BY DAN HILDEBRAN
Keystone Heights employed three consecutive onside kicks in the first quarter, then recorded a safety for a 23-6 halftime lead, and then held on to beat Ridgeview 23-20 in the two teams’ preseason matchup in Orange Park.
Running back Zane Leger and quarterback Baylor Ford provided most of the offensive firepower for the visiting Indians. Leger rushed for 101 yards on 14 carries and scored a touchdown for Keystone.
Ford tossed one touchdown pass to Jackson Parmeter and scrambled into the endzone for a second score, completing five passes for 56 yards.
The Indians also recorded a safety just before halftime.
Keystone Coach Steve Reynolds described his team’s play as less than perfect.
“We got some questionable calls that I didn’t like,” he added. “But you know what? Sometimes, things don’t happen the way you want. You have to learn how to step up and deal with the adversity, and I felt like they’ve done that all night tonight together. It wasn’t perfect, and I didn’t expect it to be, but it’s what I want to see from a comradery and a group effort standpoint.”
The Indians started the game with a successful onside kick in which the visitors recovered the ball on the Panther 42. Keystone then completed a seven-play drive with Leger hitting rushes of 9, 13, 5, and 8 yards. The junior who started at linebacker for the Indians last year and saw action at tight end finished the drive with a 7-yard run.
Reynolds said Leger played fullback in junior high and wanted an opportunity to get back into the backfield.
“We gave him a shot in the spring and man, look at him go,” the coach said of Leger. “He gets after it. He’s a big, strong load.”
The coach described his other backfield workhorse, Colton Hollingsworth, as his changeup pitch.
“Everybody knows he’s got speed, and he’s tough as nails,” Reynolds said of Hollingsworth. “We’re excited about that combination.”
After Keystone’s initial score, Ridgeview struck back with a 47-yard touchdown run by Christian Felder. However, the Panthers failed to convert the point after touchdown and trailed 7-6 with 8:04 left in the first quarter.
Keystone got the ball back on its own 40 after Ridgeview’s kickoff sailed out of bounds.
Ford then completed a 13-yard strike to Tallon Campbell and an 11-yard touchdown toss to Parmeter, highlighting a 60-yard, seven-play drive. Tyler Sapp punched through his second extra point for the night, giving the Indians a 14-6 lead with 4:18 left in the first quarter.
The Indians then employed a sky kick, which a Ridgeview player caught and then dropped at the Panther 30. Keystone recovered the ball but could not capitalize on the turnover, giving up possession with its own fumble.
With under four minutes remaining in the half, the Indians took advantage of a short Ridgeview punt, getting possession on the Panther 40.
After a three-yard run by Leger, Ford scrambled for a 37-yard touchdown. Sapp tacked on the PAT, and the Indians extended their lead to 21-7.
On the ensuing kickoff, a Panther player, apparently shaken by the Indians’ previously successful onside kicks, called for a fair catch on his eight-yard line with no one around him. On the next play, an errant snap forced Ridgeview quarterback Jack Buchholtz to fall on the ball in his endzone, giving the Indians a two-point safety and a 23-6 lead at the half.
Ridgeview mounted two successful scoring drives in the fourth quarter, failing on one two-point conversion and succeeding on the second, resulting in a final Indian victory of 23-20.
Reynolds said he was pleased with how personnel groupings created mismatches and formations gave his players leverage advantages.
“And at the same time,” he added, “we’re getting kids off the field so they can rest and play defense, too. Roster management is something I’m pumped about.”
The Indians begin their 2024 season Friday night in Interlachen at 7:30 p.m.
