BABSON PARK, Fla. (May 6, 2020) – Over the next couple of weeks, Webber International University athletics will be remembering some of its greatest sports teams of all time. Next up is the 2014 Webber football team.

After spending its first 11 years competing as an independent football program within the NAIA, the Webber International University football team was set to join five other schools, Ave Maria University, Edward Waters College, Point University, Southeastern University and Warner University, for the first ever season of football in The Sun Conference. The preseason rankings for the conference had Webber picked to finish second behind Ave Maria.

After starting off the season with three straight losses, including a 34-20 defeat at home in their season opener against No. 10 nationally-ranked Faulkner University followed by a heartbreaking 14-10 defeat against rival Warner in the program's first ever Sun Conference game, the Warriors responded by having one of their best seasons ever.

Beginning with a tough road win over Menlo College (Calif.) on Saturday, September 27, Webber won each of its final seven games of the season, including four straight wins in conference play to claim the championship.

"I honestly think the turning point in our 2014 season was the loss to Warner and how it happened," said Assistant Coach Steve Speakman. "I think our guys came into the season knowing they could compete with some of the best teams in the country and came out the first three games thinking they would just roll over whoever stepped on the field with them (despite us coaches addressing the contrary). I remember being up 10-0 on Warner during a three-hour lightening delay and the guys were kind of like 'we got this' and were very relaxed, and we were having a hard time keeping them locked in. After that loss, and the intense post game talk from Coach Kelly Scott in the locker room that came after, they finally realized nobody was going to give them anything, they had to go take it. After we beat Menlo in come-from-behind fashion, we never looked back."

Brett Carpenter, who was a sophomore defensive lineman on the 2014 Webber football team and is a current assistant coach for the Warriors, said "Man that was a special year. First and foremost, it wouldn't have happened if we didn't lose those first three games. During the bye week, before we traveled to California, the seniors really brought us together. After we beat Menlo in a close game that came down to the final plays of the game defensively. It gave us the confidence that we could actually win if we came together as a team and the seniors made sure that we stayed together."

Down 17-7 with only 4:42 left in the fourth quarter against Menlo, the Warriors' winning ways started in comeback fashion as quarterback Billy Pavlock launched a 16-yard touchdown pass to Isaac Dutes before then scoring himself with only a minute remaining on a one-yard run to give the Warriors the 20-17 victory.

One week later, Webber returned to Legion Field in Lake Wales, Florida, for Homecoming Weekend on Saturday, October 4, treating the home crowd to a high-scoring 49-26 win over Arizona Christian University in a game that featured a combined total of over 977 yards of offense. Brendan Deshields led the rushing for the Warriors with 109 yards on seven carries with two touchdowns while the 91-yard touchdown pass from Pavlock to Keith Hopkins in the third quarter was a school record for longest touchdown pass that still stands today.

On Saturday, October 11, in Jacksonville, Florida, the Warriors earned their first ever Sun Conference win by routing Edward Waters 70-14. After an 11-yard touchdown pass from Pavlock to wide receiver Joseph Davis on Webber's opening drive, the Warriors went on to score a total of 10 touchdowns as kicker Daniel LeZotte finished a perfect 10-for-10 on extra point attempts.

The following weekend, Webber made it back-to-back wins in The Sun Conference and four straight wins overall with a 13-3 victory on the road at Point on Saturday, October 18. Tied 3-3 at halftime, the Warriors took the lead for good on a field goal by LeZotte with two minutes left in the third quarter. Then in the ending minutes of the game, running back Darius Page scored to make it 13-3 before an interception by Anthony Hooks in the end zone closed it out.

Seeking its fifth win in a row and first conference win at home, Webber defeated preseason favorite Ave Maria 29-14 on Saturday, October 25. The Warriors jumped out to a lead of 20-0 as Prince Holloway returned a punt 75 yards for the first score of the game, Travon Montgomery then took a fumble recovery 49 yards to the house to make it 13-0, and then Page added a rushing score.

The win for Webber over Ave Maria propelled the Warriors into a three-way tie for first place in The Sun Conference with only one conference game remaining. The other two teams tied with the Warriors were Southeastern, which was Webber's next opponent on the schedule, and Warner, who was set to face Edward Waters the week after the matchup between the Warriors and the Fire.

The NAIA Game of the Week between Webber and Southeastern on Saturday, November 1, at Legion Field was for all the marbles. With at least a share of the first ever Sun Conference Championship on the line, the Warriors truly staked their ground by establishing a dominant rushing attack that led to three players finishing with over 100 rushing yards while Webber finished with 361 yards on the ground as a team. Page took the brunt of the snaps, ending with 30 rushing attempts for 140 yards and two rushing touchdowns. Pavlock, the quarterback, put together a brilliant performance of 20 rushing attempts for 122 yards while completing 3-of-7 passes for 75 yards and a passing touchdown. Deshields capped off the talented ground attack for the Warriors as he finished with 14 attempts for 108 yards and a touchdown. Additionally, the Webber defense limited a Southeastern team that was averaging nearly 39 points a game to only 21 points and only 73 yards on the ground.

"The most memorable thing about the season to me was the atmosphere the week of the Southeastern game" added Speakman. "The campus was ready, our kids were practicing like it was the first week of camp and they were all battling for starting jobs. They wanted that win, bad. From a defensive aspect, Southeastern came in with one of the best running backs in the country, a freshman who was averaging almost 200 yards a game. The defense was determined to make sure we kept him under control, and we did. The last 10 minutes of that game seemed to last forever, and it was freezing cold with the wind coming off the lake. And to stop them at the goal line at the end, that was priceless."

Following the 28-21 win over Southeastern, Webber began receiving votes in the NAIA Coaches' Top 25 poll.

Webber then finished off its seven-game winning streak with a 31-6 nonconference win over Newport News Apprentice School on Saturday, November 8, in Newport News, Virginia. The Warriors led 24-0 to start the game while Pavlock finished with an astounding 14 completions on 17 attempts for 214 yards and a touchdown while also rushing 18 times for 97 yards and two touchdowns. Wide receiver Keith Hopkins finished with five receptions for 129 yards.

Meanwhile, while the Warriors were taking care of business against Newport News, Warner was in Jacksonville, Florida, facing Edward Waters for its right to a share of the conference title. Instead, the Royals gave up 14 unanswered points to the Tigers to send the game into overtime before Edward Waters scored on its first play from scrimmage in the third overtime period to win it 20-14 and give Webber sole possession of the first ever Sun Conference Championship.

"After we beat Southeastern, we were in a tie with Warner to be Co-Conference champions," said Carpenter. "The following week we went to Virginia to play Newport News, it was a day game and we crushed them. Warner played Edward Waters that day as well. If Edward Waters beat Warner, then we would become the sole conference champions, but if Warner won, then we would share it, so obviously we were pulling for Edward Waters. On the way home from the game we were watching the live updates of the game, and it came down to overtime. Edward Waters beat Warner in overtime. When we saw that come across the update both drivers of the charter busses had to pull over because the whole team was going crazy because we had solely won the conference championship. That is what sticks out the most to me when thinking back about that season."

Overall, the Warriors' 7-3 record in 2014 tied the program record for wins in a season (7-4 in 2010) and was the Warriors' best record in terms of winning percentage until also finishing at 7-3 four years later in 2018. The Warriors moved up to No. 25 in the next NAIA Coaches' Top 25 Poll after their win over Newport News and then finished ranked No. 23 in the next poll and in the postseason poll.

In addition to finishing the season ranked seventh in the NAIA in rushing yards per game (241.4 yards) and 12th in total rushing offense (2,414 yards), the Warrior defense finished third nationally in scoring defense giving up only 16.9 points per contest while also finishing first in scoring defense, first in total defense and first in rush defense for The Sun Conference.  

In all, Webber had five First-Team All-Sun Conference selections in 2014 and had 10 total all-conference honorees overall. The first-team all-conference picks were offensive lineman Christopher Barbosa and Macander Dieudonne, tight end Corey Jackson, defensive back Daniel Booth, and defensive lineman Edward Brown II. Receiving all-conference honorable mention was running back Darius Page, return specialist Prince Holloway, defensive lineman Marquise Harts and John Dilks, and linebacker Travon Montgomery.

"Winning The Sun Conference Championship felt well deserved and rightfully earned," said Dieudonne. "To overcome as much adversity as we faced in the beginning of the season and to end as the conference champs is historical, and that team will forever be remembered."

Three school records were broken that year for the Warriors, including total rushing yards, overall punt return yards and most overall sacks.

Running back Darius Page finished with a total of 950 rushing yards, which ranked 17th in the NAIA in rushing yards per game and 23rd in total rushing yards and broke the previous Webber school record of 873 rushing yards set by Taylor Atwood in 2007. Page would then go on to break his own record in 2015 with 1,239 rushing yards, over 250 yards more than his number the year before. In only two seasons and 20 games as a Warrior, Page finished second on the all-time list for rushing yards in a career at Webber with 2,189 yards, but is still first in career all-purpose yards with 2,544 yards. Additionally, Page's eight rushing touchdowns in 2014 are currently tied for the third most rushing scores in a single season in Webber history.

Punt returner Prince Holloway finished with 338 punt return yards, which was good enough to finish second in the country in punt return yards and broke the previous school record of 232 yards by Jamarcus Watkins, also in 2007.

Lastly, Marquise Harts finished with 10.5 sacks in 2015, which put him third in the country in sacks per game and fourth in total sacks and also broke the previous record of 10 sacks set by Michael Frazier back in 2008.

But what makes the 2014 Webber football team so special?

According to Dieudonne, "I believe the brotherhood we shared as a team is what helped make that season so special. There were countless social events where we would show up 30, 40 or 50 deep. From offensive players to defensive players, to specialists. First string second string, freshman, senior. We were a tight knit group and I believe it was that comradery we built off the field that helped us become so cohesive as a football team. I believe our season brought an expectation of winning not just for the football program going forward, but for all the other programs as Webber as well. They say winning is contagious, and I know the other sports felt that we could dominant the conference as a whole."

"With the 2014 season going the way it did, it set a goal for any team coming in after us to reach that goal or finish better than we did," said Edward Brown II. "It gave a little insight into what Webber football is all about and what we can achieve when we work together. We definitely brought some attention to the football program after that amazing year. We are a small school, so it's quite a challenge to get our name out there. Now days, I'm pretty comfortable to say that people have heard of Webber International University not only because of football, but because of all the great things Webber has accomplished."

Rodney Brown said, "What helped make that team so special in my mind was that we played for each other. We finally figured out games were a lot easier that way and it was a lot more fun winning. That team set the standard for what Warrior football is. No matter what adversity is faced, we'll keep fighting. Additionally, I think it helped to bring the school together. Webber has always been a pretty tight group of people. But there is nothing like Saturdays out on that field and being able to cheer a team to a conference championship." 

Comments on the Coaches:

Speakman: "I'll always be indebted to Coach Kelly Scott for giving me the opportunity to come learn and grow as a Coach here at Webber. To start off as a Grad Assistant and work my way to full time assistant/DFO/JV Head Coach and various other responsibilities are all things I worked hard for and take a lot of pride in and wouldn't have been possible unless Coach Scott took a chance on me and gave me a fair opportunity to earn his respect both on and off the field."

Dieudonne: "For me personally, it would have to be Coach Chuck Kelly. He was so selfless as a person and a heck of a coach. He was tough, demanding, and not everyone could play for him. The way he coached me and the fellow offensive linemen at the time helped shape us to be successful in life and be better men and leaders in our community. Some might have not noticed it back when we were playing, but we all respect and are grateful for coach Kelly now that we are older and look back it."

Edward Brown II: "Coach Eric Potochney is a former student as well as a former football player at Webber. He has such an impact on the players as well as the program. He will pull the best out of you to display on the field."

Rodney Brown: "The easy answer would be Coach Kelly Scott. He's done so much for not only the program, but the guys that have come through there. But the things that are done behind the scenes is what makes that ship go. That would be Coach Steve Speakman. You can ask any other coach at the school just how much he does for them as well. He was a great role model of just how to do things the right way and give your all in what you do. I also had the pleasure of working with him for three seasons and really got to see just how much he handles on his plate."

Final Thoughts:

Carpenter concluded, "The experience was bitter sweet at the end of the season, we were happy that were conference champions, but we were waiting for the standings to come out to see if we would be able to go to the playoffs or not. Ultimately we fell just short in the rankings to make the playoffs. What made the team so special was that we were able to come together as a team when we were 0-3 heading into the bye week. Everyone adopted the 1-0 mentality, we took everything one step at a time from practice, workouts, and meetings. That team is a team I will never forget, from the people to the bus trips to the things we did outside of football. That is a year that I will always remember for the rest of my life."

"What sticks out to me was the fact that we were so talented but did not play as a team in the beginning," added Dieudonne. "If we had the comradery we had at the end of the season in the beginning, I truly believe we could have played for the national championship. Unfortunately, we were not voted in which is still mind blowing to me today."

"It was an experience of a lifetime," said Edward Brown II. "It was an emotional, mental and physical rollercoaster. Truly a fairy-tale ending. This team consisted of a group of athletic alpha males. Although with many egos around the locker room, we found a way to mend together. What made it so special was the fight in every one of my teammates hearts to accept nothing but success and make sure we went home with a win. It was my senior year, so during that inaugural Sun Conference season, I wanted to make sure I left with a bang. My skills had developed over the years, so watching myself during film sessions had me quite intrigued of my athletic ability. I was excited to see what else the season had in store for me."