AVE MARIA, Fla.- The Ave Maria University football team claimed a share of the Mid-South Conference Sun Division Championship on Saturday night, courtesy of a 31-21 victory over the Warner University Royals. The Gyrenes finish the season with a 5-1 record in divisional play, tying AMU with Southeastern University for the Sun title.
Head coach Joe Patterson remarked on the Ave Maria program's turnaround from two wins in two seasons to a division title.
"I'm just so proud of the players for buying into the process," Patterson said. "It's been a long time coming; we were 2-18 the last two years, and they bought in entirely and were all in, as we say."
A pair of big plays got both teams on the board in the first quarter. On their first drive of the game, Warner converted on a third-and-ten, as Michael Young found Kevin Laws for a 71-yard touchdown pass with 8:26 to play in the quarter. On the next drive, the Gyrenes responded when Will Tate tossed a 33-yard touchdown pass to Kevon O'Connor, tying the game at seven with 5:06 to play in the quarter.
The lone score of the second quarter gave Ave Maria the lead for good. With 6:08 to play in the half, Tate threw his second touchdown pass of the night, this time finding Dimitrius Hirsch from 31 yards out. The touchdown was set up by an interception forced by the Gyrene defense, as Nick Maroon picked off a Michael Young pass.
In the third quarter, the Gyrenes extended their lead to two touchdowns thanks to a nine-play drive that chewed up nearly six minutes. The drive, Ave Maria's first of the second half, saw the Gyrenes get into the endzone on third and six, when Will Tate ran into the endzone for a 12-yard touchdown. Tate's lone touchdown on the ground stretched AMU's lead to 21-7 with 6:36 to play in the third quarter.
Both teams scored twice in the fourth quarter, with Warner adding two touchdowns and Ave Maria scoring a touchdown and kicking the game's lone field goal. After a 36-yard field goal from Devyn McCormick extended the Ave Maria lead to 24-7, Warner responded with a 30-yard touchdown run from Deontae Bradley, cutting the Gyrene lead to 24-14. AMU iced the game with Tate's third touchdown pass of the night, a 35-yard strike to Hirsch. Warner got back within ten with a touchdown with 29 seconds left, but the ensuing onside kick went out of bounds to seal the final result.
Tate put together one of his best games as a Gyrene, throwing for 227 yards and three touchdowns. The sophomore quarterback also ran for 50 yards and another touchdown. O'Connor hauled in three catches for 114 yards, while Hirsch scored on both of his two receptions. Quino Mauricette added 83 yards on 24 carries, while Savohn Hunt led the AMU defense with eleven total tackles.
The season is likely over for the Gyrenes, who would need to be ranked in the top 20 of the final NAIA Coaches' Poll to earn a bid into the NAIA Football Championship Series. Despite that, the Gyrenes finish the season with a winning record of 6-4, and earn a championship for the first time since the 2013 team won the Independent Conference title.
