WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — The Ave Maria Football team had a tough time generating offense Saturday afternoon as the Gyrenes fell to the Keiser Seahawks 30-13. The Gyrenes kept it close in the first half, but the Seahawks pulled away in the final two quarters.
After the first three straight three-and-outs between the two squads to start the game, Keiser opened the scoring with a touchdown late in the first quarter. The Gyrene defense forced a 4
th and 1 in the red zone and then got a little more help from a false start call that made it 4
th and 6. Keiser gambled anyway and ended up scoring with a 22-yard touchdown.
On the following kickoff, Joshua Raphael thought he tied it up with what would have been his second house call of the season. Unfortunately for the Gyrenes, a holding call backed them up to the 25-yard-line. The Gyrenes then punted for the third time a few plays later.
The Seahawks took a two-score lead on the next drive with their second touchdown of the afternoon. A missed PAT kept the score at 13-0.
The Gyrenes logged their first first down of the game at the start of the second quarter. Ave Maria ended converting two more first downs on a drive that led to a 48-yard field goal from Jeremy Burch. Burch had attempted three field goals from 40-49 yards earlier in the season, but this was his first make from that distance.
After the score, the Gyrenes started to develop a little momentum as Marco Casci picked off Keiser on the following drive. It was the first turnover of the game for either defense and the first collegiate career interception for the junior transfer linebacker. The pick kept Keiser from scoring as the Seahawks had moved the ball into the Gyrene red zone.
Ave Maria was forced to punt again on the next drive, but Burch made it a very effective punt as he booted the ball 70 yards down the field. It is the longest punt in Ave Maria football history, passing the previous high of 65 yards. The ball went out of bounds at the Keiser 4-yard line, pinning the Seahawks deep in their own territory.
Keiser logged a couple of big plays to dig out of the poor starting field position, but an incomplete pass on fourth down turned the ball over to the Gyrenes with a minute left to play in the half.
The Gyrenes then put together their best drive of the half, traveling 41 yards in six plays to get to the Keiser 35-yard line. Ave Maria picked up most of those yards with a 34-yard pass from Logan Howard to Drew Mabrito.
AMU trotted out Burch to attempt a very long field goal to end the half. The freshman had already set his season-high with a 48-yard field goal at the start of the half and he did not disappoint, knocking down a 52-yard field goal as time expired. It is the first 50+ yard field goal for Ave Maria since 2019, when Derek McCormick hit a 55-yard field goal against St. Thomas.
After 30 minutes of play, the Gyrenes trailed by just a touchdown at 13-6.
Both teams started the third quarter with a punt. On the third drive of the frame, Keiser put together a very long drive that ended in a touchdown. The Seahawks ran 19 plays from scrimmage and drained 9:48 off the clock as they took a 20-6 lead.
The Gyrenes took over the football with just 26 seconds remaining in the quarter, and all but one play of their second drive of the half took place in the fourth quarter.
That drive unfortunately did not go the Gyrenes way. On fourth down, the snap sailed over Burch's head into the end zone and Keiser fell on it for their fourth touchdown of the ball game.
Ave Maria moved the ball into plus territory on the next drive, but another fumble from the Gyrenes halted AMU in the red zone.
After a drive from each offense that did not go anywhere, Keiser scored their final points of the afternoon with a 35-yard field to make it 30-6.
The Gyrenes took over with 3:14 left to play in the game and put together their best drive of the game. Ave Maria traveled 75 yards in 10 plays and ended with a 20-yard touchdown pass from Howard to Raphael. A good PAT from Jake Matigian made it 30-13.
With a 1:45 left on the clock, Ave Maria tried for an on-side kick, but Keiser recovered the football. The Seahawks ran out the clock to end the game.
The Gyrenes finished the game with more passing yards than Keiser. Howard went 18-for-32 for 194 yards and one touchdown. The Seahawks threw for just 175 yards. Raphael was the leading receiver with six receptions for 67 yards and the touchdown.
What hurt the Gyrenes was finishing with negative two rushing yards as they could not establish the run.
Adam Denver led the defense with nine total tackles. Nate Harrison logged both tackles for a loss for the Gyrenes, including a sack in the fourth quarter.
With the loss, Ave Maria falls to 5-4 overall and 3-2 in conference play. The Gyrenes entered Saturday tied with Keiser for second place in the conference but are now tied for third with Southeastern and Florida Memorial, their final two opponents of the season.
Ave Maria is on the road again for their next game, taking a trip over to Miami Gardens to take on the Florida Memorial Lions. The last time the two teams met, Ave Maria pulled off their largest comeback in program history, erasing a 26-point deficit and winning 44-39. The Gyrenes would like to not play from behind in the 2026 edition of the rivalry but are looking forward to defending their win from last season. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. and the game will be streamed live on the Sun Digital Network.
