The winless Keystone Heights football team had nothing to lose on homecoming against visiting Santa Fe (Alachua) in a Class 2A-District 5 game.
The Indians recovered an onside kick to start the game and drove to the Raiders’ 38-yard line, but the drive stalled, and they punted it back to Santa Fe.
Two plays later, the Raiders scored the only points they would need on a long run in a 35-6 mercy-rule win on a rainy night in Clay County.
“I thought our guys came out ready to play,” said first-year Santa Fe coach Earnest Graham, whose team snapped a two-game losing streak and improved to 5-2 overall and 2-1 in the district. “On offense, Jasiah Powell is still playing well, Dantre Little, Keimarion Neal and Tyler Gentry, so just finding a way to get more guys touches to kind of expand what we do. The defense had a really good night tonight, so overall it was just a good day to play football.”
It may not have been the best of conditions, but the wet field didn’t slow down the Raiders’ rushing attack.
Junior running back Jasiah Powell, who was stopped for no gain on Santa Fe’s first offensive play, broke several tackles on the second play from scrimmage, which ended in an 83-yard touchdown run.
Junior kicker Mayer Steen’s extra point gave the Raiders a 7-0 lead with 6:14 to play in the opening quarter and they cruised from there.
“I think my line did pretty good,” Powell said. “I had to keep my feet under me. It’s kind of hard to make cuts when it’s raining, but I think I played a good game. I had to be patient, and then I hit it.”
The Indians (0-7, 0-3) advanced to midfield on their second possession and again were forced to punt. However, this time, KHHS pinned them deep by downing the ball at the 1-yard line.
Powell’s third carry of the night went for 24 yards and put him over 100 yards with just under three minutes to play in the opening quarter.
“You can’t speak enough first of all of how much of a phenomenal kid and football player he is,” Graham said. “He sets the tone. When we start well, it’s because Jasiah is coming out and playing physical, breaking tackles, and doing the necessary things to set the tone of the football game. We’re blessed to have him on the team.
Following an illegal shift, Little had a 41-yard run, followed by a 38-yard run down the left sidelines on the next play before getting pushed out at the 1-yard line.
Neal ran it in from a yard out to cap the 99-yard drive and a 14-0 lead with 37 seconds to play in the opening quarter.
On their next possession, Neal had a 62-yard touchdown run called back because of holding. However, on the very next play, senior quarterback Tyler Gentry faked a handoff and raced down the right sideline for a 65-yard scoring run and a 21-0 lead with 9:04 to play in the half.
“He’s a phenomenal leader,” Graham said. “He’s been working his butt off all season, so to see him pull it and then house it, it was fun, and I think the whole sidelines were happy for him.”
Keystone fumbled on its next possession and senior Trent McFarland recovered at the Indians’ 18-yard line.
Following runs of 1, 18, and 3 yards, Powell scored his second touchdown of the night on a 1-yard run for a 28-0 lead with 6:08 to play in the half.
Another fumble on the ensuing kickoff gave the Raiders the ball back, and just two plays later, Powell added a 37-yard touchdown run with 4:24 to play in the half to ensure a running clock in the second half.
Powell finished the half with 166 yards and three touchdowns on just nine carries.
“I give credit to my O-line,” Powell said. “Without them, I wouldn’t be able to do it. I think it was a great win. We had to fulfill our assignments and after that, it’s just physicality and if you really want it or not, and I think we wanted it.”
The Indians, who travel to Chiefland next week, finally got on the scoreboard with three minutes remaining on a 7-yard touchdown run by sophomore quarterback Hunter Crumpton on 4th-and-goal.
Following losses to University Christian (Jacksonville) and Newberry, the Raiders were able to get back in the win column with a huge district game at Bradford (Starke) coming up in two weeks.
“We need it,” Graham said. “To get the fifth one of the year, and to just be able to put a couple of things on film that we haven’t in the last number of weeks is just signs of improvement, so we’re happy with that.”
Santa Fe will host Lake Weir (Ocala) on Thursday, followed by the showdown against the Tornadoes on Oct. 24.
Graham doesn’t expect his team to look past the Hurricanes next week.
“We want to really be grounded in the fact that we need to get better at the fundamental things of football in order to be able to play like we expect to play in that game against Bradford,” he said. “It is going to be a test of our maturity as a football team, so we have to do a good job of communicating that to our guys that it’s really about us tapping into the fundamentals and preparing ourselves and things will take care of itself.”
Football scores
Thursday, Oct. 9
Leesburg 17, Gainesville 7
Friday, Oct. 10
Baker County (Glen St. Mary) 28, Suwannee (Live Oak) 21 (OT)
Bell 41, Interlachen 24
Blountstown 74, Dixie County (Cross City) 0
Bradford (Starke) 28, Newberry 7
Branford 30, Trenton 13
Buchholz 42, Tocoi Creek (St. Augustine) 7
Chiefland 30, Taylor County (Perry) 15
Columbia (Lake City) 44, Ridgeview (Orange Park) 0
Countryside Christian 59, Cornerstone Academy 0
Eastside 27, South Sumter (Bushnell) 21 (OT)
Fort White 49, Zarephath Academy (Jacksonville) 6
Hawthorne 42, University Christian (Jacksonville) 29
Old Plank Christian Academy (Jacksonville) 22, Oak Hall 20
Saint Francis Catholic Academy 2, Liberty Christian Prep (Tavares) 0 (FF)
Seven Rivers Christian (Lecanto) 46, Bronson 6
Specialty Fit Academy (Dover) 50, P.K. Yonge 7
Santa Fe (Alachua) 35, Keystone Heights 6
Williston 42, Taylor (Pierson) 0
OFF – Union County (Lake Butler)
