KNOX, Pa. (EYT/D9) – The Keystone Panthers managed to remain undefeated on the strength of a fake-kick 2-point conversion to sink Brookville, 20-19, in Knox on Friday night.
(Above, Tyler Albright had another big game in Keystone’s latest victory.)
The win puts Keystone at 3-0 on the young season while Brookville will continue its hunt for its first victory with an 0-3 record.
In a game in which Brookville led Keystone, 19-12, for a large portion, the Panthers broke through on a risky play call during the fourth quarter of Friday night’s game.
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As the Raiders led, 19-12, with under seven minutes to play in the final quarter, junior quarterback Rayce Weaver broke out for a long run, scrambling deep inside Brookville territory.
Just less than 30 seconds later, senior running back Kyle Nellis reached paydirt with a 35-yard dash into the endzone to bring the Panthers within a point, 19-18, with 6:15 remaining.
As a Keystone player grabbed a kicking tee from the sideline and the players set up for a kick, all indications pointed towards coach Todd Smith and the Panthers opting for the safe choice of kicking the PAT and tying the game, potentially forcing overtime.
Smith and the Panthers had other plans, however, as Drew Keth rolled out after receiving the snap and tossed the football to Spencer Heeter for a successful conversion, giving the Panthers a 20-19 lead.
“Our guys have a lot of heart and grit,” Smith said. “We knew it was going to be a tough game. (Brookville’s) record didn’t indicate how good of a team they are.”
The Panthers’ defense stayed strong down the stretch, but the Raiders made it close in the end.
As Brookville’s offense marched into Keystone territory in the final minute of the game, a facemask penalty against the Panthers looked as if the tide was turning in the Raiders’ favor.
But, for some reason, confusion broke out on the field and among the referees, players, and coaches.
As the Raider offense was trying to snap the ball, coaches were bartering with referees, players weren’t sure if they should play or not, all while the clock continued to run.
Eventually, the Raiders got a snap off around the 30-second mark before Easton Belfiore was sacked.
After the sack, Brookville head coach Scott Park continued to argue with the referees as to why the clock was running and what exactly just happened.
Minutes later, Brookville was awarded a snap near the 30-yard-line with seven seconds remaining. The ensuing play resulted in an interception by the Keystone defense.
When asked what he saw during the last minute of the game, Smith declined to comment on the situation, saying, “our kids did what they had to do.”
Weaver finished 5-of-10 passing for 132 yards.
Nellis also threw a 52-yard halfback option TD pass to Drew Slaugenhaupt for Keystone’s first score of the game before Tyler Albright caught a 50-yard TD pass from Weaver.
Albright had quite the night with 117 yards receiving, as well as 71 yards rushing on nine carries.
Nellis finished with 100 yards on 13 carries.
Keystone will head to Redbank Valley next week while Brookville hosts Moniteau.
Redbank Valley, Keystone, and Union/A-C Valley sports coverage on Explore and D9Sports.com is brought to you by Heeter Lumber.
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