THOMASVILLE, Ga.- The Ave Maria University football team raced out to a 28-0 lead Saturday afternoon, then withstood a comeback attempt from the Thomas University Night Hawks in a 28-22 victory in Thomasville. The Gyrenes emerged with a win in the first-ever meeting between the two schools.

Ave Maria jumped out to a 21-0 lead in the first quarter, with Willie Jackson and Bryan Stiemke taking center stage. After the teams traded scoreless drives to start the game, Thomas' first pass attempt of the afternoon was intercepted by Jackson, who returned the pick 38 yards for an Ave Maria touchdown. 

Jackson then made his presence felt on the next drive, blocking a Thomas punt and setting up the Gyrenes with first and goal at the six after a long return from Solomon Davis. Two plays later, Stiemke scored from seven yards out to push the AMU lead to 14-0. 

Head coach Joe Patterson complemented his team's ability to jump out to an early lead, and spotlighted the play of Jackson in the opening quarter.

"We were fast out of the gate," Patterson said, "with Willie Jackson making huge plays on both defense and special teams."

AMU got the football right back after Stiemke's second score, as Dray'sun Bonney forced and recovered a fumble on the Ave Maria 25. Stiemke turned that field position into his second touchdown of the day, a 10-yard run that gave the Gyrenes a 21-point lead. Bonney would also set up AMU's final score of the day in the second quarter, forcing another fumble that turned into another score for Stiemke, his third.

Holding a 28-0 lead, the Gyrenes stagnated. Although Ave Maria moved the ball, the Gyrenes could not add to the lead. AMU turned the ball over three times in the final two and a half quarters, and did not score in three trips inside the Thomas 30 yard line. 

The Night Hawks clawed their way back into the game, scoring 22 unanswered points to cut the Ave Maria lead to six points with 8:43 to play. 

Patterson complemented Thomas' ability to battle back against the Gyrenes in their first year of competition.

"Thomas was methodical," the head coach commented, "and they capitalized on our inability to finish drives."

However, Ave Maria would not let the victory slip away. The Gyrenes ran the final 8:43 off the clock with a 15-play drive, which included two third down conversions and a Thomas penalty that clinched the AMU victory.

Stiemke had another career game for the Gyrenes, running for 235 yards on 32 carries. Over the first five games of the season, the junior has 658 rushing yards, just 130 away from the school record with still five games on the schedule. AMU's defensive leaders were Bonney, with his six tackles and two forced fumbles, and Jackson, with five solo tackles and his interception returned for a touchdown.

Now holding a 1-1 record in Sun Conference play, the Gyrenes will prepare for the Homecoming game next Saturday against Webber International University. Kickoff from Gyrene Field is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.