BY CLIFF SMELLEY
Keystone Heights High School entered the 2023 football season off of just two wins in 2022, but the Indians got back on track, going 6-4 and qualifying for the playoffs for the fourth time in five years before finishing the year at 6-5.
Head Coach Steve Reynolds said he wished the season hadn’t ended with a 36-10 loss to Yulee in the first round of the playoffs, but added that making the postseason was a reward for the players’ efforts.
“I would say it was really validating for the kids for their hard work, their commitment and buy-in,” Reynolds said.
The 2024 offense will be without graduated running back Cartez Daniels, who accounted for almost 70 percent of the team’s rushing yards, but Reynolds is excited about the players in the mix at running back as well as the fact the team returns its starting quarterback and an experienced offensive line.
Colton Hollingsworth was second on the team in rushing last year, making the most of his touches, averaging 7.2 yards per carry. He’ll certainly have the chance to carry the ball more than the 21 times he did last season. In fact, he’ll touch the ball at multiple positions, as Reynolds said Hollingsworth will also line up at slot receiver.
“He’s a dynamic player,” Reynolds said of Hollingsworth, who scored four touchdowns in Keystone’s spring jamboree. “He’s a patient runner, he’s tough, he runs good routes and he’s got solid hands.”
Zane Leger will also carry the ball. Reynolds described him as “big, low, strong, physical and quicker than people realize.”
Blocking the way for those backs is a line that brings back plenty of experience despite graduating a couple of key players. Though Jackson Herman didn’t start on the offensive line last year, he certainly could’ve, Reynolds said. The depth the team had at offensive line and the need it had on the defensive line made Herman primarily a defensive player. However, he has experience on both sides of the ball, dating back to his freshman year in 2021.
The line also consists of such players as Luke Bacorn, Pete Bostic, Bryce Daniels, Jackson Faul and Ted Westbrooks. Those players, along with Herman, are six “pretty good, physical, strong kids,” Reynolds said.
Keystone’s offensive line was already doing a “pretty decent job” of run blocking, Reynolds said, adding, “In the spring and throughout the summer, I’ve seen their pass protection improve, which is good to see and big for us because we’re throwing the ball a little bit.”
The Indians attempted 148 passes last season, which was 49 more attempts than the 2021 and 2022 seasons combined. Baylor Ford returns after completing 66 of 140 passes last year for 1,016 yards and 11 touchdowns. Reynolds is eager to see how Ford builds off an offseason of polishing his footwork and improving his timing.
“We’ve very excited about how he’s progressed,” Reynolds said, adding that he thinks the biggest jump in Ford’s game will be not locking on one receiver and doing a better job of reading defenses and going with his best option.
Reynolds said Ford looked good in the spring jamboree.
“We didn’t ask him to throw a lot in the spring, but he made some nice throws,” Reynolds said.
The top four receivers from last year (Darrion Grady, Andru Siemer, Garrison Teague and Wyatt Van Zant) have graduated, but Reynolds likes what he’s got in players such as Tallon Campbell, Jackson Parmeter and Tyler Sapp — players who got experience on junior varsity and varsity because of the six-quarter rule.
“Those three guys are returning players who are going to make a lot of plays for us because they competed at both the varsity and JV levels and developed,” Reynolds said.
As already mentioned, Herman was an integral part of the defensive line last year. Reynolds said Bostic will be a key member of that unit along with Herman.
“I think Pete’s athleticism and his strength are huge tools for him,” Reynolds said. “He and (Herman) both do a good job of playing with their hands and reading blocks.”
Reynolds said Bostic and Herman had the most playing time of the returning linemen, but added that Bacorn also saw a lot of action. The coach said the team will be counting on Daniels and Westbrooks to contribute as well.
Due to numbers, those players are going to have to play both defensive and offensive lines. Reynolds did say, though, that the team has a couple of freshmen that he expects to be in the defensive-line mix.
The linebacking corps returns experience in the form of such players as Leger, Kyle Perkins and Layton Wright.
Hollingsworth and Parmeter will man the safety positions in the secondary. Hollingsworth is a returning starter who led the team in tackles last season. He’ll be counted on a lot with the graduation of safety Van Zant.
“I really like how steady he is every day, working on his craft,” Reynolds said of Hollingsworth. “He reminds me a lot of Van Zant in that regard, and it’s probably because they spent so much time playing next to each other.”
Parmeter played corner last year. Reynolds said though he didn’t start the whole season, he did gain a lot of experience in the secondary. In fact, he had two interceptions, which led the team.
“I like his energy and the enthusiasm to get more reps and continuously improve his game,” Reynolds said.
Other players who figure to be contributors to the secondary include Campbell, Sapp and Andrew Wilson.
Sapp returns to handle placekicking duties and is one of two kickers on the roster along with Ryder Thomas. Sapp made 90 percent of his extra-point attempts in 2023 and kicked two field goals — one of which was a game-winner.
The Indians will travel to Orange Park to play Ridgeview in a preseason kickoff classic on Friday, Aug. 16, at 7 p.m. Keystone begins the season in earnest at Interlachen on Friday, Aug. 23, at 7:30 p.m.
Keystone plays its first home game on Friday, Aug. 30, against Union County at 7:30 p.m.
