WEST PALM BEACH – Saturday night’s (Nov. 9) homecoming game for No. 10 Keiser was one to remember.
After going into halftime with a 24-12 deficit, it was the Asfunso Elam Show the rest of the way.
The Seahawks starting running back set a school record, as he rushed for 268 yards to go with his two second half touchdowns. And he did it by playing fast, which is the primary motto that head coach Doug Socha has set in motion.
Elam got a lot of help from the Keiser offensive line, which consistently overpowered the St. Thomas defensive line by wearing them down in the second half.
“The o-line set their blocks and I just hit the hole,” Elam said. “They did their job.”
One of Elam’s best plays came on the final play of the third quarter, when he torched the St. Thomas defense by zipping past its defenders for a blistering 36-yard touchdown run. His score completed the comeback effort for Keiser, which scored 20 unanswered pointed in the third quarter to take a 32-24 lead.
After St. Thomas tied the game at 32-32 with a pick-six and two-point conversion with 10:07 left in the game, it was Elam who finished the opposition off.
With 7:32 left in the fourth quarter, Elam powered his way past the St. Thomas for a game-winning 52-yard fun that effectively sealed the deal.
“It was a really good job on our team just battling through,” Socha said. “I’m proud of the way they played till the end and they finished and they found a way. I’m happy with the win.”
Keiser (8-0, 5-0 Mid-South Conference) had another milestone met on Saturday against St. Thomas.
In what went down as a career achievement for the Seahawks, linebacker Maurice Murphy Jr. (Clewiston alum) surpassed 100 tackles for his collegiate career. He consistently gets the job done in a relatively quiet fashion, which is his preferred style of play.
In addition to that, Seahawks defensive back Sage-Chen Young (Wellington alum) caught a timely interception in the second half, which played a big role in his team’s comeback win over the Bobcats (3-6, 1-4 Sun Conference).
In eight games played this season, Chen-Young now has 41 tackles (1 TFL), six interceptions five pass breakups, a forced fumble, and a blocked kick.
Seahawks quarterback Eli Matthews (Palm Beach Gardens alum) threw for 193 yards and had two touchdown passes, with one each to wide receiver/Oxbridge Academy alum Carlos Silencieux (7-yard touchdown catch in the first half) and tight end Jaylen Arnold (21 catches, 278 yards, 5 TD’s in 8 games played) on a 9-yard end zone pass that put their team up 26-24 with 1:57 left in the third frame.
On special teams, kicker Logan Robinson (Wellington alum) hit a 29-yard field goal in the first quarter, which tied the game up at 3-3 with 55 seconds left. He also finished the game with four extra points made.
Davion Cross started the second-half comeback with a blocked punt for a touchdown, which cut the St. Thomas lead from 24-12 to 24-19.
FINAL REGULAR SEASON GAME: Saturday, Nov. 16 at home vs. Ave Maria (5-4, 3-2 Mid-South Conference), 5 p.m. kickoff
PHOTO CREDIT: Keiser University
