Faulkner holds off Webber International in season opener

August 29

LAKE WALES, FLa. - With all-conference linebacker Sean Thom and seven other starters having succumbed to cramps and the oppressive heat, the Faulkner defense needed a shot in the arm. And it came from defensive backs Anthony Haywood and Quinton Prothro, who both forced fumbles in the closing minutes as the Eagles escaped with a heart-stopping 17-16 victory over Webber International here at Legion Field Saturday afternoon.

The win made Gregg Baker's debut as a collegiate head football coach a successful one, with the depleted Faulkner team dodging flying bullets the entire fourth quarter. Haywood and Prothro's heroics, combined with a missed 47-yard Warrior field goal with 2:21 left, resulted in a water cooler shower for Baker - one he welcomed with a gigantic smile.

"I just can't describe what these young men battled through today and what this day will always mean to me and my family," said Baker, who clutched the game ball as if he'd never let it go. "In the fourth quarter we had so many guys out, and desperately needed to make plays and we did it. I've coached football for a long time, and I've never been more proud of a group of guys than I am right now."

It was an emotional afternoon for the entire Faulkner team, which had dedicated the season to fallen teammates Teirson Hollis and Ryne Wilhite, who died in a car accident last April. The team wore a memorial sticker on their helmets, and players and coaches alike payed tribute to the pair as the final seconds ticked off the clock.

"We played with 13 today against their 11, there's no question about that," an emotional Baker said. "This team became closer on the heels of that tragedy, and how we all stuck together today was a direct result of that. It was just an amazing day."

Clinging to the one-point lead with less five minutes to play, Prothro stripped Webber's Rupert Webley of the football at the Eagles' 12 and Harrison Gore recovered for Faulkner. Unable to make a first down and forced to punt, Jared Corder's kick was partially blocked and the Warriors had it back at the Faulkner 26 with 3:50 left. The short-handed Eagle defenders rose to the occasion yet again, with Emmanuel Grier knocking tailback Iziah Wyche down for a 4-yard loss on third-and-10. Webber's Mason Prater then hooked a 47-yard field goal try wide left, and the Eagles had it back.

The Webber defense provided one more opportunity, stuffing the Eagles on three downs forcing another punt with 42 seconds on the clock. This time Corder got it away, with the Warriors' Andre Edwards catching the punt at the Webber 45. Haywood quickly forced the ball free, and recovered it himself to send the Faulkner sideline into a frenzy. Freshman quarterback Joe Scott, who scored the Eagles' only offensive touchdown on a 30-yard, first-half run, took a knee to end it.

"It's a day I'll never forget,'' said Scott, who just a week ago was the Eagles' third team quarterback but was thrust into duty when Trey Martin and T. J. Jacobs were unable to play. "To be able to have our team win my first college game is just unbelievable. We're just all so happy for coach Baker."

Webber drove 77 yards midway through the first quarter to take the lead. A 60-yard pass from Torrence Moise to Edwards was the drive's big play, setting up Webley's 5-yard scamper into the end zone for the touchdown. The extra point was missed, but the Warriors led 6-0 with 5:17 left in the opening quarter.

Faulkner special teams evened the score late in the quarter, when Haywood blocked a Webber punt and Prothro scooped it up and sprinted 15 yards to the end zone for an Eagles' touchdown. A bad snap resulted in a missed extra point, leaving the game tied at 6.

The Eagles marched 63 yards early in the second quarter to grab the lead. Scott, who completed 11 of 26 passes for 95 yards on the afternoon, found Jerell Williams and Lincoln Taylor on key short passes that kept the drive alive, setting up Scott's scamper. On third-and-2 from the Warrior 30, the Warner Robbins, Ga., product cut back on a quarterback keeper and outran the Webber defenders to the corner of the end zone. Scott then found A.J. Yelder in the back of the end zone for the two-point conversion, and the Eagles' led 14-6 with 7:16 to play in the half.

Prater's 33-yard field goal at 3:08 mark sent the teams to halftime with Faulkner on top 14-9.

Faulkner missed a great opportunity to take control of the game in the opening minutes of the third quarter when, after Q. Braswell returned the second half kickoff 80 yards to the Webber 5, the offense could not punch it in, having to settle for Corder's 23-yard field goal that pushed the lead to 17-9.

The Warriors drew closer on their ensuing possession, marching 65 yards for a touchdown. The score came when Moise found Edwards, who caught nine passes for 150 yards, from 23 yards out with 10:26 left in the third quarter. Webber head coach Kelly Scott opted to kick the extra point instead of going for two, cutting the Faulkner lead to one, an advantage the gutsy Eagle defense refused to give up.

The Eagles managed only 164 yards on 48 offensive plays, while the Warriors amassed 313 yards on 71 plays. The two late turnovers, however, allowed Baker to celebrate.

"We've got a lot of getting better to do," Baker said. "We'll get back to work immediately to try and correct our mistakes. We'll need to be much better when we play Huntingdon. I can promise you that."

Faulkner travels cross-town to face the Hawks on Sept. 12 in the third annual Capital City Showdown.