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Thursday, October 13, 2022 | 11:01 a.m.
Keefer to Keffer.
Yes, Southmoreland will take a little more.
It’s become the connection heard across Alverton on Friday nights, the duo everyone talks about around the Scotties program.
In their first year playing together at the college level, Kadin Keefer and Ty Keffer have become a terrific big-play combination for Southmoreland (3-4, 1-1 Class 3A Interstate Conference), with quarterback and receiver making big games every week. .
Fly and bend roads, inclines, deep poles – you name it, they probably did. The Scotties have found a tandem capable of getting first downs and scoring touchdowns.
Also get used to the pair: both are juniors.
“They’re both big, around 6-3, and I think that helps Kadin with his vision down the line, and it gives Ty an edge over most defensive backs,” the Scotties coach said. Tim Bukowski.
Keefer also plays baseball for the Scotties. Bukowski and Keffer love his “baseball arm”.
“Kadin has been in the system for three years, so his knowledge of the system has helped and his passing numbers are on par with our previous quarterbacks,” Bukowski said. “He’s getting more confident every week and he’s getting the right readings.”
Keefer completed 88 of 145 passes for 1,071 yards and eight touchdowns, while the 6-foot-4 Keffer has WPIAL-leading 49 receptions for 695 yards and 10 touchdowns.
The two extra touchdowns came from the Scotties scoring on a pair of match-fixing plays.
Last week, Keefer was 13 of 17 for 206 yards and four touchdowns, three of which went to Keffer, who had eight receptions for 165 yards. Southmoreland beat South Allegheny, 36-6.
A talented basketball player, Keffer is a receiver who has prepared for contact.
“Ty was the unknown because he hasn’t played since midget league,” Bukowski said. “But he’s one of the most competitive players I’ve ever coached. He wants to win in everything he does.
Keefer said he played with Keffer until sixth grade, when Keffer chose to focus solely on basketball.
“Finally this year I got him back, and it’s like he’s never lost his mind from the first practice until now,” Keefer said. “We just connect, and it’s always been that way. He can eject anyone. But he can also go for the deep ball and pass anyone.
“When I see him in single coverage, I trust him to go up and get the ball back, and he trusts me to throw a good ball.”
Keffer is happy to have decided to play football again.
“When I came back to play in high school, the connection just needed to be sparked again,” Keffer said. “I like the so-called ‘Keefer to Keffer’ saying. It just sounds good.
Keffer said being close friends with his quarterback helps their chemistry.
“He trusts me and I trust him,” Keffer said. “So when he throws the ball, I can trust him to make a good throw, and he can throw it and trust me to catch it. To also strengthen our connection, sometimes we stay after practice and get some extra work while everyone is done with training.
Martin to reduce the list
Belle Vernon junior star Quinton Martin has announced via social media that he will soon whittle down his list of over 20 Power 5 scholarship offers to a top 10.
Martin, a gifted athlete who plays running back and defensive back for the Leopards, has offers from the SEC, Big Ten, Big 12 and other major conferences.
Pitt, Penn State and West Virginia are among its contenders, along with Ohio State, Texas, Notre Dame, Florida State, Wisconsin and more.
Tarabrelle offered
Penn-Trafford wide receiver and outside linebacker Daniel Tarabrella has his third Division I scholarship offer.
Georgetown offered the 6-foot-3, 215-pound senior, joining fellow chasers Duquesne and St. Francis (Pennsylvania).
Tarabrella leads the Warriors with 29 receptions for 435 yards and three touchdowns. He is also the team’s leading tackler with 43 saves.
Rubrecht still absent?
Greensburg Salem quarterback Cody Rubrecht missed last week’s game against Belle Vernon with an ankle injury. The senior is also questionable for this week, after limited training.
Rubrecht is the county’s leading dual-threat QB with 806 rushing yards and 758 passing. He had 16 touchdowns.
“Making the Days Count”
Jeannette (2-5, 2-1) plays Greensburg Central Catholic (5-2, 3-0) Friday in the latest installment of a long-running rivalry.
But can Jeannette, who had a seven-game winning streak over the Centurions before last year’s 49-3 loss, upset the Eastern Conference?
GCC averages 43.4 points per game.
Jeannette’s freshman coach, Tom Paulone, wants to win but will settle for competition from his team. He preaches this week the football of assignment and the fundamentals, but also the perspective.
“Besides our game plan points which we insisted on, we talked about the rivalry in our weekly meetings,” Paulone said. “The focus quickly shifted to day-to-day development and making the days count to improve as a team. We haven’t lost sight of the big picture vision to improve as a team and to do together.
Tradition of the dlugos
Liz Dlugos throws the shot put and discus for Greensburg Central Catholic, but she comes from a footballing family.
Dlugos committed to Bucknell this week, the same school where her father, Joe, played football in the late 1990s.
Current GCC wide receiver and defensive back Nate Dlugos — Joe’s nephew and Rob Dlugos’ son — signed up for Williams College, a Division III school in Massachusetts.
Williams plays in the New England Small College Athletic Conference, the same league that is home to Amherst, where his brother Zach plays.
This means that Nate and Zach’s teams will play against each other, just like Joe and Rob’s teams did when Rob played at Harvard.
Keefer bowl
Greensburg Salem will visit Southmoreland on Friday in a Class 3A Interstate Conference game.
Pre-game fun: count the Keefers.
Southmoreland has quarterback Kadin Keefer and assistant coaches and brothers Dave and Mark Keefer.
Greensburg Salem’s head coach is Dave Keefer.
Here’s the catch: apart from the brothers, none are related.
Peak hour
Three Westmoreland running backs are vying for the county running title, and the race is getting tighter.
Mt. Pleasant’s Robbie Labuda holds a slim lead with 1,065 yards, with Burrell’s Devin Beattie closing in at 1,036 and Latrobe’s Robert Fulton tucking in third at 1,030.
All three visited the end zone regularly. Beattie has 15 touchdowns, Fulton 14 and Labuda 10.
Beattie is the workhorse of the peloton with WPIAL leading 152 runs to Fulton’s 125 and Labuda’s 114.
Bill Beckner Jr. is an editor of the Tribune-Review. You can contact Bill by email at bbeckner@triblive.com or via Twitter .
Key words: Belle-VernonFranklin Regional, Greensburg CC, Greensburg Salem, Jeannette, Latrobe, Mt. Pleasant, Southmoreland