BY DAN HILDEBRAN
Keystone Heights outpaced Interlachen 28-14 in the first half of its spring football jamboree in Orange Park and outscored host Ridgeview 7-0 in two more quarters.
The Indians’ outing got off to an inauspicious start against the Rams when Interlachen scored on an 80-yard pass play to open the half.
Keystone Coach Steve Reynolds said his defensive back in coverage had his eyes on the wrong spot.
“And then you watch the same kid a couple plays later make a tremendous pass breakup, learning from rep after rep after rep of being in the game,” Reynolds said. “Sometimes it takes something like that to wake you up and realize, all right, look, man, you know what to do. Just go out there and have fun and execute.”
The Indians battled back against the Putnam County team, keyed on the running of Colton Hollingsworth and Zane Leger.
Jackson Parmeter also stood out with a 60-yard reception and a touchdown-saving interception.
Reynolds said watching his players take on two teams in after weeks of intrasquad scrimmages was enjoyable.
“I thought we had a great spring,” he said. “I thought the kids caught onto the concepts and the installation that we put in, and watching them play was a lot of fun.”
Reynolds said one priority for him this spring was to see which skilled players would fill the void left by graduating seniors.
“We lost quite a few receivers and defensive backs, and we needed to find a running back,” the coach said. “So, watching our skill group develop and then come alive in the game and play so well was really good.”
Reynolds added that quarterback Baylor Ford continues to develop, particularly when facing pressure from incoming linemen.
“He’s not looking at the pass rush,” Reynolds said. “He’s feeling it. He reads the coverages quicker and better now. His development has come along nicely. We’re pleased.”
The coach also said his seasoned offensive line played well, anchored by center Bryce Daniels.
He added that lineman Jackson Herman has been a varsity contributor to some extent on both sides of the ball since he was a freshman.
“His leadership, his commitment and dedication are shown every day,” the coach said of Herman. “And then you’ve got these guys like Pete Bostic and Luke Bacorn, Bryce Daniels, Jackson Faul and Teddy Westbrooks. We’ve got a lot of really, really good players. And then we got some good backups that can come in and help out if they need to.”
