Box Score LAKELAND, Fla.—In just two meetings,
Tyson Kee has been a thorn in Warner's side.
He picked off a pass in 2014 to help the Fire beat Warner, and intercepted a pass in the third overtime period in the end zone to secure a 52-44 win over the Royals in a back-and-forth contest at Victory Field.
"We really missed Tyson a year ago," said coach
Keith Barefield. "He is the quarterback of our secondary, getting people in the right position, and does a good job getting himself in the right position."
The defense picked up the offense, which committed five turnovers on the night, by creating a score of its own on a 38 yard fumble recovery for touchdown by
Jimiah Albritton with 3:56 left in the first quarter to give the Fire a 7-3 lead.
"Warner was tremendously prepared tonight," said Barefield. "I said to my team if we walk off this field with a win, it will be because of pure will and determination not to give in."
Warner took advantage of an interception and threw a 21-yard touchdown pass to take a 17-7 lead with 11:24 left in the second quarter. The Fire then scored on a 21-yard field goal by
Caleb Winter and a 1-yard touchdown run by
Buddy Edwards to tie the game at 17 with 2:28 remaining in the first half.
Warner drove down inside the SEU five on the final play of the first half, but time expired as the ball carrier signaled for a timeout.
Another Winter field goal put the Fire back on top with 8:44 to play in the third quarter; a drive that was kept alive due to a holding on fourth down prior to a punt that gave SEU the ball back.
Following one of four SEU fumbles, Royals' QB DJ Davis found Eugene Witherspoon on the next play from scrimmage for a 50-yard touchdown to regain the lead 24-20 with 3:17 to go.
The teams continued to trade scores into the fourth quarter when quarterback
Jonathan Pearce connected with
Michael Wheary for a 47-yard touchdown with 11:16 to play in the fourth to put the Fire up 34-31.
Winter's third field goal of the game with 1:59 left gave the Fire a 37-31 lead and forced Warner to find the end zone on its final drive.
The Royals did just that, marching 73 yards on seven plays to tie the game on a 34-yard touchdown pass from Davis into tight coverage where Imari Price made the grab and walked past the goal line with 59 seconds to play. The extra point to take the lead was blocked by
Mark Myers to keep the game tied.
Southeastern drove down to the 11-yard line with one second to play in regulation, but Winter missed a 28-yard field goal wide right to put the game into overtime.
The Fire scored on a 30-yard pass from Pearce to Wheary to start the extra session, and the Royals answered with an 8-yard pass from Davis to Suarez.
Mark Myers picked off a pass by Davis in the second overtime, but the Fire were unable to connect on a 44-yard field goal to conclude the game.
Jarrell Reynolds scored on a third-and-six play, catching a screen pass and taking it 21 yards for the score.
Railond Garrett found Reynolds for the 2-point conversion.
On second-and-nine from the 10-yard line, Kee stepped in and ended the game just shy of 1:30 a.m.
"Our defense kept coming and kept battling and kept us in the ballgame," said Barefield. "We were flat on offense, making mistakes, and giving the ball away. To have the type of season you want to have and meet your goals, you have to find a way to win games like this."
The Fire racked up 324 yards on the ground, paced by a 165-yard night from Reynolds. Pearce chipped in a career-high 117 yards and a touchdown to the ground game.
Additionally, Pearce was 17-of-35 for 257 yards with three touchdowns and an interception. His top target was Wheary, who finished with nine catches for 188 yards and two touchdowns, and also drew multiple pass interference calls against the Warner secondary.
Davis paced the Royals, passing for 295 on a 28-of-49 effort with six touchdowns and two picks, and added 110 yards rushing on 17 carries.
The Fire return to action next Saturday at home against Edward Waters at 7 p.m.
