Keiser falls short in home debut
Georgetown holds off late comeback.
WEST PALM BEACH — It was a historic day for Keiser University. And it nearly came with a miracle ending.
Roughly a decade after the idea of a football program was first floated, and after three long road trips to begin their inaugural season, the Seahawks finally played their first home game Saturday.
The record book will show a mistake-filled 21-15 loss to Georgetown (Ky.) College, a decorated program ranked ninth in the NAIA Coaches Poll that won national titles in 2000 and 2001 under current coach Bill Cronin.
The reality is that the arrival of this day was a victory for the school’s West Palm Beach campus.
“This university is all in,” said Keiser coach Doug Socha, the former Oxbridge Academy and American Heritage coach. “So many people are working to make this happen. Today was an awesome day.”
Keiser
The Seahawks, who went 2-1 on that season-opening stretch through Kentucky, Virginia and Tennessee, almost gave their fans a memorable finish.
Trailing 21-3, Keiser scored two touchdowns in the final minute, with a converted onside kick in between. Tyrese Lyons ran 37 yards for a touchdown, then Jaylen Arnold caught a 40-yard scoring pass from Eli Mathews to make it a one-score game with 25 seconds left.
But the Seahawks, who start 16 freshmen, needed one more onside kick to bounce their way. It didn’t. And suddenly those 12 penalties, two blocked field-goal attempts and two missed extrapoint attempts loomed larger against the opportunistic Tigers (3-1).
“We’ve just got to do a better job of making it a better product on the field,” Socha said. “We have to hate losing. There were unforced errors on offense. We’ve got to be better.”
The afternoon provided an endless array of firsts. The attendance on the final stat sheet read 1,500, a solid starting point considering the press box atop Keiser’s converted practice field was completed only four days earlier. The bleachers along both sidelines were full, and Seahawks fans also lined the standing-roomonly end zone. A healthy Georgetown contingent gave the setting a little orange amid the blue-andwhite sea of Keiser fans.
Those fans had their spirit shirts ready for the occasion. One read: “Seahawk Nation: Welcome to Your Nest.” Another stated simply: “This Is Football.”
There were other firsts. The Keiser University marching band, 11 members strong, took center stage for the first time. The Seahawks dance team taught the fans the new fight song.
“It was great to be a part of it,” said Mathews, a freshman from Palm Beach Gardens who never wilted in the intense heat, passing for 199 yards and rushing for 55. “There were a lot of people here.”
The Seahawks actually outgained the Tigers, 382 yards to 328. Lyons rushed for 84 yards on 14 carries and Arnold had six catches for 101 yards.