Firelands and Keystone are an even 5-5 against one another since October of 2014, but not for long. The Firelands Falcons will head out to square off against the Keystone Wildcats at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.
Firelands is headed into the matchup out to prove that what happened against Clearview on Friday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. Firelands came up short against Clearview, falling 28-6. While losing is never fun, the Falcons can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Ohio football rankings (they are ranked 428th, while the Clippers are ranked 168th).
Meanwhile, Keystone came tearing into Friday's match with three straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 20.3 points) and they left with even more momentum. They took their contest at home with ease, bagging a 43-14 win over the Cardinals. Considering the Wildcats have won three games by more than 28 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
It was another big night for Zach Shackelford, who rushed for 86 yards and two touchdowns on only five carries, and also threw for 151 yards and two touchdowns on only seven passes. Tyler Ohl got in on the action too, converting a pick into a touchdown.
Keystone didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. Ohl picked up that interception and then proceeded to rub salt in the wound by taking it back the other way for a touchdown. Grady Whitacre was another major factor on D, making 13 total tackles.
Firelands' defeat dropped their record down to 2-5. As for Keystone, they pushed their record up to 5-1 with the victory, which was their sixth straight at home dating back to last season.
Everything came up roses for Firelands against Keystone in their previous matchup back in October of 2023, as the squad secured a 35-0 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for Firelands since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
