Kelly football team earns first varsity win

BENTON, Mo, -- Kelly seniors Dalton Huffman and Brenton James paid tribute to their former teammate prior to Friday's home game against St. Vincent by holding Kaden Robert's football jersey aloft while leading their teammates onto the field.

According to Huffman, Robert was there at the end as well, lending a hand to help the Hawks secure their first varsity football victory in school history.

Kelly's defense forced an incomplete pass on fourth-and-10 from its own 14-yard line with 48.4 seconds remaining as the Hawks held on for a 20-14 victory over the St. Vincent.

Kelly (1-2) is enjoying its first season of varsity football after playing a junior varsity slate the past two seasons. Coach Kenneth Riedinger knows what Friday's win means to the school and surrounding community.

"It's awesome for our community," Riedinger said. "We want to put a good product on the field for them. They went to bat for us, and that's what we try to do week in and week out. Hats off to St. Vincent, they played a heck of a ball game, too."

Kelly had a win snatched from them in the final seconds last week when Crystal City scored a touchdown on a pass in the final seconds to eke out a 20-18 win. And for the few final, frantic minutes, Kelly fans thought they were experiencing déjà vu when the Indians (0-3) drove from their own 30-yard line to the Kelly 14 with 1:14 remaining.

But Kelly's Jacob Black stopped St. Vincent quarterback Joe Whsitler for no gain on a sweep to the right. Following a timeout, Whistler threw three straight incompletions, the last one a quick slant that slipped through tight end Trevor Leible's hands as the Kelly faithful erupted in the stands.

"We could have done a better job at putting together a few plays (at the end)," first-year St. Vincent coach Nathan Rowland said. "If (Leible) catches that pass there, maybe things are different."

Huffman believes the Hawks' defense enjoyed the presence of a 12th man. Robert, who would have been a sophomore this year, was fatally injured in June when a handgun accidentally discharged in the high school parking lot after a pickup basketball game with friends.

"He was a huge part of our team and our defense," said Huffman. "It was a very huge loss for the team and our community. It affected everyone. He was a big person in a small body.

"I think he covered that last play. He was a defensive cornerback, and I definitely say he blocked that last pass. We all miss him, and it was because of him that we won this game."

Kelly took a 20-7 halftime lead on the strength of an opportunistic offense that scored on two big plays and one long drive. Midway through the first quarter, Kelly quarterback Kyle Fitzgerald connected with Huffman on a 49-yard scoring pass. Fellow wide receiver Maurice Davis went in motion to the right, taking a St. Vincent safety with him and leaving Huffman one-on-one with the cornerback. Huffman took the quick throw and scurried down the sideline untouched for a touchdown.

Kelly's Dalton Huffman knocks down a pass intended for St. Vincent's Trevor Leible in their final drive in the forth quarter Friday, Sept. 5, 2014 at Kelly. (GLENN LANDBERG)

"We've got some speed," Riedinger said. "Huffman is one of the fastest guys in Southeast Missouri."

St. Vincent answered with a long drive culminated by running back Riley Reihn's three-yard scoring plunge to knot the score 7-7 near the end of the first period.

Then it was Kelly's turn, and the Hawks put together a 16-play, 73-yard scoring drive, Fitzgerald going up the middle for the final two yards and putting the Hawks up 14-7 with 3:34 remaining in the half.

But the Hawks weren't done. After St. Vincent went three-and-out, James was able to get a hand on Cole Steinbecker's punt and limit the kick to just eight yards. On second-and-10 from their own 45, Fitzgerald found Ethan Faires alone down the sideline for a 55-yard scoring play that put the Hawks up 20-7 at intermission.

Kelly's offense went dormant in the second half. The Hawks completed just 1 of 4 passes for no yardage and made just four first downs, three via St. Vincent penalties. But the Indians weren't able to capitalize, turning the ball over twice – once on a fumble, the other on downs – on their two third-quarter possessions.

But after recovering a Kelly fumble on the 23-yard line late in the third, the Indians were again knocking on the door. This time, five straight running plays moved the ball to the three, and Whistler plowed up the middle into the end zone for the score to pull the Indians within 20-14.

"At halftime, we challenged them to be better, and it worked," Rowland said. "They came out and they started hitting people, going into their gaps, and they started playing assignment football. When we play assignment football, we are a very good defensive team."

The two teams traded possessions until St. Vincent took over on their own 30 with 3:55 remaining, setting the stage for the exciting finish.

Fitzgerald -- who completed 8 of 18 passes for 160 yards and two scores -- noted that playing a junior varsity slate the past two seasons enabled these Hawks to grow together and form a bond, which played a big role in finally getting a notch in the win column.

"If I were to transfer to another school and start out fresh, it wouldn't be nearly the same," Fitzgerald said. "We're a family. We grew up together. We bleed and sweat (together), and we're proud of each other. We love each other. We wanted to win this game."

St. Vincent 7 0 0 7 -- 14

Kelly 7 14 0 0 -- 20

First quarter

K – Dalton Huffman, 49 pass from Kyle Fitzgerald (Aaron Graham kick), 6:38

SV – Riley Reihn, 3 run (Cole Steinbecker kick), :53.4

Second quarter

K – Fitzgerald, 2 run (Graham kick), 3:34

K – Ethan Faires, 55 pass from Fitzgerald (kick failed), 1:51

Fourth quarter

SV – Joe Whistler, 3 run (Steinbecker kick) 10:05

SV K

First downs 14 9

Rushes-yards 44-164 31-94

Passing yards 112 160

Passes 11-20-0 8-18-1

Punts-avg. 5-34.4 3-41.0

Fumbles-lost 1-1 2-2

Penalties-yards 8-65 4-25

RUSHING: St. Vincent – Riley Reihn 23-90, Joe Whistler 19-60, David Camarillo 1-13, Tyler Monier 1-1. Kelly – Ethan Faires 16-95, Maurice Davis 4-7, Brenton James 2-1, Matthew Burford 4-0, Kyle Fitzgerald 5-(-9).

PASSING: St. Vincent – Whistler 11-20-0-112. Kelly – Fitzgerald 7-17-1-105.

RECEIVING: St. Vincent – Tyler Unterreiner 5-40, Trevor Leible 2-26, Blake Heilman 1-14, Tyler Monier 1-14, Cole Steinbecker 1-9, Reihn 1-9. Kelly – Davis 3-25, Faries 2-66, Dalton Huffman 2-54, Aaron Graham 1-15.