KEYSTONE HEIGHTS - In what was supposed to be a small school versus big school grudge match, Keystone Heights High’s vaunted run game, led by senior Kade Sanders five touchdowns, trounced the visiting Tocoi Creek Academy football team 44-8 in front of a spirited Indians’ stadium. Keystone Heights remained unbeaten at 3-0. Tocoi Creek fell to 0-2.
Keystone Heights travels next to Umatilla, now 1-2 after their win on Friday over Discovery, 20-19. Umatilla has losses of 33-8 to Belleview and 41-6 to Crescent City.
Sanders, with 146 yards on 15 carries, got his first score after just three minutes off the clock following fullback Logan Williams off right tackle from 18 yards out, pounded the interior of the Toros defense behind a steady diet of “follow Logan Williams left, follow Logan Williams right, let the massive offensive line of Mason Dicks, Caleb Moncrief, Luke Snider, Tyler Anthony-Rozier and freshman Tyler Duncan initiated the first push-back of the Toros line to set up chunks of offensive yardage for coach Chuck Dickinson’s troops.
Sanders scored from five yards out just before the end of the first quarter following Jayden Goodman, Duncan and Moncrief to put the game at 16-0. Sanders followed
Bo Overton and Mason Dicks for the two-point conversion.
A Sam Ulsch interception at midfield with 20 seconds still in the first quarter set up a 50 yard scoring run down the Tocoi Creek sideline to push the score to 22-0 with 10 seconds still on the clock.
Keystone Heights’ defense, with a helmet-removing tackle from Jacob Andrews, ended the first quarter at midfield.
Sanders converted a fourth and nine situation to the Tocoi five yard at 9:03 to halftime before Williams and Moncrief escorted Sanders to put the score at 30-0 before the halftime break.
With 20 seconds left in the half, Keystone Heights got to the Tocoi Creek two yard line where Sanders added one more before the break to go to 36-0. Williams punched in the two pointer to end the half at 38-0.
Dickinson again used eight ball carriers from the backfield during the campaign.
Senior Dalton Hollingsworth added another plus 100 yard night (102) with one touchdown.
Williams, the main blocker in most of Sanders’ jaunts, got 81 yards on his own with Tyler Jenkins, the fourth of the Four Horsemen, getting just three carries for seven yards.
The Indians are averaging 306.7 yards rushing per game with 15 touchdowns while the defense has 8.5 sacks and five interceptions. Hollingsworth is lead tackler with 17 tackles with two for losses with junior Ryan Jones with 15 stops. For sacks, Jenkins, Anthony-Rozier and Jacob Andrews have to quarterback captures each.