LAKE WALES, Fla. – Warner University Football kicks off Saturday at 12:00 p.m. The Royals take the field for the first time under new head coach Kirk Talley. 
 
Warner University and Cincinnati Christian have only met on the gridiron one time in the two schools history. On September 23^rd, 2017, the Royals came away with a convincing 28-7 victory over the Eagles. In that game, the Royals D.J. Davis threw for 230 yards and 2 TD's. Bryant Benton took 6 carries and netted 96 yards on the ground with a rushing TD. Jeffrey Suarez caught 2 passes for 74 yards and 2 TD's. 
 
Warner finished the 2018 Season with a record of 1-9 overall, and a Mid-South Conference record of 1-5. After trailing 31-14 at halftime against Faulkner University, The Royals used three straight TD's in the second half and held the Eagles to just a field goal winning 35-34. 
 
In 2018 the Royals finished with four top 25 rankings. #1 in PAT kicking with 1.000. #11 in Total Sacks against with 14. #20 in Kickoff returns yards per attempt with 20.8. #24 in 4^thdown conversions with 52.6%
 
The 2019 Season kicks off this Saturday. This will be the first game of the season for the Royals and also the first game under new head coach Kirk Talley. 
 
At Running Back the Royals lost 4 of their top 5 in the offseason only returning Javon Wilson. Wilson was 3^rdin total net yards in 2018 with 234 on 64 carries averaging 3.7 yards per carry.
 
Michael Young is slated to start at QB for the Royals after splitting time last season. In 2018, Young was a freshman. He completed 56 of 105 passes on the season throwing 4 TD's. He led the team with 723 passing yards averaging 90.4 yards per game. He was also known to scramble as he finished the season with 43 carries and 98 total yards netted on the ground with 2 rushing TD's.
 
Theodore Hammonds returns in the receiving core having been selected to the NAIA 2019 Senior Football Classic. Hammonds will be the only representative of the Royals and 1 of 116 seniors selected nationally representing 42 schools where they will play in front of fans and professional scouts. In 2018, Hammonds finished the season with 26 catches for 361 yards and a 13.9-yard average per catch with a 36-yard average per game. He hauled in 3 TD's with the longest being a 67-yard catch. The Royals lose the speedy Jeffrey Suarez that caught 25 passes for 475 yards for an average of 19 yards per catch and a per game average of 59 yards. Head Coach Kirk Talley said, "being selected for this NAIA Senior Game is a real blessing and honor for our team and for Theodore Hammonds. We are blessed to have him be a part of our program, as a player, and as a quality young man!"
 
 
Defensively the Royals lost a big tackler in Emmanuel Bien-Aime. Bien-Aime led the team in tackles with 59 and finished the year with 2 sacks. Another key loss was Drew Clark. Clark decimated offensive lines with 7.5 sacks for a loss of 33 total yards. Also had 18 tackles for losses of 79 yards. Darryl Weaver returns for his junior season. The native of Ft. Lauderdale has quickly established himself as the Royals top gun defensively. He finished the 2018 season with the second most tackles of 55 and also registered an interception. 
The Royals last winning season was posted in 2016 when they finished the season at 6-2 with a 4-1 Sun Conference record and only fell to NCAA DI Stetson University 30-15 and Southeastern University 52-44 in overtime.
 
This Saturday's game against the Eagles of Cincinnati Christian is scheduled for a 12:00 p.m. kickoff. To view the game head to www.warnerroyals.comor click HERE. To view live stats head towww.warnerroyals.comor click HERE.