BELTON, TX- Ethan Sadler (Endwell, N.Y./Maine-Endwell) scored a rushing touchdown and Johann Hennigan (Philadelphia, PA/Imhotep Charter) hauled in a touchdown pass as the Keystone College football team faced Mary Hardin-Baylor on Saturday evening at Crusader Stadium, falling 64-14.
The Giants move to 1-4 on the season, while Mary Hardin-Baylor improves to 3-1.
Hennigan led Keystone's receivers with four catches for 67 yards, including a 41-yard reception that helped set up the Giants' second touchdown. Trevin Arnold (Newport, PA/Newport) completed 13 passes for 121 yards and a touchdown, while Carly Merise (Seaford, DE/Sussex Academy) added three receptions for 22 yards.
Jaron Whitehead (Philadelphia, PA/Frankford) contributed in all three phases of the game. He led the defense with seven tackles, including six solo stops and a tackle for a 14-yard loss, blocked a punt, and returned it 24 yards to set up Keystone's first scoring drive. Whitehead also caught a 19-yard pass and added a 13-yard rushing attempt.
Keystone's defense opened the evening by forcing a three-and-out on Mary Hardin-Baylor's first possession. Jayvon Swann (Chesapeake Beach, MD/Northern) made the tackle on a short completion before consecutive incompletions brought out the punt team.
Early in the second quarter, Whitehead broke through to block a punt, and Justin Beazer (Philadelphia, PA/Argyle Secondary) recovered it before Whitehead's return gave the Giants possession at the Mary Hardin-Baylor 24-yard line.
Zamir Poteat (Philadelphia, PA/West Philadelphia) carried the ball on the first two plays of the ensuing drive. Facing third-and-nine, Arnold connected with Whitehead for 19 yards to move Keystone to the four-yard line. Poteat followed with a two-yard gain, and Sadler finished the six-play possession with a two-yard touchdown run at the 12:13 mark. Jaedyn Sanchez (Wilkes-Barre, PA/Wilkes-Barre) added the extra point to put the Giants on the board.
Whitehead made another play on the following defensive series, bringing down a receiver for a 14-yard loss before Mary Hardin-Baylor punted. Later in the quarter, Elijah Houdershieldt (Carbondale, PA/Carbondale Area) blocked an extra-point attempt. Keystone entered halftime trailing 37-7.
The Giants' defense held Mary Hardin-Baylor to a field goal on the opening possession of the second half. Isiah Terry (Newark, NJ/Newark Collegiate Academy) broke up a third-down pass from the Keystone five-yard line, recording his second pass breakup of the game.
Keystone put together its longest scoring drive late in the third quarter, covering 78 yards in eight plays while using 5:42 of the clock. Arnold opened the possession with a 10-yard run, then found Hennigan for a 41-yard gain on third-and-nine to move the Giants to the Mary Hardin-Baylor 26.
Arnold later picked up another first down with a 10-yard run on third-and-eight. On the next play, he connected with Hennigan for a 14-yard touchdown with one minute remaining in the quarter. Sanchez converted his second extra point of the evening.
Keystone added several defensive stops in the fourth quarter. Jermaine McCray (Middletown, NY/Middletown) recorded a tackle for a four-yard loss early in the period, while Jayden Barton (Delaware County, PA/Academy Park) stopped a rushing attempt for a two-yard loss on a later possession that ended in a punt. Barton also made a fourth-down tackle for a one-yard loss with 1:53 remaining to give the ball back to the Giants.
Kamar Hadley (Philadelphia, PA/Martin Luther King), Swann and Houdershieldt each finished with five tackles. Barton recorded three solo tackles, including two tackles for loss, while McCray added three solo stops and a tackle for loss. Mahkai Allen (Wilmington, DE/William Penn) contributed two tackles, including one for a three-yard loss.
Poteat finished with 13 rushing yards and added 101 yards on seven kickoff returns, with a long return of 26 yards. Emmett Smith (Toledo, OH/Toledo Rogers) gained 10 yards on two carries, including a nine-yard run for a first down in the fourth quarter.
The Giants finished with 173 yards of total offense and scored touchdowns on both of their red-zone possessions. Keystone held the ball for 34:31 and recorded five tackles for loss.
