“Home Sweet Home: Stetson Fires on All Cylinders in a 45-10 stomping of Webber International”
Week 2 | By: Caroline Booth
Stetson jumped out of the gate with an explosive start, taking advantage of its passing game and strong defense against Webber International. Thanks to some flower power for an 81-yard receiving touchdown by junior running back Troy Flowers, Stetson never looked back.
The Hatters got the ball right back and punched in another touchdown with a 2-yard run from Sophomore running back Michael Dempsey to make it 14-0.
By the middle of the second quarter, Stetson had already accumulated a total of 241 receiving yards to Webber’s measly 17 yards. That difference through the air allowed the Hatters to maintain offensive pressure and kept Webber’s defense on its heels.
“Offensively, we were able to get into a rhythm. We took care of football, which is huge,” Head Coach Mike Jasper said.
Junior Quarterback and North Texas-transfer Thomas von Grote did just that, settling in the pocket with poise delivering strikes from sideline to sideline. Von Grote completed 12-for-14 of his passes to start the game.The Hatters kept finding opportunities downfield, while the defense prevented Webber from establishing any consistent offensive rhythm.
Stetson capped off their first half air raid with a 41-yard dart pass over the middle to Senior slot receiver Wyatt Rogers to make it 28-0, padding on the lead.
Just when you thought it wasn’t going to get any better, Junior Kicker Paul DeSousa drilled a 49-yard field goal as time expired, putting Stetson up 31-0 and earning DeSousa PFL special team Player of the Week.
“There’s no substitute for violence and physicality. We honed in on that this week,” Jasper pointed out.
Stetson’s key on defense was shutting down Webber’s running back D’Markus Mathis, their biggest offensive threat, leading them to hold the Warriors for just 59 yards of total offense in the first half.
After an electric start to the first half, Stetson came out of the locker room blazing in the second, leading a strong drive capped with a 22-yard touchdown by Junior wideout Shawne Jones. Stetson kept up the strong offensive pressure throughout the third quarter, building a 38-0 lead.
Webber finally got on the board with a 38-yard field goal midway through the third quarter, but Stetson responded with the legs of Junior Quarterback Chris Stephenson. He provided the biggest plays on the ground, rushing for 113 yards and two touchdowns on just three carries. Both scores came on 57-yard runs in the fourth quarter to make it 45-3
When asked about Stephenson, Coach Jasper said, “Chris is a phenomenal athlete and an even better person. He is a huge leader in our locker room in many ways”
After the Hatters 45-10 win at home and their first of the season, Coach Jasper is hungry for more.
“We have to catch the ball and get vertical in space,” and they had to work on their run game,” Jasper mentioned while highlighting the adjustment made from week 1 to 2 that got Stetson going in the right direction.
Next up, The Hatters turn their attention to their next opponent, on Saturday in Daytona Beach against Bethune-Cookman, in a first-ever clash in the program’s history.
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