RSS
Keyes runs for 402 yards; coach should be ashamed
Chatham junior running back Josh Keyes rushed for 402 yards at Watervliet Saturday – the fifth-best total in Section II history – and scored all eight Chatham touchdowns in a 56-14 victory on Cannoneers Field at Watervliet High School.
His eight touchdowns topped Keyes’ school record of seven, set just last week, and tied him for second place all-time in Section II history with 48 points scored in a single game. One of the most explosive backs in the area, Keyes has rushed for 1,221 yards on 84 attempts this season, a 14.5 yards per attempt average.
"He’s good, plain and simple," said Watervliet head coach Erick Bernard. "The kids missed tackles and that is one kid you can’t miss tackles on. And you can’t have just one kid trying to tackle him. You need more than one kid tackling. I’m not taking anything away from Keyes. He’s a heck of a football player."
This post is not about Josh Keyes, who was very humble and polite in our brief meeting after the game. He's a true Section II star and should be lauded for the mind-boggling numbers he's put up this season. Keyes has obviously put in the work to become a great player and once he steps between the lines, he's going to compete to the best of his abilities.
This post is about the Chatham coaching staff decision to leave Keyes in the ballgame in the second half.
Chatham head coach Mark Dwyer defended using Keyes in the second half, even though the Panthers led 42-0 early in the third quarter.
"One, he’s been sick, so I wanted to keep him moving," Dwyer said. "The other thing is, at the end of the first half he got tackled and got a knot on his calf. Every time he stood around, it tightened up on him."
Dwyer also said he did not plan for Keyes to run the ball on his final carry, a 65-yard touchdown run with 6:02 remaining in the fourth quarter. Keyes was inserted back into the game after two substitutes failed to make their blocks. Chatham quarterback Tanner Niles audibled to a toss play for Keyes when he saw Watervliet’s defensive alignment on the play.
"We haven’t played a 48-minute game since Voorheesville, so another thing is I have to make sure my kids go in the fourth quarter," he continued.
--
There was absolutely no reason for Keyes to be put on the field by his coaches in the second half of Saturday's game. The Panthers had the game in hand and surely would have been best served making 100% their star back was rested and healthy on the sidelines. His coaches had no business letting him run for 65-yard touchdowns against the Watervliet second team defense midway through the fourth quarter of a blowout game.
Chatham had been on the opposite side of similar beatings from Watervliet for years and years during the Cannoneers' prominence in the 1990s, so perhaps this was a payback victory for years of frustration, not to mention Watervliet's postseason upset in Chatham last season. That's a reason but it's no excuse.
Rather than admit making a mistake in judgment or admit chasing records or admit holding a grudge against Watervliet, Dwyer threw his other players under the bus, telling reporters his second and third string players missed blocks and were removed from the game. He also blamed his quarterback for calling the toss play on Keyes final run, rather than admit having Keyes on the field in the first place was a mistake.
The Panthers were leading by 35 points with mere minutes to go! What better learning experience than that to have your young players make mistakes in a game situation?
Bernard declined to comment on the record about the situation.
--
On the other hand, consider Troy High's situation. The Flying Horses play the first half with the pedal to the metal. If they're up big, as they've been in most games, the second and third team players get in the game in the third quarter, without a thought of chasing records or embarrassing opponents.
That's winning with class. Chatham could have used a lesson in that Saturday afternoon.
--
1, Brandon Ryan, Coxsackie-Athens (Bishop Gibbons), 2002, 16-442
2, Joe McMurry, Hudson Falls (Albany Academy), 2007, 29-435
3, Marc Thompson, Schenectady (Mohonasen), 2007, 33-411
4, John Bonkoski, Cohoes (Coxsackie), 1999, 14-409
5, Josh Keyes, Chatham (Watervliet), 2009, 21-402
6, Marc Thompson, Schenectady (Niskayuna), 2007, 33-381
7, Kareem Jones, Lansingburgh (Hudson), 2003, 21-380
8, Josh Izzo, Stillwater (Coxsackie), 2004, 31-376
9, Larry Starks, Watervliet (Fonda-Fultonville), 2001, 36-369
10, Vincent Hemmingway, Hudson (Catholic Central), 2003, 31-367
Watervliet (2-3, 3-3) 0 0 6 8 - 14
First Quarter
C – Josh Keyes 11 run (Michael Gilbert kick) 8:21
Second Quarter
C – Keyes 10 run (Gilbert kick) 9:33
C – Keyes 3 run (Gilbert kick) 7:27
C – Keyes 48 run (Gilbert kick) 3:56
C – Keyes 24 run (Gilbert kick) 1:22
Third Quarter
C – Keyes 4 run (Gilbert kick) 9:02
W – Ahshad Thompson 89 kick return (kick failed) 8:45
C – Keyes 44 run (Gilbert kick) 1:33
Fourth Quarter
W – Jordan Gleason 5 run (Jamal McPherson pass from Brandon Legault) 7:53
C – Keyes 65 run (Gilbert kick) 6:02
Passing: Chatham: Niles 1-2-(-8)-0-0. Watervliet: Legault 18-23-142-0-0.
Receiving: Chatham (1-(-8)) Keyes 1-(-8). Watervliet (18-142) Donnelly 6-57, Touzin 5-39, Thompson 3-13, Myschuk 1-4, Manning 1-15, G.Kelly 2-14.
His eight touchdowns topped Keyes’ school record of seven, set just last week, and tied him for second place all-time in Section II history with 48 points scored in a single game. One of the most explosive backs in the area, Keyes has rushed for 1,221 yards on 84 attempts this season, a 14.5 yards per attempt average.
"He’s good, plain and simple," said Watervliet head coach Erick Bernard. "The kids missed tackles and that is one kid you can’t miss tackles on. And you can’t have just one kid trying to tackle him. You need more than one kid tackling. I’m not taking anything away from Keyes. He’s a heck of a football player."
This post is not about Josh Keyes, who was very humble and polite in our brief meeting after the game. He's a true Section II star and should be lauded for the mind-boggling numbers he's put up this season. Keyes has obviously put in the work to become a great player and once he steps between the lines, he's going to compete to the best of his abilities.
This post is about the Chatham coaching staff decision to leave Keyes in the ballgame in the second half.
Chatham head coach Mark Dwyer defended using Keyes in the second half, even though the Panthers led 42-0 early in the third quarter.
"One, he’s been sick, so I wanted to keep him moving," Dwyer said. "The other thing is, at the end of the first half he got tackled and got a knot on his calf. Every time he stood around, it tightened up on him."
Dwyer also said he did not plan for Keyes to run the ball on his final carry, a 65-yard touchdown run with 6:02 remaining in the fourth quarter. Keyes was inserted back into the game after two substitutes failed to make their blocks. Chatham quarterback Tanner Niles audibled to a toss play for Keyes when he saw Watervliet’s defensive alignment on the play.
"We haven’t played a 48-minute game since Voorheesville, so another thing is I have to make sure my kids go in the fourth quarter," he continued.
--
There was absolutely no reason for Keyes to be put on the field by his coaches in the second half of Saturday's game. The Panthers had the game in hand and surely would have been best served making 100% their star back was rested and healthy on the sidelines. His coaches had no business letting him run for 65-yard touchdowns against the Watervliet second team defense midway through the fourth quarter of a blowout game.
Chatham had been on the opposite side of similar beatings from Watervliet for years and years during the Cannoneers' prominence in the 1990s, so perhaps this was a payback victory for years of frustration, not to mention Watervliet's postseason upset in Chatham last season. That's a reason but it's no excuse.
Rather than admit making a mistake in judgment or admit chasing records or admit holding a grudge against Watervliet, Dwyer threw his other players under the bus, telling reporters his second and third string players missed blocks and were removed from the game. He also blamed his quarterback for calling the toss play on Keyes final run, rather than admit having Keyes on the field in the first place was a mistake.
The Panthers were leading by 35 points with mere minutes to go! What better learning experience than that to have your young players make mistakes in a game situation?
Bernard declined to comment on the record about the situation.
--
On the other hand, consider Troy High's situation. The Flying Horses play the first half with the pedal to the metal. If they're up big, as they've been in most games, the second and third team players get in the game in the third quarter, without a thought of chasing records or embarrassing opponents.
That's winning with class. Chatham could have used a lesson in that Saturday afternoon.
--
Top 10 single-game rushing performances in Section II history
Player, Team (opponent), year, attempts-yardage1, Brandon Ryan, Coxsackie-Athens (Bishop Gibbons), 2002, 16-442
2, Joe McMurry, Hudson Falls (Albany Academy), 2007, 29-435
3, Marc Thompson, Schenectady (Mohonasen), 2007, 33-411
4, John Bonkoski, Cohoes (Coxsackie), 1999, 14-409
5, Josh Keyes, Chatham (Watervliet), 2009, 21-402
6, Marc Thompson, Schenectady (Niskayuna), 2007, 33-381
7, Kareem Jones, Lansingburgh (Hudson), 2003, 21-380
8, Josh Izzo, Stillwater (Coxsackie), 2004, 31-376
9, Larry Starks, Watervliet (Fonda-Fultonville), 2001, 36-369
10, Vincent Hemmingway, Hudson (Catholic Central), 2003, 31-367
CHATHAM 56, WATERVLIET 14
Chatham (6-0, 6-0) 7 28 14 7 - 56Watervliet (2-3, 3-3) 0 0 6 8 - 14
First Quarter
C – Josh Keyes 11 run (Michael Gilbert kick) 8:21
Second Quarter
C – Keyes 10 run (Gilbert kick) 9:33
C – Keyes 3 run (Gilbert kick) 7:27
C – Keyes 48 run (Gilbert kick) 3:56
C – Keyes 24 run (Gilbert kick) 1:22
Third Quarter
C – Keyes 4 run (Gilbert kick) 9:02
W – Ahshad Thompson 89 kick return (kick failed) 8:45
C – Keyes 44 run (Gilbert kick) 1:33
Fourth Quarter
W – Jordan Gleason 5 run (Jamal McPherson pass from Brandon Legault) 7:53
C – Keyes 65 run (Gilbert kick) 6:02
Individual Statistics
Rushing: Chatham (48-614) Keyes 21-402, R.Coon 11-122, D.Coon 10-69, Niles 1-3, Brahm 2-5, Mishkin 1-2, Chrysler 2-11. Watervliet (28-101) Thompson 8-58, Legault 5-(-10), I.Kelly 4-3, Gleason 4-35, Manning 7-15.Passing: Chatham: Niles 1-2-(-8)-0-0. Watervliet: Legault 18-23-142-0-0.
Receiving: Chatham (1-(-8)) Keyes 1-(-8). Watervliet (18-142) Donnelly 6-57, Touzin 5-39, Thompson 3-13, Myschuk 1-4, Manning 1-15, G.Kelly 2-14.
Labels: Chatham, HS Football, Watervliet
posted by Troy Record Sports at
9:58 PM
15 Comments:
your comments on Coach Dwyer are unwanted. If you have nothing good to say then don't say it. Watervliet did not sub up their defense until the fourth quarter anyways, I was there at the game. Get your facts straight.
Chatham did not need Keyes out there in the second half to win the game. Only the coach knows the real reason why he had him out there. If a coach was trying to boost his players stats or get the opposing team back to avenge previous losses do you think he would tell a reporter so it would be plastered all over the paper? I really doubt that he would.
This is the same Chatham coaching staff that, after losing a heartbreaking playoff game 2-0 to Cambridge two seasons ago in a monsoon, decided to load up the JV squad with varsity players to extract some payback. The Chatham JV coach apologized to the Cambridge coach BEFORE the game for what was going to happen. Well what happened was that Cambridge JV's beat them anyways, 14-13.
Enjoy your blowouts Chatham, and if you leave your starters in it had better be to work on your passing game, cause if you bring that one dimensional offense against Hoosick Falls or Cambridge, its over.
to avoid confusion, I'm the one who made the JV post
jjazz, you can leave that crap out of there anyway. I was at that JV game, i remember it pretty clearly as my son was one of the players.
They didn't bring a single person down from the varsity squad. Every single player on the field had been the players that had used the other 8 games of their season.
They didn't even bring down Joe Cozzolino, who was a sophomore at the time, but was starting on Varsity.
So don't try to pull that crap, because it didn't happen.
Funny, cause one of the Cambridge coaches went out of his way to announce it at the end of that years banquet, specifically saying there were "several familiar faces" from Saturday's game, and specifically mentioning the apology by the opposing coach prior to the kickoff. I guess he could be making it all up.......
Whatever you want to believe, thats old news. Better get back to working on that passing game.
I think Chatham remembers the Vliet fans singing "good by Chatham" last year at the end of the season.
How come no one mentions Vliet beating ICC 64-zip a few weeks ago.
Everyone in the league has been able to get ready for the chatham rushing attack but no one has stopped it yet........
And if the chatham players who stayed out to while josh keyes was playing werent mad y should anyone else be....
the only people that should be a little mad are the watervliet players but they also kept their starters in till the 4th anyway
I failed to see all of your coaching experience in your resume Mr. Montgomery.. Maybe its best you dont bash people who have done things that you haven't done.
Dear Coach Montgomery,
Taking shots at a coach, a team and a school is something that coaches usually don't do. I am suprised at you. Oh wait, you've never coached. Now I understand.
So your opinion is good teams and good players should only play the first half of any game they are leading in, but the losing teams are free to leave their starters in the entire time. That is what happened in the game you are commenting on. I was there. Watervliet left almost all of their starters in the entire game (especially on offense). You think Chatham (and any other team who is winning) should remove their starters promptly after the kickoff of the 2nd half???? Makes sense - work hard all winter and summer in the weight room, on the track, in practices, the classroom, etc to only be able to play a little more than 1 half of a game once a week for 7 weeks.
Nice reward system you want to incorporate for hard work. Are you looking to change this in all sports, or specifically football? Will you be complaining during basketball season when one of the powerhouses has their starters in and scoring once in the 4th quarter with a safe lead because the point guard saw him open on a fastbreak and passed him the ball? Or is getting the subs 4 or less minutes of playing time in basketball enough. Remember, basketball also has 18 games a season (versus football's 8 or 9 games). That is what happened...our quarterback audibled (like he is coached to do) to capitalize on a weakness in the defense. Should we say no audibles when leading in a game as well? Personally, I thought it was a great call by a young quarterback and I surely hope he continues to make those reads throughout the rest of the season and as far into sectionals as Chatham goes. I must have missed the compliment you made to the QB for making that read in your blog....nevermind...I just re-read your blog and there was not much positive at all. Maybe you should have wrote "good coaching" when a young quarterback sees that read and is taught to audible to an effective play.
Also, you stated Chatham would have been best served making sure Josh was rested....what does he do the other 6 days of the week....he rests. He isn't out running marathons or moonlighting as a superhero...he rests. Also, he ran that touchdown against 8 or 9 starters on defense for watervliet, not their 2nd defense. Please make sure you have your facts straight as (unfortunately) your words have a negative impact on a good program when some people can't get out to see the game.
Hope to see you at the next game.
he hate me... well said and amen brotha
The lack of class started last year when the parents, fans, and other supporters of Watervliet started chanting Good Bye Chatham at the end of that game. That gives you an idea of the type of people they are. I bet Montgomery that you were not at that game, were you? I was and heard it all. I was also at the Watervliet game this year. Whats that saying about payback?
And lets see, a guy that works for a Troy business and then uses a Troy school in his example. Aren't reporters supposed to be unbiased?
Hoosick and Cambridge: Chatham doesn't need a passing game with Keyes. Good luck trying to stop him.
Chatham fans,
This is old news now. We need to get ready for our upcoming games.
Sectionals are tough, each team brings their "A" game. Take a team for granted and it may be your last game. We need to take this one game at a time. Don't look ahead or over anybody. Throw into the mix a few mistakes, a bad call or two, or even the weather, any thing can happen.
I'm sure coach Dwyer and his staff will have our boys ready. They spend hours preparing. Along with our players dedication to camps and the weight room, I think we have a chance to go far. But again, don't take any team for granted and take it one game at a time.
Good Luck Chatham, play hard, play fast, play to your potential and you can go far.
BDC
Will,
Chatham-Ichabod 69-0.
Coach Dwyer played everyone except the cheerleaders, I think they would have scored.
Keyes carried the ball 3 times 2 tds, fumble recovery 1td , punt returns 1td.
At about 9:30 in the first quarter Chatham was ahead 13-0 without even running an offensive play.
I'm just letting you know this before you go off on another hate Coach Dwyer post.
He doesn't deserve that, He has brought this program up to where it is today. Is he perfect, no, but then again, who is?
Look for him to have our boys ready next week. The starters are very well rested and ready to go.
To the Chatham Players,
Stay focused, play hard, play smart, play to your potential and listen to your coaches.
To Coach Dwyer and staff,
It's playoff time, turn them loose
and let them do what they do best. WIN!!!
Post a Comment
The following comments represent views of the individuals making the comments. Comments are screened only to keep out spam and uncivil behavior. All opinions are welcome.
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home