Clarke football wins first game of 2021 in 37-14 rout of Graceland

LAMONI, Iowa – Kenyon Williams (SO/San Diego, Calif.) threw two touchdown passes to help Clarke win its first game of the 2021 season, 37-14 on Saturday against Graceland University.

The Pride (1-8, 1-2 North) forced two turnovers, produced three sacks and limited the Yellowjackets (0-9, 0-3) to 36 yards passing in the victory. Clarke has now won all three of its meetings with Graceland, with two of those victories coming on the road.

A majority of Graceland's 274 total yards of offense came via the rushing attack, where the Yellowjackets saw Michael Lewis gain 159 yards on 20 carries. Teammates Dylan Johnson and Jashuan McGraw added in another 83 yards on 21 carries.

Clarke's Craig Elmore (SO/Chicago, Ill.) rushed for 153 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries. The transfer out of Kent State has run for over 100 yards in two straight games after totaling just six yards against Peru State on Oct. 16.

The Pride built a 17-0 halftime lead as Graceland fumbled twice in the first half, with one leading to a one-yard touchdown by Elmore in the first quarter. 

Williams finished the game 15 of 19 for 214 yards. He threw both of his touchdown passes to senior wide receiver Max Steffen (JR/Peosta, Iowa), one of 18 yards and one of 55 yards that put the Pride up 30-0 deep into the third quarter.

Graceland got back in the game early in the fourth quarter after McGraw and Lewis scored on a rushes of two and four yards to trim the Pride lead to 16. After a Clarke three-and-out, Graceland had an opportunity to make it a one-score game, but senior defensive lineman Ron jones sacked Lewis for an 11-yard loss on second down, setting up the Yellowjackets with a third and long before they eventually punted.

Clarke's next possession culminated with Malik Mazion (FR/Tampa, Fla.) scoring on an eight-yard touchdown run, giving the Pride a 37-14 edge with 4:52 to play.

Sophomore defensive lineman Griffin Mulcahy (SO/Pecatonica, Ill.) led the Pride with nine tackles, including one tackle for loss and half a sack. Senior defensive lineman Ron Jones (SR/Fairview, Ill.) posted eight tackles, in addition to two tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. Teammate Michael Nacnac added in three tackles and a sack.

Freshman kicker Anthony Gomez (FR/Santa Ana, Calif.) connected on one of his two field goal attempts, with his lone make coming from 24 yards out.

Up next for the Pride is a home matchup with William Penn University next Saturday, Nov. 6. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.