Lake Wales, FL – The Webber International Football team traveled across the Crooked Lake Saturday evening for a SUN Conference clash with their bitter rivals the Warner Royals. After a back and forth first half, the Warriors held the Royals to seven second half points, as well as a career rushing day from Terry Weems Jr., resulted in a 24-point victory, 52-28, winning the Crooked Lake Clash for the fourth year in a row.
Webber started the game with the ball, but an interception thrown by Trent Grotjan gave Warner the ball 1st and Goal from the six. After a two-yard rush, Warner found the endzone on a pass to take a very early 7-0 lead. After an incomplete pass from Grotjan, Weems Jr. started with a five-yard rush. Grotjan completed a pass to Kenneth Davis, before Weems went for five-yards across midfield, then took a rush 48-yards to the house, tying the game at 7-7. Jalen Williams, James Moore, Tyron Washington, and Antonio Johnson made the first tackles on the Royals next drive. Matthew Smiciklas, Tre' Mobley, and Devantae Stephens all made tackles as well, but Warner would find a 19-yard completion and then a two-yard completion for a touchdown, retaking the lead at 14-7. Webber stuck to the ground game, as Weems Jr. had a 14-yard rush for a first down. Grotjan went eight yards before Weems Jr. went for five, and then 43 yards where he was tackled at the Warner two-yard line. Grotjan then found Keyon Dickens for a two-yard touchdown to even it up 14-14. Josiah Everett, Moore, Charlie Carter, and Caden Morrell made tackles on defense as the game headed to the second quarter.
Warner scored a 20-yard touchdown on the first play of the second quarter. Webber stuck to the ground game as D'Markus Mathis had two rushes for 13 and two yards. Sampson completed a pass to Dickens for 11 yards, before calling his own number and rushing for 13. Sampson then found Asaivien McWilliams for 12-yards before he took it himself six-yards for the score, tying it 21-21. Warren Laguerre and Takari Plummer were responsible for kicking the Royals offense off the field after three plays, forcing a punt, but the Warriors would respond with a three and out of their own. Williams, Morell, Khristian Hill, Mobley, Moore, and Maddox Rivera were all a part of the tackles made on the Royals' next drive. On 3rd and 5 from the Webber 12, Harper Henson forced a fumble, and then recovered it, taking it to the 18-yard line. Webber was unable to do much with the turnover, as after a sack on 3rd and 7, Jaxson Rivera punted the ball to around midfield. Moore got a tackle on first down, while Hill got one on 2nd and 8. Plummer broke up the 3rd and 5 pass, and with the Royals going for it, Moore secured a sack to turn it over on downs and give Webber the ball. After a 20-yard rush and an 18-yard rush by Grotjan, a personal foul penalty put the Warriors on the Royals' 34. Zachary Van Fleet stepped up sunk a 51-yard field goal for a new career high, and Webber took a 24-28 lead into the half.
Warner started the second half with the football, they drove down the field, and scored their final points of the game, taking a 28-24 lead. The first play from the line of scrimmage for the Warriors was a 75-yard rushing touchdown for Weems Jr. which was a new career high for longest rush, giving Webber a 31-28 lead. After a 12-yard completion and tackle by Johnson, Morrell tackled the Royals at the goal line. On the next play, Morrell forced the ball out, scooped it up, and ran 32 yards for another touchdown, extending the lead to 38-28. Williams, Kayden Hill, and Tyler Powell forced another Royal punt, which turned into a touchback. Grotjan found Tim Young for eight yards before Weems Jr. went for another 21. Tayshaun Solomon had 13-yards across two rushes. Grotjan completed a pass to Avery Giddens for 24 yards, and Weems Jr. finished it from 14-yards out for his third touchdown of the night. Both teams trade punts on their next drives as the game headed to the fourth quarter with Webber up 45-28.
Mikail Lee got a tackle to start the fourth before Tyler Powell got a sack on 3rd and 2, forcing Warner into another punt. Grotjan had a 20-yard rush before a five-yard completion to McWilliams. A Davaughn Thomas 28-yard rush gave Webber 1st and Goal. A touchdown run was called back due to a facemask penalty on Webber, before a nine-yard completion to Thomas. Another penalty on the Warriors backed them up farther, and on 4th and Goal from the 27, Van Fleet would have a field goal blocked. A taunting penalty gave the Royals 1st and 21. After an 18-yard completion and two incompletions, Moore held the line on 4th and 3, giving Webber the ball again in Warner territory. Sampson had an incomplete pass, but on 2nd and 10, scrambled for 25 yards to the six-yard line. A fourth touchdown from Weems Jr. was called back due to a holding penalty. After two more incompletions, Sampson took it himself 17-yards to the house to give Webber a 52-28 lead. Webber forced another punt out of Warner, with a tackle from Henson on the ensuing drive. After a Tayshaun Solomon 85-yard rush was called back due to holding, Noel Rodriguez-Santiago completed passes to Jahseim Lesaine and Avery Giddens for a first down. Two incompletions and a rush for no gain had Webber with 4th and 10. A delay of game penalty moved it to 4th and 15, before an offside put it at 4th and 10 again, and J. Rivera booted it away. Wilbert Olivera, James Mesidor, and Anthony Fuller each made tackles on the final Royal drive as they punted away once again. Rodriguez-Santiago had an incomplete pass, Solomon had a rush for no gain, and Rodriguez-Santiago kneeled it out as Webber took down Warner in dominant fashion, 52-28.
Grotjan led the team with 57 passing yards and one touchdown. Weems Jr. ended his night with 240 rushing yards and three touchdowns, while Sampson had 61 yards and two touchdowns. Giddens led the team with 31 receiving yards, while McWilliams had 17 and Dickens had 13. Morrell led the team with 10 tackles again, nine of them being solo. He also had 1.5 tackles for loss and the forced fumble and touchdown. Moore had eight tackles and the sack, while Johnson had seven. Hill, Powell, and Miller each also had a sack, while Laguerre, Mesidor and Plummer all had pass breakups.
The Warriors will be back in action on Saturday, November 23rd when they travel to Thomasville, Georgia for a rescheduled SUN Conference matchup against the Thomas University Nighthawks.
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