Special to the Telegraph-Times-Monitor
Through nearly 60 years of Keystone Heights High School Football, the one thing that had always eluded the school was a victory in the FHSAA playoffs. They had tried 11 times and failed 11 times to achieve that goal.
That is no longer the case as Keystone beat the visiting Umatilla Bulldogs on Nov. 12 to earn the school’s first ever postseason win. While the Indians did not put as many points as they had against UHS in their 68-13 regular-season road victory, the defense did pitch a shutout this time around in the resounding 50-0 triumph.
The Indians (10-1) entered the game as the Region 2-4A third seed, which resulted in them hosting the sixth-seeded Bulldogs, with the winner earning the right to travel to The Villages to take on the region’s second-seeded Buffalo on Friday, Nov. 19, at 7:30 p.m.
Umatilla (6-5) won the toss and elected to receive, but the Bulldogs were unable to properly handle Jeremy Miller’s sky kick. Jackson Williams jumped on the ball to give the Indians possession in great field position at the UHS 33-yard line. Dalton Hollingsworth kicked off the opening drive with a 7-yard gain. He and Tyler Jenkins would trade handoffs over the next six plays before Jenkins would power through off left tackle for a 3-yard touchdown run. Hollingsworth would then run it in for the two-point conversion to put the home side up 8-0 with 9:01 remaining in the first quarter.
Miller’s kick was successfully fielded this time by Eli O’Brien, who returned it to the Umatilla 39-yard line, but a 2-yard loss, an incomplete pass, and a 6-yard completion later, the Bulldogs were facing a fourth-and-6 from their own 45. That is when the visitors showed they were willing to pull out all the stops in an attempt to upset a team that had already thrashed them in the regular season. UHS ran a fake-punt play in which the punter ran the option, but quickly after the lateral the attempt was shut down by Keystone’s Luke Snider at the Umatilla 45-yard line.
After the game, Indians Head Coach Chuck Dickinson said, “We talked about the fact they are going to onside kick it and to do those type things. We didn’t have anybody coming after the block this week, so we were more in a set defense other than one guy back deep (for the punt)”
The Bulldogs would get ball right back, however, as Keystone coughed it up and Umatilla’s Colby Causey fell on the football. UHS again failed to advance the ball, and after two incomplete passes and Mason Cannon being tackled by Logan Williams for no gain, they
would have to punt it away. This time, the Bulldogs would actually kick it, and Hollingsworth would field the line-drive kick and return it 68 yards for the apparent score. A holding call quieted the raucous crowd, and Keystone would have to begin the drive for the first time in their own territory at the 40-yard line.
Logan Williams took his first carry of the game 15 yards, which was followed by a 14-yard Jenkins carry that was called back, thanks to another holding call. Jenkins made up for it on the next play as he hurdled completely over a defender in a highlight-of-the-year type play en route to a 16-yard gain. Kade Sanders would then join the mix in the backfield and take it 23 yards to give KHHS first-and-goal at the 6. Hollingsworth would take care of the rest, following his blockers on his way to the end zone to put his side up two scores. Sanders was stopped on the two-point conversion attempt. With 4:24 to go in the opening stanza, the score stood 14-0 in favor of the Indians.
After returning the kick to the 38, Umatilla would once again go three-and-out, with a big 12-yard sack by Caleb Moncrief on third down to force fourth-and-26.
The Indians, after the punt, took over at their own 34 and went right back to the ground game. After a Jenkins 6-yard gain and a Hollingsworth carry for no gain, Keystone faced third down. Jenkins took the opportunity to turn on the jets and race 60 yards to paydirt to put the tribe up 20-0 with 1:02 still remaining in the first quarter. Logan Williams was denied on the two-point attempt, but the home side still was flexing its muscles.
“We’ve got five guys there we can rotate, and I’m going to go with whoever I feel is running the ball the best or who’s hot. I thought Kade came in did well rushing the ball and ran hard,” Dickinson said. “I mean, people know what we do, and we are going to continue to do that.”
Showing they still had some fight left in them, UHS returned the kick to the 50, and two completions later, they had their first first down of the contest with 34 seconds still to go in the opening quarter. However, the next two plays would be a screen pass for a loss and a Sanders sack. After Bulldogs quarterback Logan Bowling threw an incomplete pass on third down, his side would have to punt it away again.
Taking over at their own 36, the Indians would get everybody involved this time, with Hollingsworth, Logan Williams and Jenkins all taking turns carrying the ball before Sanders would get the call from 17 yards out and take it in for six. He was rewarded for his efforts by getting the carry on the two-point conversion attempt, and it was successful, putting his team up 28-0 with 5:28 still to go in the half.
O’Brien would return the KHHS kick to the 45 before being brought down by Hollingsworth, but a comedy of errors, including an incomplete pass and a false-start penalty, would lead to another three-and-out before having their punt partially blocked, giving the Indians the ball at the UHS 36.
This time, the drive took eight plays, but ended in the same fashion, with another Sanders rushing touchdown. The conversion attempt was no good, but Keystone led 34-0 with under a minute to play in the half, and they would take that lead into the locker room.
An excited Veterans Day crowd greeted their Indians to the second half, even doing the wave on the first drive of the half, and their team did not disappoint. On the third play of the half, Logan Williams scampered 44 yards to the end zone. Conner Guy then found Moncrief for a successful two-point try and at 42-0, the game was officially under the running-clock rules.
Umatilla would turn the ball over on their half of the field, and the Indians would begin to chew clock. KHHS would punch it in with 5:17 to go, and Miller would be the back that got the score this time. He put an exclamation point on the night by carrying it for the two-point conversion and what would be the final score of the night with 5:17 to go.
On the night, the Tribe rushed for 383 yards, with 145 from Jenkins, 96 from Logan Williams and 91 from Sanders. They would outgain the visitors on the night in the yardage department 394 to 61.
Dickinson seemed pleased with his team’s effort, saying, “I thought we played well tonight. Anytime you can shut out somebody, that’s a big thing.” He then added, “Other than the two turnovers, everything else was good.”
