornell, 5-6, 160, So.
FB
20-Geoffrey Browning, 5-6, 165
26-Mario Pecina, 5-8, 165, So.
Z
86-Andy Ward, 5-11, 180, So.
43-Brandon Green, 6-2, 195, Jr.
X
6-Brandon Williams, 6-2, 200, Jr.
80-Greg Corder, 5-11, 175, Jr.
TE
13-Dwayne Melton, 6-1, 225, Sr.
34-Brandon Hemry, 6-3, 215, Fr.
OT
74-Dialo Wells, 6-5, 300, Jr.
70-Mike Jenkins, 6-3, 270, Fr.
OG
52-Josh Garvin, 6-3, 290, Fr.
62-Catarino Salazar, 5-8, 280, Fr.
C
51-Geoffrey Lewis, 6-0, 265, Fr.
75-Xavier Jackson, 6-2, 270, So.
OG
66-Ralph Calleros, 6-2, 285, Sr.
60-Jacob Garza, 6-0, 250, Fr.
OT
53-Abraham Trejo, 6-0, 270, Fr.
63-Nick Cassas, 6-0, 260, Fr.
K
1-Chalium Muir, 6-1, 190, Jr.
2-Ian Luehring, 5-10, 160, Jr.
PK
1-Chalium Muir, 6-1, 190, Jr.
2-Ian Luehring, 5-10, 160, Jr.
HOLDER
12-Taylor Saunders, 6-1, 175, Fr.
14-Rich Martinez, 5-11, 175, Jr.
KR
20-Geoffrey Browning, 5-6, 165, Sr.
3-John Cornell, 5-6, 160, So.
15-Kirkland Davidson, 5-9, 187, Jr.
42-Dylan Chadwick, 5-11, 190, Fr.
PR
20-Geoffrey Browning, 5-6, 165, Sr.
15-Kirkland Davidson, 5-9, 187, Jr.

GRACELAND DEFENSE
DE
33-Keegan Smith, 6-2, 245, Sr.
95-Chris Livingston, 6-0, 275, Fr.
NT
90-William Fisher-Sims, 6-1, 290, Jr.
72-Markell Province, 6-3, 342, Sr.
DT
97-Rahim Marin, 6-4, 285, Sr.
91-Hassan Khalifa, 6-5, 290, Jr.
LB
40-Tyler Hosfield, 5-9, 200, Jr.
36-Brandon McCoy, 6-0, 220, Sr.
LB
11-Chad Belt, 6-0, 220, Jr.
96-Darius Mabon, 5-9, 200, So.
LB
41-Patrick Treece, 5-10, 208, So.
21-Frank Ramierez, 6-1, 200, Fr.
R
7-Jason Brown, 6-2, 215, Jr.
37-Stanley Burch, 5-10, 204, Fr.
CB
32-Michael Grimes, 6-0, 160, Fr.
16-Haley Lewis, 6-1, 185, Fr.
CB
15-Kirkland Davidson, 5-9, 187, Fr.
31-Tyrique McKane, 6-1, 165, Fr.
SS
25-Dorian Smith, 6-3, 185, So.
24-Jeremy Schieffer, 5-9, 190, Sr.
FS
42-Dylan Chadwick, 5-11, Fr.
38-Lorenzo Sallis, 6-5, So.
PUNTER
1-Chalium Muir, 6-1, 190, Jr.
9-Brandon Marquez, 5-10, 190, Fr.