Explosive football offense and stingy defense gives Simpson season opening win
September 6, 2014
MOUNT PLEASANT, IA – The Storm (1-0) came rolling in with ferocity Saturday, leaving Mt. Pleasant with a 43-7 victory over Iowa Wesleyan (0-1).
Simpson, who beat the Tigers 55-21 last year, picked up where they left off, controlling all facets of the game from whistle to whistle.
QB Dylan Berkey had big shoes to fill behind center in replacing 4-year varsity letterwinner Taylor Nelson. Berkey wasted no time in his newly acquired starting position as he ran for three touchdowns while tacking on 228 yards passing and one touchdown in the air.
“It was just good to get back out on the field with the team,” said Berkey. “We had a lot of guys step up and that always makes the game easier. We’re just happy to get the win and we look forward to getting ready for next week.”
8 Storm receivers made catches on the afternoon, with Corbin Clark leading the crew with 69 yards receiving and one touchdown. Simpson also showed great depth in their rushing game, as 7 Storm players got carries. Senior RB Ethan Calvert tore up the Tigers on the ground, running for 107 yards, which included a 37 – yard touchdown scamper late in the 4th quarter.
Simpson, with 29 first downs, ousted the Tigers by 20 in this category, while annihilating the Tigers in total yardage column, winning that 516 to 196.
Clay Finley lead defenders with 6 tackles, 1 forced fumble and the lone Simpson sack. Cole Cook had 5 tackles of his own, and Alex Severn and Joe Gilson had 4 a piece.
Both teams were scoreless in the first quarter, until Berkey got the scoring action started for the Storm with a 11 yard touchdown run at the 12:42 mark in the 2nd period. A Logan Klein field goal and two more Berkey touchdown runs brought the game to 24-0 at the half.
Simpson went on to score 19 more in the 2nd half, including a Grant Eller safety. The Tigers were barely able to evade the shutout, getting on the board with a touchdown with 5:21 left in the 4th quarter.
The Storm will look to carry this type of play into their home-opener against UW – River Falls (0-1) next Saturday at 1 p.m. This game was originally scheduled to take place in River Falls, Wis., although a field preparation issue brought this game to Indianola. Simpson stole a 35-34 victory from the Falcons last year.
