VALDOSTA, Ga. - The No.15 Blazers host first time opponent Warner for their second game of the season on Thursday, Sept. 3 at 7 p.m.

Last week, Valdosta State opened the season with a 38-10 victory over the Emory & Henry Wasps.

Quarterback Champ Harris was solid in his Blazer debut, going 8 of 16 for 93 yards and two touchdowns, while running for 45 yards and a rushing touchdown.

The ground game clicked on all cylinders with Shawn Paschall rushing for 127 yards on 10 carries; highlighted by an 89-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter. Leon Washington, Jr. also had a big game, taking his only carry 81 yards to the house. Finally, Matthew Wilson was a steady workhorse with 11 carries for 46 yards.

Defensively, Valdosta State stonewalled the Wasps' offense, holding them to only 71 yards on the ground and 159 yards through the air. The defense also held Emory & Henry to just 2 of 12 on third downs.

On Special Teams, the Blazers were dynamic, with sophomore Brett Fitzgerald knocking through a 44-yard field goal and fellow sophomore Lucas Edenfield controlling field position, punting five times for 224 yards, with two going more than 50 yards and one landing inside the 20. His efforts earned him GSC Special Teams Player of the Week honors.
 

Scouting the Royals

This matchup serves as the season opener for the Royals.

In their 2025 campaign Warner went 2-8 overall with a 2-5 mark in the NAIA Sun Conference standings placing seventh.

Last season, the Royals scored an average of 19.6 points per game with 1351 rushing yards and 1737 passing yards on the season as a team. The Royals return their leading rusher Jamarian Robinson who led the offense with four of the team's 14 rushing touchdowns. Warner also returns their leading passer in Micheal Ryan who threw for six touchdowns and 1144 passing yards.

On defense Reginald Jones returns as the team's third-leading tackler with 35 total stops on the season. He also added in four pass breakups and a pick.

As a reminder Valdosta State will be instating a clear bag policy. This policy is for all ticketed sports including baseball, men's and women's basketball, football, soccer, softball, and volleyball and will be in effect for both regular season and postseason contests. For more information on permitted bags, please visit this clear bag policy link: https://www.vstateblazers.com/clearbag

For questions regarding the Clear Bag Policy, please contact the Valdosta State Athletics Ticket Office at (229) 333-SEAT (7328) for additional information. 

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