Babson Park, FL – The Warriors ended their season on a high note as they managed to keep the Crooked Lake Clash trophy in Babson Park, FL. Before the game, the Webber football team honored their 13 graduating seniors - Jaren Muse, Parker Snead, Reynald Fleurival, Julian Cervantes, Ke'Youn Busby, DJ Cloude, Reagan Harrell, Riley Robbins, Takari Plummer, Josh Amerson, Elijah Smith, Tyler Romano, and Tyron Washington. Three warriors made their way into the end zone, while Zachary Van Fleet had a perfect game, going 2-2 in field goals and 3-3 in PAT attempts.
The Royals won the toss and elected to defer, giving Webber the ball to start the game. After a quick three-and-out, the Warrior defense took the field. A seven-yard pass completion would be all the Royals could muster before a 13-yard sack from Ke'Youn Busby brought up fourth fown deep into Warner territory. The Warriors responded with a Black Birchler completion to Darren Johnson for an eight-yard touchdown, putting the Warriors ahead 6-0. Vanfleet was good for the point-after-touchdown making it a perfect 7-0. The Royals would end the quarter scoreless as the Webber defense proved to be too much.
The second quarter opened with a Royal punt, giving the Warriors the ball early. Each team would switch possessions before another Birchler connection to Logan Heath would break the plane, giving the Warriors a 13-point lead. Van Fleet's PAT was good again, to make it 14 unanswered points for the Warriors. Webber's defense responded with a three-yard sack by Khristian Hill and Josiah Everett. A pass broken up by Joshua Jones brought up fourth down and forced the Royals to punt. With just over three minutes left in the house, a Jordan Griffin rushing drive brought the Warriors to the WU02, before a Van Fleet 20-yard field goal attempt passed through the uprights, making it 17-0 going into half time.
A Van Fleet touchback gave the Royals the ball on their own 25-yard line to start the second half. Strong Warrior defense forced three straight incompletions for the Royals and forced a turnover on downs on the WU18. An 18-yard catch by DJ Cloude was just what the Warriors needed to make it 24 straight points. The Warriors' defense responded with another sack by Kh. Hill and Everett and a Tre' Mobley fumble recovery. A short offensive drive forced a Reagan Harrel punt for 29 yards before a Nasir Tillman interception gave the Warriors the ball back with just over 10 minutes in the quarter.
Warner finally got on the board with a shotgun pass into the endzone, making it 24-7. Another short offensive run led to a 36-yard punt by Harrell before an interception by Elijah Westbrooks gave the Warriors the ball back with just over four minutes to go. The Warriors made their way downfield before a 5-yard rush by Griffin made it into the endzone to make it 30-7 to end the third quarter.
The fourth quarter opened with back-to-back punts before the Royals found their way into the endzone again. The two-point conversion was good, making it 30-15 with six minutes left in competition. Webber responded with a 32-yard field goal from Van Fleet. A tackle from senior, Jaren Muse sealed the casket, and kept the Crooked Lake Trophy in Babson Park for one more year.
Blake Birchler started at Quarterback for the Warriors and went 13-25 for 146 yards and three touchdowns. Jordan Griffin led the offense with 120 rushing yards and a touchdown. DJ Cloude grabbed 64 receiving yards, while Avery Giddens and Logan Heath completed 36 and 22 respectively. Jalan Williams led the defense with five tackles, while Jaren Muse, Tre' Mobley, Khristian Hill, and Maddox Rivera had four pieces.
This wraps up the 2023 season, for the latest and most up-to-date information on Warrior Athletics. Please visit www.webberathletics.com. Follow us on Twitter- @WebberAthletics, Instagram- @Webber_Athletics, and Facebook by searching Webber International University Athletics.
