WINTER HAVEN, Fla. (September 15, 2018) – For the first time in the 16-year history of the Webber International University football team, the Warriors are 3-0 to start a season. Webber defeated Bluefield College 16-8 in a Saturday night game, the team's first game of the season at its new home venue, Denison Stadium in Winter Haven, Florida.

One of the unsung heroes of the game was junior placekicker Marcus Mannerstedt, who in his first game of the season, started 3-for-3 on field goals, connecting from 24 yards in the first quarter and then from 34 yards and 44 yards both in the second quarter to put the Warriors ahead 9-0 at halftime.

After a 51-yard field goal attempt by Mannerstedt came up short on Webber's first drive of the second half, the ever-consistent Webber defense forced its third three-and-out of the game to get the ball back for the offense.

The Warriors struck quickly with a 21-yard rush and a nine-yard rush, both by sophomore Kwamaine Brown, to set up a 31-yard touchdown pass from freshman Brady Ooten over the top of the Rams' defense to sophomore Jeremiah Lucas to make it 16-0 Webber.

Despite the advantage, a 26-yard touchdown pass and subsequent two-point conversion by Bluefield in the fourth quarter made it a one-score game with 9:45 left to play.

Webber followed with a nine-play, 23-yard drive that took up five minutes and 16 seconds of clock time, and then an interception by Travonte Haynie near midfield on the Rams' next possession all but sealed Bluefield's fate as the Rams would not get the ball back until there was only 1:12 remaining on the clock.

On Bluefield's final drive, a sack from Antonio Brown and Dequan Harvin on second down led to a fourth-down play in which the Ram's freshman quarterback slid down one-yard shy of the first-down marker around the Webber 38-yard line with 11 seconds remaining in the contest.

With the win, Webber becomes the only unbeaten team in the Mid-South Conference Sun Division and one of only four unbeaten teams across the entire 21-team, three-division Mid-South Conference. The Warriors are one of four Sun Division teams who are currently receiving votes or nationally ranked in the national football coaches' poll. Bluefield, which was receiving votes in the preseason edition of the coaches' poll, is now 2-2 and is in second place in the Bluegrass Division.

"We won, we played sloppy, and it was a reflection of how we practiced," said Head Football Coach Kelly Scott. "To be the team we should be, the players are going to have to have greater attention to detail in practice."

Lucas, a wide receiver from Lecanto, Florida, finished with four catches for 56 yards while Ooten finished 4-of-7 through the air for 51 passing yards. On the ground, K. Brown rushed for a very impressive 105 yards on 15 carries, good for an average of over seven yards per rush.

Tyson Burch led the stout Webber defense with nine tackles while Aaron Givens added eight tackles, two tackles for loss and two sacks. A. Brown finished with two tackles for loss himself and 2.5 sacks, and Johnny Hernandez added both a tackle for loss and a sack.

Webber's next game will come on the road as the Warriors head to Kentucky for the second time this season in as many road trips. The Warriors and the Bulldogs of Union College will do battle at 1:30 p.m. next week on Saturday, September 22, in Barbourville, Kentucky. The following Saturday, Webber will open up Sun Division play against Polk County rival and the current No. 18 team in the NAIA, Southeastern University, at home on the evening of Saturday, September 29.