MELBOURNE — How many ways can a team be beaten by the same player? On Friday night, the answer was three. Junior RB Jeffery Keels scored TDs three different ways against the Pirates, and finished with four TDs in total.
Keels scored on runs of 15 and 21 yards along with an 80-yard TD reception in the 2nd quarter alone. In the 3rd quarter, he ran back a 99-yard kickoff return for a TD to round out this standout performance.
“For the 2nd straight week we ran into a buzz saw,” said SES Coach Brad Fojtik. “This was a team that recruits nationally and they have a strong tradition of winning football. We’ll break down the film in the morning and find the leaks in our game so we can attempt to fix them.”
The Falcons beat a Pirates squad that has recently had a rash of injuries. Tonight, unfortunately, another Pirate went down with an injury. Senior FB and two-time team MVP Cameron Budde suffered an undisclosed leg injury, and at this time details to the extent of the injury are unknown. He joins a talented list of injured seniors, which includes OT/DT John Kim, RB/LB Kollin Kite and DB Chris Barbato. If Budde is going to be out with an injury for any amount of time it will be devastating to the team.
The Pirates lone scores came from kicker Dillon Benson (28-yard FG) and Will Peckham (9-yard run). SES gets a well-deserved bye week this week, and they return to battle Cavalry Christian Oct. 16.
Cavalry beat Merritt Island Christian 35-7 last week to improve to 3-1. St. Edwards beat those same Cougars 53-14 on Sept. 18 and Cavalry gets to play the Falcons next week. The Pirates will be paying close attention to this matchup, and will have a long time to heal injuries and make some needed adjustments.