LAKELAND, Fla.—The Fire responded in a big way when it was challenged last week.
With Warner threatening to make it a two-score game with the ball deep in SEU territory, the Fire came up with two big tackles for loss and forced the Royals to punt.
Then, the offense did its part, rattling off 35 unanswered points in the final 30 minutes to cruise to a 66-14 victory for the largest margin of victory in the six-game series.
The Fire also moved up a spot in the NAIA Football Coaches' Top 25 with Dickinson State losing to Valley City State. Southeastern will still need some help to qualify for the NAIA Football Championship Series, but has a solid resume as one of just 14 teams with one loss or less this season.
Southeastern now turns its attention to another Polk County rival in Webber International, looking for its fifth consecutive win in the series. Last year,
David Larson connected on a 35-yard field goal at the buzzer to give the Fire a 20-17 win.
The Warriors have endured a difficult schedule this season, and are facing their fourth Top 25 opponent of the season, with the third such game on the road. Most recently, Webber International dropped a 48-7 contest to No. 12 Keiser in Babson Park to fall to 3-4 on the year.
Defense has been a staple of the Webber program under Kelly Scott, and the 2019 team is no different, ranking ninth in the Mid-South Conference in scoring defense (25.4 points per game) and 10
th in total defense (355.7 yards per game).
Running back Davonte Williams has been the go-to for the Warriors, averaging 68.3 rushing yards and 64 receiving yards per game this season. Williams ranks 20
th in the NAIA in all-purpose yards per game at 134.4. He was the NAIA National Player of the Week after helping the Warriors beat Faulkner for the first time in program history, making 13 catches for 213 yards, and had two touchdowns in the fival four minutes, which included a 52-yard game winning strike with 18 seconds to play.
On defense, Johnny Hernandez has recorded a team-best eight tackles for loss, and Nathan Johnson has a team-high five sacks. The Warriors have also picked off 10 passes in seven games with Jamon Jones recording four.
Before the game, the Fire will honor 13 senior football players in their final game at Victory Field. Tickets are available for purchase online, or at the Victory Field box office.
