Babson Park, FL – The Webber International Football team hosted the Florida Memorial Lions for Homecoming Weekend, as well as the Warriors annual Pink out game on Saturday afternoon. In the SUN Conference clash, the Warriors were unable to contain the Lions ground game as Florida Memorial beat Webber 50-27.

Webber started the game off with the ball and got off to a fast start, as D'Markus Mathis rattled off two runs for 12 and nine yards respectively. Mathis then had a 30-yard rush to put the Warriors in the Lions' territory. Starting Quarterback Trent Grotjan had an incomplete pass before a loss of a yard by Mathis. On 3^rd and 11, Grotjan got 10 yards, but on 4^th and 1 would lose five on a designed quarterback run, turning the ball over on downs. On the Lions first play from scrimmage. Tyler Powell intercepted the Lions quarterback at the Warrior 30-yard line, giving Webber the ball back. On the Warriors' next play, Kenneth Davis took a pass 70-yards to the house for a touchdown, making it 7-0 Warriors. The Lions next drive started around midfield after the kick return. Jalen Williams, Matthew Smiciklas, and Tre' Mobley all contributed with tackles as Florida Memorial began a drive down in Warrior territory. The Warriors tried to keep the Lions out of the endzone, but on 3^rd and goal, Florida Memorial found the endzone, however, the ensuing PAT was blocked by Mobley. Mathis and Grotjan both had forward rushes, but after a five-yard loss from Terry Weems Jr, Grotjan would rush two more times, fumbling on the second rush to give the Lions the ball back. Florida Memorial relied on their run game on the ensuing drive, with Josiah Everett and Tyron Washington making key tackles. Florida Memorial was able to drive into the redzone, but Caden Morrell and Matthew Smiciklas would not allow the Lions to score, as Smiciklas broke up the 4^th down pass to turn the ball over and into the second quarter.

After two rushes from Weems Jr, Grotjan found Davis for a 19-yard completion. A pass interference penalty on the Lions moved the Warriors near midfield. After another pass interference penalty, Grotjan found Asaivien McWilliams and Dickens for another first down. A facemask penalty put the Warriors in Goal to go, and on 4^th down Zachary Van Fleet sailed a kick through the uprights to make it 10-6 in favor of the Warriors. Florida Memorial began another drive down the field soon after. Smiciklas, Johnson, Washington, and Mobley all made tackles to keep the plays short. A tackle by Everett was followed up by an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on the Lions, but a 12-yard rush and a 20-yard completion helped the Lions into the endzone again, where they missed the two point conversion, making it 12-10.  Two plays into the next Warrior drive, Grotjan threw another interception. Two plays later the Lions were in the endzone again, extending the lead to 19-10. Antonio Dawson took the kickoff to midfield, and two dead ball penalties gave the Warriors the ball in the redzone before a play has been run. Mathis caught an eight-yard pass as well as a six yard rush to give the Warriors goal to go. Grotjan found Darren Johnson for a four-yard touchdown to put the score at 19-17. The Lions then took Van Fleet's kickoff 85 yards to the endzone for a touchdown, making it 26-17. Grotjan threw another pick and Ray Lane sacked the FMU quarterback as the game rolled into halftime.

The Lions started the second half with the ball. Kayden and Khristian Hill got into it making a tackle on first down. Warren Laguerre, Morrell, and Devantae Stephens all also made tackles as well. With the ball on the Warriors 37, a 12-yard completion gave Florida Memorial another first down, and on the ensuing play, they found the endzone on a 25-yard rush, making it 33-17. After three straight rushes from Mathis, the Warriors were forced to punt, as Jaxson Rivera booted the ball to the Florida Memorial 30-yard line. Laguerre started the Lions next drive with a pass breakup, but after an offside penalty, the Lions got another first down. With Florida Memorial on the outskirts of the redzone, Hill and Hill made a stop, before on third down Careal Carter made a tackle behind the line of scrimmage, forcing the Lions into a field goal, making the score 36-17. The Lions capitalized on another interception by the Warriors, taking the ball 20-yards to the endzone for another touchdown to make it 43-17. Taylor Scarbrough and Dickens each had positive yardage plays. Grotjan then had rushes for 10 and eight yards before taking a sack. An eight-yard completion to Tim Young was negated due to a penalty on the Warriors, but Grotjan responded for a 46-yard rush to get into Lion territory.

After a first down incompletion, a completion and a two-yard rush set up Van Fleet for another field goal, making it 43-20. Three straight rushes for the Lions put them at midfield. A roughing the passer penalty put the Lions in Warrior territory. A false start and a five-yard loss from a tackle from Mobley set the Lions on the Warrior 43-yard line. The FMU quarterback fumbled the snap and James Moore for the Warriors recovered it. On 2^nd and 10, Grotjan threw his fourth interception of the afternoon, and the Lions brought it all the way to the Warrior 10-yard line. On 4^th and Goal, Florida Memorial punched it in, making it 50-20. The Warriors turned to Ricky Sampson, who immediately completed an 18-yard pass to Dickens. A three-yard completion to Scarbrough put the Warriors at Midfield. Sampson and Mathis then went for 12-yards and 10-yards respectively on rushes. After an incompletion and a two-yard loss, Sampson found Dickens for 28-yards, and after hurdling a defender, the ball fell into McWilliams hands on the five-yard line. After a four-yard rush, Sampson took it in himself for the score, making it 50-27. The Warriors held strong on the Lions next possession, as Moore, Jeremy Willough, Dejandre Hudson, and Mikail Lee all made tackles.  On 4^th and 8, the Lions fumbled the ball again, turning the ball over on downs on the FMU 40-yard line. On 1^st and 10, Sampson had a one-yard rush. After two incompletions, Sampson was sacked on 4^th and 9, giving the ball back to the Lions, who ran the ball to let time expire.

Grotjan led the team with 140 passing yards, with Sampson adding 47. Grotjan also led the team with 89 rushing yards, while Mathis had 85. Davis had 92 receiving yards and a touchdown, while Dickens went for  66. Washington led the team with nine tackles, while Kayden Hill had eight. Williams had seven while Morrell and Mobley each had six. Lane had the Warriors lone sack with Powell having the only interception.

The Warriors will be back in action on Saturday, October 25^th when they travel to Miami Gardens to take on the St. Thomas Bobcats.

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