AVE MARIA, Fla. — There are three certainties in life: death, taxes, and an exciting football game at Gyrene Field during Homecoming. For the fourth year in a row, the Ave Maria Football team secured the win on Homecoming night, beating the Warner Royals 22-20. For the second straight year, it was a comeback win for the Gyrenes, as Ave Maria scored the winning touchdown with just 97 seconds left on the clock.
Warner flexed their muscles early, scoring a touchdown on the opening drive of the game. The Royals traveled 75 yards in seven plays to claim the first seven points.
The two teams handed the ball back and fourth a couple of times before the Gyrenes lit up the scoreboard late in the first quarter. The Gyrenes covered 80 yards in just six plays as they tried to one-up the Royals. Big plays in the drive consisted of Logan Howard connecting with Oliver Neiman for 34 yards and a 19-yard rush from Javien Durham. The freshman running back Durham closed the drive with a 21-yard touchdown run.
Ave Maria was all set to kick the PAT and tie the game, but an offsides penalty against the Royals moved the ball up to the 1-yard line. The Gyrenes elected to try the shortened two-point conversion, but could not cross the goal line, leaving them one point behind the Royals at 7-6.
The first quarter ended with the Ave Maria defense converting their first turnover of the game as Johnny Nedwick picked off Warner's Traven Green. It was Nedwick's third career interception and first of the season.
Ave Maria got all the way to the 2-yard line on the following drive but was kept out of the end zone as Warner got a turnover on downs.
The Royals extended their lead on the next drive, kicking a field goal to go up 10-6.
A three-and-out stalled the Gyrenes on the next possession. Warner looked to take a two-possession lead, but the defense had other plans.
Warner's Green was looking deep on the first play of the drive, but connected with Ave Maria's Justin Jean-Louis instead, who logged the second interception of the game. Like Nedwick, it was Jean-Louis' first pick of the season.
Another Ave Maria punt led to a Warner field goal, and the Royals took a touchdown lead.
The largest margin of the game did not last long though as Joshua Raphael made a house call on the following kickoff. Raphael received the ball at the three and took it back 97 yards to bring the Gyrenes within one point. It is the first kickoff returned for a touchdown for the Gyrenes since November 2, 2024, when Roman Newkirk also took a kick back on Homecoming against the Royals. Raphael's return is the second-longest kickoff return in program history.
Jeremy Burch nailed the PAT to tie the game at 13 with 1:41 left in the first half.
Special teams struck again for the Gyrenes on the very next play. After Ave Maria took a kick back, Warner bobbled the next kickoff and the Gyrenes pounced on the ball. Christian Lozada, who blocked a returned a punt for a touchdown earlier in the season, was the one to fall on the ball and set the Gyrenes up at the Warner 15-yard line.
Ave Maria settled for a field goal on that drive, with Burch knocking through a 33-yard kick, and took a 16-13 lead into the break.
Both teams got a slow start to the third quarter, with a turnover on downs, punt and interception to end the first three drives.
Warner retook the lead in the middle of the frame, scoring a touchdown to make it 20-16 with 5:15 remaining in the third quarter.
Both defenses settled in and forced three straight punts from the other team. Ave Maria bobbled one punt in the fourth quarter, giving Warner a second chance, but the Gyrene defense continued to hold strong and forced yet another punt.
With 6:34 left to play in the ballgame, Ave Maria was down to potentially their last chance with the ball and had 93 yards of green in front of them. Luckily for the Gyrenes, long, sustaining drives have been their bread and butter all season long. Slowly but surely, Ave Maria moved the ball down the field, getting timely completions and a couple of penalties from the Royals.
Crunch time hit under the two-minute timeout when the Gyrenes missed a pass on 3
rd and 1, setting up a crucial fourth down. On a do or die play, Ave Maria placed the ball in the hands of quarterback Logan Howard, who skirted his way up four yards to keep the drive going.
On the very next play, Howard called his number again and dashed 26 yards, bumping off two defenders into the end zone for the go ahead touchdown. It was the second rushing touchdown of the season for Howard and the 10
th of his career.
"That final drive really epitomizes who he is as a competitor and [his] ability to lead this team," said Head Coach Joe Patterson about Howard.
Ave Maria missed the PAT, keeping the score at 22-20 and leaving the door open just enough for the Royals. However, the Ave Maria defense emphatically slammed the door shut.
After getting three stops, Warner was down to their last play to stay in the ballgame. The Royals tried to go through the air one more time, but Johnny Nedwick, already with one interception on night, deflected the pass and secured the victory for the Gyrenes.
Ave Maria lined up in victory formation on the next play to close out the game and win their fourth straight Homecoming.
"Last night as we met, we talked about players making plays. It was going to come down to a game of plays and that's what it came down to," said Patterson after the game. "I thought that throughout the game, the defense did a tremendous job and to set up a 93-yard drive to close it out speaks to the idea that there is no quit [in this team]."
Through the air, Howard went 12-for-29 for 131 yards and one interception. His leading receiver was Nieman with three catches for 46 yards.
On the ground, Durham led the team with 48 yards on nine carries, followed by Howard with 31 yards on 15 carries. Both players scored a touchdown.
Defensively, Elijah Douge led the team with two sacks for a loss of 18 yards. Evan Bolick also logged a sack. Nedwick led the team with nine tackles and two pass breakups.
With the win, Ave Maria improves to 5-3 overall and 3-1 in conference play. The Gyrenes are tied with the Keiser Seahawks for second place in the Sun Conference standings with a 3-1 record.
The Gyrenes are on the road for their next two games before closing out the regular season at home. The first of those two games is against the Keiser Seahawks who dropped down to the No. 10 in the NAIA Rankings after to falling to the St. Thomas Bobcats. Keiser beat Webber 21-7 October 24 to remain tied with the Gyrenes for second place in the conference. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. from West Palm Beach and the game will be streamed live on the Sun Digital Network.
