LA PLUME, Pa.- As the fall winds down and the final whistle rings, the Keystone College football team concluded their 2025 campaign with a fresh sense of hope, building blocks for the future, and memorable moments that point toward a promising direction. 

This year saw the Giants navigate through some new structural realities. After operating recently as part of the Landmark Conference, Keystone returned to independent status this season and competed as a JV/club sport. 

Hugh Kirwan '24 MS finished his first season as the head coach. He was promoted to the head role in April after spending the past four years as an assistant.    

"There's something special about 2025. To begin as a group who knew very little of one another, and close out as a brotherhood, is the essence of what this program is rooted in," Kirwan stated. "A group which came together inside a question of our survival now only interests itself with our own uppermost capabilities."

This was a season that almost didn't happen. Keystone was in grave danger of closing its doors a year ago due to financial and accreditation issues. In November 2024, the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) announced its decision to withdraw Keystone College's accreditation.  

Keystone sent an appeal to the MSCHE in hopes of staying open. MSCHE, however, has asked the college to implement a "teach-out plan". The teach-out plan allowed students in good academic standing the ability to transfer to another approved institution without incurring any academic or financial penalty.

Numerous Keystone students took advantage of the plan, including football players, and left the college at the end of the fall semester. Adding to the challenge, the college was unable to recruit, market, or enroll any new students. An appeal hearing was scheduled for Mar. 31.

However, on Feb. 28, Keystone received word for MSCHE that it will remain accredited, which allowed the school to remain open.  

The positive news provided a spark. The football program got to work immediately in recruiting new players. The team had just 25 players at the conclusion of spring ball, so they had a lot of work to do. Their efforts paid off.

The 2025 roster consisted of 82 players with 48 of them being newcomers. The Giants also welcomed nine new coaches to the staff, five being former players of the program.

The season delivered games that stood out as program focal points and not just for the outcomes, but for what they revealed about the team's trajectory. 

On Sept. 27, the team took a nine-hour bus ride to Castine, Maine to face Maine Maritime Academy where they walked away with a 47-22 victory. It was a complete team effort as the offense had 407 yards of total offense; the defense recorded an interception and sack; plus, special teams blocked a punt which resulted in a safety.

The season's closing win (36-13 over Wilkes) was especially meaningful — senior players were celebrated, and the program earned a confidence-boosting finish. That kind of season ending win could be the springboard into next year's recruiting, culture build-up, and team identity.

Keystone would finish the season with a 5-4 record, marking the first winning season in program history. "We came together on August 13^th with the intent to Hunt Our Best every single day, and we finished closer to that objective than we began. What a ride," said Kirwan.

Kirwan offers his most sincere gratitude to the team captains, Jayson Nami (Freehold Township, N.J./Freehold Township), John Balchunas (Palmyra, Pa./Palmyra Area), Devin Montgomery (Waldorf, Md./Potomac), and Nicholas DeFrancesco (Quarryville, Pa./Solanco), for providing exceptional leadership during this unique season.

The 2025 season for the Keystone College Giants was not defined by national championships or headline statistics but rather by growth, grit, and hope. The wins achieved were meaningful, the losses instructive, and the overall narrative is one of upward motion. If the program continues along this path, fans and players alike have reason to believe the best is yet to come.