WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.—A pair of teams that have both won their first three conference games will go head-to-head tonight as Southeastern takes on Keiser with the winner holding sole possession of first place in The Sun Conference with three games remaining.
The Fire picked up a 34-20 win over Thomas last Saturday to improve to 4-2 on the season. On defense, Southeastern forced three turnovers on TU's first five possessions to build a 20-0 first quarter advantage.
Ja'Kobe Clinton led the Fire with seven tackles and forced a fumble, and
Thomas Ibrahim filled up the stat sheet with five tackles, a sack, and an interception.
Clinton's average of 7.5 tackles per game co-leads The Sun Conference.
On offense, Southeastern averaged almost six yards per play and did not turn the ball over for the first time this season.
Josiah Neos had three touchdowns on the ground and
Nate Hayden passed for 185 yards and rushed for a pair of scores. Seriah Abram had 111 yards receiving.
Hayden is currently second in The Sun in completion percentage at 60.2 and has passed for 1,000 yards.
Like Southeastern, Keiser has won its last three contests to move to 4-2 on the year. The losses for the Seahawks came in the season opener to NCAA Division II Mississippi College by three points and at Valdosta State, which is currently receiving votes in the Division II Coaches' Poll.
The Seahawks have the second-toughest schedule in the NAIA so far according to the Massey Ratings, with a 30-26 win at No. 9 Lindsey Wilson and a 21-14 win over No. 16 St. Thomas.
Despite that, the Seahawks boast the third-best offense in The Sun and second-best defense in the league at 33.8 points per game and 20.7 points allowed per game. Quarterback Bryce Veasley has completed a SUN-best 65.2% of his passes for 1,023 yards and seven touchdowns. Running back Jaden Meizinger has rushed for 460 yards and 10 touchdowns.
On defense, Jaelin Willis is tied with Clinton for the league lead at 7.5 tackles per contest. Wendol Philord is the top punt returner in the league averaging 17.5 yards per attempt with a touchdown and has 6.5 tackles for loss on defense.
This is the sixth meeting between the Fire and the Seahawks, dating back to Keiser's first season in 2018. Keiser has won three matchups including last year's game at Victory Field by the score of 40-14. The last time the teams played in West Palm Beach, Southeastern came back from a 14-point deficit to upset the ninth-ranked Seahawks 20-17. Wendell Harris Jr. caught an 11-yard touchdown from Cooper Jones with just over two minutes to play to give the Fire their first and only lead of the game.
Kickoff is at 6 p.m. and the game will be available on
The Sun Digital Network.
