Keeston Terry nearly single-handedly kept Blue Springs’ playoff hopes alive Friday night.
The Wildcat junior receiver/running back/defensive back made plays offensive and defensively to help the Wildcats grab a wild 48-38 Class 6 District 8 win at Peve Stadium.
The win also guaranteed the Wildcats a share of the Suburban Big Seven title.
Terry grabbed six passes for 169 yards and three touchdowns. He also had 28 yards rushing and a score.
But what he was most proud of were his two interceptions.
With Liberty (7-2, 3-2 Big Seven, 1-1 District) driving toward the end zone in the fourth quarter, Terry picked off Liberty quarterback Jimmy Smelcer twice – once at the 2-yard line and once in the end zone.
“I was proud of myself tonight,” Terry said. “I was glad to get a couple of picks. (Liberty receiver) Marcus (Lucas), he’s a tough sucker for real. And their defense was feisty. They were a good team.”
Terry put the team on the board first in the second minute of the game. Jared Lanpher’s pass was a little short and it bounced off the hands of two Liberty defenders before Terry grabbed and raced the rest of the way for a 72-yard score.
“I got past the defenders, but it was a short ball,” Terry said. “They both ended up deflecting the ball. I stayed behind them. I’ll take what I can get.”
The touchdown appeared to open up the floodgates for the Wildcats (8-1, 5-1 Big Seven, 1-1 District). A fumble recovery by Gus Toca set up a 13-yard touchdown catch by Nick Halterman. The Wildcats later scored on a Darrian Miller 38-yard run and seemed to be rolling, up 21-0.
Liberty scored on a 25-yard pass from Marcus Lucas to Scott Buffa to cut the lead to 21-7, but the Wildcats appeared to have all the momentum 24 seconds later, as Ricky Ortiz ran 66 yards for a score on a reverse.
Then, the Blue Jays stormed back.
With a minute left in the half, Katro Keels dove in from a yard out. Then, Liberty recovered a loose ball on the ensuing kickoff, setting up first-and-goal from 5. Jimmy Smelcer hit Buffa to get within 28-21 and in less than a minute, a lopsided game became too close for comfort.
“I put the blame on me for that,” Ortiz said. “They kicked it short and the coaches told me to go up and get it. I thought I could still get it and got decked. Then on the score, I took my eyes off (Buffa). So I put that score on me.”
Liberty then took the opening kickoff and marched down the field and cut the lead to one as Smelcer hit Lucas on a 50-yard strike.
Then, Terry started to take over the game.
Terry put Blue Springs up 35-27 on a 37-yard touchdown reception from Lanpher. He later scored in the quarter on a 50-yard catch over the top.
In addition, he started playing lockdown defense on Lucas. After Lucas’ 50-yard touchdown pass, he only had two catches for 21 yards.
“I saw (Lucas) at Mizzou and thought he’d be pretty good,” Lanpher said. “I saw him on film and knew he was a big playmaker. We knew we had to put Keeston on him, since he’s our best corner.”
Terry’s first interception led to a 98-yard drive capped by an 8-yard Terry run. He then picked off Smelcer in the end zone with just more than three minutes left in the game, and the Wildcats thought they had the win by more than 13 points for the tiebreaker.
However, Liberty got the ball back at the 42-yard line. Smelcer hit Lucas, who immediately lateraled to Garrett White on the hook-and-lateral play for a 58-yard score, which cut the lead to 48-38.
Blue Springs tried on two separate drives to move the ball and get those points back, but was unable to score more than the 48 points.
“It comes down to points,” Donohoe said of the district tiebreaking system. “That’s why we kept throwing. We had to get to 13, and we didn’t.
“But it was great to get the win. It’s a big win. I’m proud of the kids.”
The win keeps Blue Springs alive in the playoff hunt. However, they need Blue Springs South to either win, or lose by seven points or less – while at the same time, the Wildcats need to beat Columbia Rock Bridge by 13 points.
So the Wildcats now find themselves in a weird position – rooting for rival South next week against Liberty.
“That’s a first,” Lanpher joked. “They played good against us. If they play the way they did against us, they should win that game.”
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Keeston Terry nearly single-handedly kept Blue Springs’ playoff hopes alive Friday night.
The Wildcat junior receiver/running back/defensive back made plays offensive and defensively to help the Wildcats grab a wild 48-38 Class 6 District 8 win at Peve Stadium.
The win also guaranteed the Wildcats a share of the Suburban Big Seven title.
Terry grabbed six passes for 169 yards and three touchdowns. He also had 28 yards rushing and a score.
But what he was most proud of were his two interceptions.
With Liberty (7-2, 3-2 Big Seven, 1-1 District) driving toward the end zone in the fourth quarter, Terry picked off Liberty quarterback Jimmy Smelcer twice – once at the 2-yard line and once in the end zone.
“I was proud of myself tonight,” Terry said. “I was glad to get a couple of picks. (Liberty receiver) Marcus (Lucas), he’s a tough sucker for real. And their defense was feisty. They were a good team.”
Terry put the team on the board first in the second minute of the game. Jared Lanpher’s pass was a little short and it bounced off the hands of two Liberty defenders before Terry grabbed and raced the rest of the way for a 72-yard score.
“I got past the defenders, but it was a short ball,” Terry said. “They both ended up deflecting the ball. I stayed behind them. I’ll take what I can get.”
The touchdown appeared to open up the floodgates for the Wildcats (8-1, 5-1 Big Seven, 1-1 District). A fumble recovery by Gus Toca set up a 13-yard touchdown catch by Nick Halterman. The Wildcats later scored on a Darrian Miller 38-yard run and seemed to be rolling, up 21-0.
Liberty scored on a 25-yard pass from Marcus Lucas to Scott Buffa to cut the lead to 21-7, but the Wildcats appeared to have all the momentum 24 seconds later, as Ricky Ortiz ran 66 yards for a score on a reverse.
Then, the Blue Jays stormed back.
With a minute left in the half, Katro Keels dove in from a yard out. Then, Liberty recovered a loose ball on the ensuing kickoff, setting up first-and-goal from 5. Jimmy Smelcer hit Buffa to get within 28-21 and in less than a minute, a lopsided game became too close for comfort.
“I put the blame on me for that,” Ortiz said. “They kicked it short and the coaches told me to go up and get it. I thought I could still get it and got decked. Then on the score, I took my eyes off (Buffa). So I put that score on me.”
Liberty then took the opening kickoff and marched down the field and cut the lead to one as Smelcer hit Lucas on a 50-yard strike.
Then, Terry started to take over the game.
Terry put Blue Springs up 35-27 on a 37-yard touchdown reception from Lanpher. He later scored in the quarter on a 50-yard catch over the top.
In addition, he started playing lockdown defense on Lucas. After Lucas’ 50-yard touchdown pass, he only had two catches for 21 yards.
“I saw (Lucas) at Mizzou and thought he’d be pretty good,” Lanpher said. “I saw him on film and knew he was a big playmaker. We knew we had to put Keeston on him, since he’s our best corner.”
Terry’s first interception led to a 98-yard drive capped by an 8-yard Terry run. He then picked off Smelcer in the end zone with just more than three minutes left in the game, and the Wildcats thought they had the win by more than 13 points for the tiebreaker.
However, Liberty got the ball back at the 42-yard line. Smelcer hit Lucas, who immediately lateraled to Garrett White on the hook-and-lateral play for a 58-yard score, which cut the lead to 48-38.
Blue Springs tried on two separate drives to move the ball and get those points back, but was unable to score more than the 48 points.
“It comes down to points,” Donohoe said of the district tiebreaking system. “That’s why we kept throwing. We had to get to 13, and we didn’t.
“But it was great to get the win. It’s a big win. I’m proud of the kids.”
The win keeps Blue Springs alive in the playoff hunt. However, they need Blue Springs South to either win, or lose by seven points or less – while at the same time, the Wildcats need to beat Columbia Rock Bridge by 13 points.
So the Wildcats now find themselves in a weird position – rooting for rival South next week against Liberty.
“That’s a first,” Lanpher joked. “They played good against us. If they play the way they did against us, they should win that game.”
