GRITTY WIN: Keystone Uses Ground Game, Staunch Defense to Rally in Second Half to Beat Kane, 19-12

KANE, Pa. (EYT/D9) — Trailing 12-6 at the half, the Keystone football team decided to go back to basics.

Heavy on the run game with the Panthers’ staple, the wing-T, and smothering defense.

Both worked in tandem to help Keystone rally for a 19-12 win over the Wolves on Friday night.

(Pictured above, freshman running back Eli Nellis/submitted photo)

“We found some things and they kids played really good defense in the second half,” Smith said. “The way the game was going, we felt like we needed to grind it out, so we mostly stuck on the ground and ran our wing-T stuff. The guys really buckled down and did a nice job blocking, and we just did what we needed to do.”

Keystone rushed for 322 yards on 56 carries.

Redbank Valley, Keystone, and Union/A-C Valley sports coverage on Explore and D9Sports.com is brought to you by Heeter Lumber.

The Panther defense held Kane to just 147 yards — only 38 coming in the second half. The Wolves had just two first downs over the final two quarters.

That helped Keystone (3-5) avoid a tough road loss.

Kane (0-8) got its halftime lead on the strength of a 10-yard run by Dane Anderson on the final play of the first quarter and then took a 12-0 lead midway through the second on a 40-yard interception return for a score by Levi Wilson.

But Jacob Henry put the Panthers on the board with a little more than two minutes remaining in the half on a 1-yard run to trim the Kane lead to 12-6 at the break.

Henry scored again on a 9-yard run early in the third quarter to knot the game at 12-12.

Freshman Eli Nellis sunk the dagger with a 67-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter.

Keystone had just 86 yards rushing in the first half, but the trio of Nellis, Henry and Rayce Weaver got things going in the second half.

Nellis finished with 112 yards on 16 carries; Weaver 89 on 16 attempts and Henry 83 yards on 13 rushes.

“Jacob was really good on defense, too,” Smith said. “I don’t know how many tackles he had, but he just played a really good, all-around football game.”

It was a gutty win for Keystone, which has now won three out of its last four games after an 0-4 start.

“The game wasn’t going how we wanted it there in the first half, but the kids really stuck with it,” Smith said. “They’re a super bunch of kids.”

Redbank Valley, Keystone, and Union/A-C Valley sports coverage on Explore and D9Sports.com is brought to you by Heeter Lumber.