PREVIEW: Formidable Defense Could Propel Keystone to Another Successful Campaign

KNOX, Pa. (EYT/D9) — During his three decades of coaching football, Todd Smith has built a reputation as an offensive guru.

But this year in Knox, it may be the Keystone defense that turns the most heads.

(Pictured above, the Keystone defense swallows up a Redbank Valley ballcarrier last season/photo by Madison McFarland)

Big, physical and athletic up front. Active tackling-machines at linebacker and a deep secondary that can cover and take the ball away has the Panthers poised to build on their 7-5 mark and first playoff win in 33 years last season.

Moving the ball against the Panthers’ stout defense may be a challenge for opponents. That should help soften the blow of three huge graduation losses on offense.

That’s the hope, anyway.

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

“Our secondary is gonna be really good this year,” said senior wide receiver/defensive back Drew Slaugenhaupt. “We have a lot of young guys. We lost one guy from our secondary last year and that was Tyler Albright, and watching him, it kind of helped all of the secondary guys get an idea of where we want to be and just kind of go after that and be the best we can be.”

Keystone is blessed with two huge anchors on the defensive line in seniors Josh Beal and Brock Champluvier.

They are nearly 600 pounds of immovable humanity in the interior of that defensive line. They combined for 85 tackles — including 39 for a loss — in 2022 and should only be better this season.

They, as well as the rest of the hogs up front on both lines, proved their strength during the summer at strongman competitions, including one at Slippery Rock University.

“These guys finished second out of 16 teams there,” Smith said. “I like to take them to those things because we do a lot of 7-on-7s for the skill guys. This gives them a chance to go out and compete and show the work that they’ve put in.”

“It’s a lot of fun,” Beal added. “I don’t think you can get that kind of fun in 7-on-7s.”

Beal smiles and looks at Smith. “Not taking a shot at offensive coaches,” he continues, laughing. “But at Slippery Rock, we did a tug of war and that’s always fun. You can’t go wrong with that.”

With Beal and Champluvier swallowing up blocks and penetrating, Keystone’s linebackers will be free to make plays.

“We have decent size up front,” Champluvier said. “We know how to move people around. I feel like we put in a lot of work and this summer and some of the younger guys who didn’t play as much also worked hard. They are gonna get some opportunities to go in and help out.”

The Panthers get a boon at linebacker thanks to the return of senior Rayce Weaver, who missed a big portion of last season after dislocating his left elbow in Week 5.

Weaver will also return to his role as starting quarterback.

“You know, all these guys have started on defense for us, as well as offense,” Smith said. “Brock and Josh inside on the line and Rayce and Elijah (Will) at linebacker — those guys are a force. We’re looking for leadership from those guys.”

They will need to be leaders, on and off the field, after some hefty graduation losses.

Albright was a big factor on both sides of the ball last season, intercepting seven passes and recovering a fumble on defense and rushing for 716 yards and five touchdowns and catching 32 passes for 590 yards and 10 more TDs on offense.

Kyle Nellis and Aidan Sell were also star that will be deeply missed. Nellis rushed for 1,217 yards and 17 touchdowns and also had 42 tackles at linebacker, and Sell added 541 yards on the ground and made a team-leading 110 tackles.

That’s a lot of production to replace.

But that’s nothing new in high school sports.

Next men up.

“We will look a little bit different, but I have a lot of trust in the guys who we have,” Smith said. “We have some good, talented young skill players who are gonna step in. Drew (Slaugenhaupt) is one of, I think, the fastest receivers in District 9, and I think he’s gonna have a big year catching the ball. Elijah, we have moved him from guard to fullback. That’s his background, but because of the skill guys we had, we needed him on the line last year. He’s gonna get back to running the football.”

The 5-foot-9, 215-pound Will is already eager to lower his shoulders and drag tacklers with him for first downs again.

“I hope so,” he said, smiling. “That’s the idea.”

Drew Keth, who moved from slot receiver to quarterback last season after Weaver was injured, will also be a big part of the offense, both running the ball and catching it.

He’s quick and shifty and should give Keystone another dangerous threat alongside Slaugenhaupt.

“Drew did a heck of a job for us last year and he’s perfectly capable, but he’s gonna move to a slot for us, run some jet and catch the ball,” Smith said. “He has great hands. He’s a great athlete.”

Ultimately, though, for the Panthers to contend for a District 9 title, they will have to avoid the rash of injuries that hindered them last season.

It contributed to some close losses.

Keystone, though, persevered. By beating Union/A-C Valley in the playoffs, the Panthers won their first postseason game since 1989.

Now with a taste of that success, they want more.

Much more.

“I’m excited for what we have,” Beal said. “We have a lot of experience and we have some guys who are coming up that are younger, but some of them can really put a hurt on you. I think we’re going to have a good season.”

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