LAKELAND, Fla. -- The 14th-ranked Southeastern Football team extended its winning streak to four games with a decisive 42–9 victory over Warner on Saturday night at Victory Field. With the win, the Fire improved to 7–1 overall and 4–1 in Sun Conference play, while the Royals dropped to 1–7 and 1–4 in league competition.
SEU's offense found its rhythm early, marching 63 yards on the opening scoring drive, capped by a one-yard touchdown plunge from
Curtis Kimmons midway through the first quarter. Warner responded with a 26-yard field goal to trim the deficit to 7–3, but the Fire took control for good in the second quarter. Quarterback
Nate Mikell led a pair of crisp scoring drives, connecting with
Tre McClellan on a 12-yard touchdown pass, then finding
David Pomales on another 12-yard strike to stretch the lead to 21–3.
Just before halftime, a blocked punt set SEU up at the two-yard line, and Kimmons punched in his second touchdown of the night to send the Fire to the locker room with a commanding 28–3 advantage.
Southeastern continued its dominance in the third quarter as Mikell and McClellan teamed up again—this time for a 19-yard score—to extend the margin to 35–3. Warner broke through early in the fourth quarter with its only touchdown of the night, but the Fire answered quickly when Zach Pleuss connected with
Joseph Key for a seven-yard touchdown to cap the scoring.
The Fire offense showcased strong balance with 351 total yards, splitting the production between 200 rushing yards and 151 passing yards. Mikell finished 9-for-17 through the air for 134 yards and three touchdowns, while Kimmons led the ground game with 59 yards and two scores. McClellan turned in another standout performance with four receptions for 78 yards and two touchdowns.
SEU's defense continued to shine, forcing three interceptions and limiting Warner to 102 rushing yards on 27 carries.
Zander Altieri led the team with eight tackles, while
Chris Sharpe and
Prince Newsome each recorded sacks. The Fire defense also turned away two Warner red-zone chances and allowed just one touchdown across 60 minutes of play.
Special teams made their mark as well, with
Joel McGrath going 6-for-6 on extra points and averaging 38.4 yards per punt. SEU converted all six red-zone opportunities into touchdowns, underscoring a clean and efficient performance in all three phases.
SEU will now turn its attention to a marquee matchup against No. 2 Keiser next Saturday in West Palm Beach. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m., as the Fire aim to build on their momentum heading into the final stretch of the season.
