BY CLIFF SMELLEY
Keystone Heights High School’s football team played Lafayette and West Nassau for two quarters each in a May 20 jamboree in Keystone, losing 14-0 to both.
The jamboree, which also included Interlachen, consisted of four matchups in all, with Interlachen playing West Nassau and Interlachen playing Lafayette. The second quarter of each game was played with a running clock.
Keystone’s defense struggled against West Nassau, which had two possessions and scored touchdowns on both, but had a much better performance against Lafayette. The Indians did give up a 35-yard touchdown pass on Lafayette’s first offensive play, but then held the Hornets to minus-9 yards the rest of the way.
Lafayette’s other score came courtesy of its defense on an interception return.
“Defensively, we are a lot closer than I anticipated,” KHHS Head Coach Steve Reynolds said. “That’s probably where most kids who are returning have the most experience.”
The offense was a different story. Keystone finished with 59 yards total in both games, with 40 of those coming on a run by Jagger Lancaster against Lafayette. The Indians had eight plays that lost yardage and turned the ball over twice against Lafayette.
“We put ourselves in bad position on offense,” Reynolds said, adding, “We’ve got to help ourselves out.”
Ultimately, though, Reynolds knows spring ball isn’t necessarily an indicator of how the fall season will go. He pointed out that Keystone defeated two teams in a spring jamboree in 2023 and then suffered two bad losses to open the regular season. In 2024, Keystone defeated two teams again in the spring, only to then experience a 2-8 regular season.
Reynolds said the spring game is “really about getting kids reps” and evaluating position battles as well as identifying areas that need work moving forward.
“We’ve got some spots to shore up still,” Reynolds said.
West Nassau 14 KHHS 0
In the matchup against West Nassau, the Warriors’ offense took to the field first, putting together a 75-yard scoring drive. Quarterback Pryce Arnold completed a 14-yard pass to convert a third-and-7 play, while a 9-yard run by Mo Green gave the Warriors a first down past midfield at the Keystone 46. Three straight carries by Skyler Freeman netted 33 yards, with his 23-yard run giving West Nassau a first down at the 13-yard line. The Warriors, after getting penalized for illegal procedure, got runs of 4 and 14 yards from Green and Freeman, respectively, with Freeman’s carry right through the middle of the defense resulting in a touchdown at the 6-minute mark of the first quarter.
The Warriors went for two after the score, but Avery Griffin’s run came up short when he was tackled by Colton Hollingsworth, leaving the score at 6-0.
Keystone’s first offensive series began with West Nassau’s Levi Bowler sacking Ryder Trull for a 7-yard loss. A fumbled handoff on the next play resulted in a loss of 5 yards. The Warriors did give Keystone’s offense new life, with roughing-the-passer and unsportsmanlike-conduct penalties giving the Indians a first down at their own 45, but the first play from there was a bad shotgun snap that resulted in a loss of 16 yards. After a 1-yard run by Kyle Perkins and an incomplete pass, Keystone punted.
The negative plays, of course, frustrated Reynolds.
“I don’t know about Bill Walsh or Don Coryell,” Reynolds said, referencing two Pro Football Hall of Fame coaches known as offensive masterminds, “but I don’t have a play for third-and-21.”
West Nassau began its second drive at its own 45. Tackles by Perkins and Pete Bostic helped force the Warriors into a fourth-and-5 play at the 50. West Nassau lined up to go for it, with quarterback Arnold drawing the Indians offsides for a first
down.
A fumble two plays later had the Warriors facing third-and-13, but they picked up the first down on a 14-yard reception by Kevin Carter. Running back Andi Ataiza the put West Nassau into the red zone as he bulled through several defenders on a 20-yard carry to the 14-yard line. A holding penalty later negated a 10-yard touchdown run by Griffin, but Ataiza scored on a 7-yard run that counted with 8:04 to play. Chris Messer had a successful run on the conversion attempt, putting the
Warriors up 14-0.
Quarterback Cole Crabtree had the best offensive play for the Indians on the ensuing series when he scrambled for a 22-yard gain. Hunter Crumpton had carries of 7 and 6 yards to give Keystone a first down past midfield, but a holding penalty put the Indians into long-yardage plays, with the game ending on an incomplete pass on third-and-18.
Factoring in the negative plays, the Indians rushed for just 11 yards, while its two quarterbacks had no completions on five attempts.
West Nassau gained 112 yards on the ground on 18 carries and finished with 140 total yards.
Lafayette 14 KHHS 0
After West Nassau and Lafayette both defeated Interlachen, Keystone took to the field again to play Lafayette and wrap up the jamboree.
The offensive struggles continued. After two run plays failed to produce any yardage, a pass was picked off by Jack Stewart and returned approximately 23 yards for a touchdown less than two minutes into the game. The Hornets, after the extra point, led 7-0.
Keystone punted on its next series after running three negative plays that resulted in a total loss of 9 yards.
One play was all Lafayette needed to add to its point total, with Tucker Higginbotham throwing a 35-yard touchdown pass to Parker Hill. Another successful extra-point attempt capped the game’s scoring.
The defense rebounded on Lafayette’s next series. After the Hornets were penalized for holding, Hollingsworth made a tackle for a 2-yard loss. Luke Bacorn then had an 8-yard sack. The Hornets gained 16 yards on a pass play, but then had an incomplete pass on fourth-and-14, turning the ball over to Keystone at the Lafayette 31.
A 5-yard run by Crumpton and a 5-yard pass play from Trull to Baylor Ford helped give the Indians a first down. Hollingsworth, however, was tackled for a 5-yard loss on the next play, which was followed by three straight incomplete passes for a turnover on downs.
Keystone’s defense stuffed a run play for no gain and forced Lafayette to go three-and-out. The punt had the Keystone offense starting a drive at its own 30.
The first play of that drive was Lancaster’s 40-yard run, which moved the Indians to the Lafayette 30. Keystone fumbled the ball on the next play, however, with the Hornets recovering.
Lafayette had a fumble on the ensuing play, resulting in a loss of 17 yards. Keystone’s Coy Campbell then intercepted a pass.
The Hornets had a 60-yard touchdown pass on the game’s final play, but a penalty wiped out the score, leaving the final at 14-0.
