BY CHUCK DOWLING
Special to the Telegraph-Times-Monitor
Keystone Heights High School went into last Friday night’s game with the Palatka Panthers having already been shut out three times on the season and averaging just over 13 points per game. Against PHS, the Indians were able to put 30 up on the board, but, unfortunately, the visitors dropped 48 points of their own.
The 30 points were the most the Panthers (7-0, 2-0 District 6-2S) have allowed this season, while the 18-point loss dropped the Indians to 1-6 on the season (with three games left) and to 0-2 in District 6.
A solid crowd was on hand to cheer on the home side. Keystone won the opening coin toss and elected to begin the game with the ball. The deep kickoff was fielded inside the 5-yard line and returned across midfield by junior Darrion Grady. Two plays later, junior running back Cartez Daniels took it down to the Palatka 34-yard line for the game’s first first down. The Tribe would take it down to the 27 before a fourth-and-3 pass by freshman quarterback Baylor Ford fell incomplete.
“We score that opening drive of the game, then the kids are playing with way more confidence, and we are looking at a different game,” Keystone Head Coach Chuck Dickinson said.
PHS wasted no time, with running back Tyran Bush going 10 yards for the Panthers’ first first down. On the next play, Saiquan Williams would take off on a 41-yard gain to the Keystone 23. The Indians would force a third-and-7 before Williams would go around the end and pull a jook move to give Palatka first-and-goal from the 7. Quarterback Jamarrie McKinnon would fake a handoff and go up the middle on a keeper from the 1, giving the Panthers a 7-0 lead with 5:34 to go in the first quarter.
Joseph Alvarez’s kick would reach the end zone, and the home side would begin a drive from its own 20. A 7-yard gain from senior running back Bryar Schenck to the 30 would be the only first down of the drive for the Indians, who were prepared to go for it on fourth-and-3 from the 37 before a false start forced them to punt it away.
Chavaris Dumas returned the punt 12 yards, but after a 15-yard facemask penalty, PHS was starting its drive from its own 49-yard line. On the last play of the first quarter, McKinnon found a wide-open Tay Valentine for a 45-yard touchdown toss to put the visitors up 14-0.
The second quarter began with the Indians once again moving the ball, with the running back tandem of Schenck and Daniels alternating carries and picking up first downs along the way before the side was faced with a third-and-5 from the Palatka 45. Ford rolled out on a play-action
pass and found Schenck for 5 yards to pick up the big first down and keep the drive alive. KHHS would be pushed back and faced a third-and-17, but a Schenck 12-yard carry, followed by a big 6-yard gain from Daniels on fourth-and-5, gave the Indians new life. They took advantage of it. A Schenck 14-yard touchdown run followed by a successful two-point conversion run from Schenck cut it to 14-8 with 5:09 remaining in the half.
The first half certainly could have ended on a better note for the Indians. First, Palatka returned the kickoff for a score before it was called back due to a block in the back. It only delayed the inevitable, though, as the Panthers took just 1:15 off the clock in total. After converting a third-and-15 from the Keystone 21, a fourth-and-9 touchdown pass would put them up 20-8 with still 3:52 to play in the second quarter.
Another deep Alvarez kick was returned to the 22. The Indians seemed to be going back to work, taking it down to the Panthers’ 37 with 2:22 to go in the half, but a fumble would give PHS the ball with 1:15 remaining. McKinnon found Keymari Hall from 35 yards out as the Indians suddenly found themselves down 27-8 at the break.
“That first half, I was hoping we went in at 20-8, but that fumble hurt us big time, and they were able to put another eight points on the board,” Dickinson said.
The third quarter didn’t begin any better for the Tribe as Bush took it 57 yards to extend the visitors’ lead to 35-8 just 1:07 into the half.
Alvarez’s kickoff would bounce out of bounds though and give Keystone the ball on its own 35. Despite facing an insurmountable deficit, the Indians weren’t deterred and continued on the warpath. A Panthers personal foul moved the ball near midfield to the 47. A Daniels 12-yard run moved the ball into enemy territory to the 41, which was followed by a 13-yard pass from Ford to Schenck. Another nice run from Daniels — this one for 13 yards — took Keystone to the 17. However, when facing a second-and-goal from the 9-yard line, Ford threw an interception.
Some heat lightning fired across the night and seemed to light a fire in Keystone. The team got the ball back. An unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty, along with a Palatka player being ejected, helped get the Indians down to the Palatka 20. Runs from Schenck and Daniels would bring up a third-and-4 from the 14 as the third quarter expired, but on the opening play of the fourth, Schenck rumbled 14 yards and, with the help of the pile, fell into the end zone. Daniels took it in for two points to make it 35-16 with 11:51 to go.
A failed onside kick gave PHS the ball on its own 42. Bush scampered 29 yards before Tommy Offord took it in from 25 yards out to put Palatka up 41-16.
On the ensuing drive, the Indians continued to put in work. Schenck took it across the 50, and on second-and-6 from the 13, a bad exchange led to a fumble. Ford fell on the ball, leaving the Indians facing third-and-7 from the 15. Schenck got 6 of the yards back. On fourth down, he converted for a first-and-goal from the 4. Daniels spun through the middle from there for a touchdown. The successful two-point conversion run from Schenck made it 41-22 with 3:51 to go.
The Panthers weren’t content to coast to the win and scored again with just over two minutes to go, thanks to a 71-yarder from Offord.
Freshman Jackson Parmeter, in at quarterback, marched Keystone right down the field. He completed a 45-yarder to senior tight end Noah Branch. Parmeter then hit Branch again, this time down to the 12. Daniels would do the rest from there, taking it in with 39 seconds left to cut it to 48-30.
“I was proud of the kids tonight on the offensive side and how they battled,” Dickinson said. “I thought we were finally coming off the ball and getting some movement, and the backs ran hard.” He then added, “Both quarterbacks made some good plays here and there. Our problem was they have a lot of skill, and they got us in space. Plus, we missed some tackles.”
Schenck ran for 160 yards and three touchdowns, while Daniels had 109 yards and a score. Daniels also had 118 return yards to put the junior at 227 all-purpose yards for the night.
The quarterbacks combined to go 5 of 8 for 66 yards and an interception.
Colton Hollingsworth led all tacklers with five.
Next up for Keystone is a home game Friday, Oct. 21, against the Pierson Taylor Wildcats (1-6) at 7:30 p.m. Taylor is coming off a 24-17 setback to Lake Weir.
“They’re struggling a little bit, kind of like we are, so hopefully we get a chance to play hard and get a win,” Dickinson said.
