Keeling sizes it up
WEST BRIDGEWATER — When Christian Keeling arrived at West Bridgewater High, the talent he possessed was obvious. The only question was his size.
Like it had been throughout youth football, Keeling was much smaller than most who put on the pads. Playing on the freshman team, the running back’s size was hardly a factor, as his top-tier speed and field vision made up for what he lacked in physical stature.
When he moved to the varsity as a sophomore, coach Bill Panos was aware of the talent Keeling had but was cautious of burning him out too soon.
“After the first game or two his sophomore year I saw how gifted he was. We used him every game, but I didn’t want to overuse him.” Panos said. “Even as a freshman, I saw a couple of games and he was a varsity player playing on a freshman team.”
With limited chances, Keeling made it hard to justify a conservative approach. When the workload increased as a junior, defenses took notice of his skill as the running back racked up 1,600 allpurpose yards and 23 touchdowns.
Now, a senior captain, Keeling impacts games in much bigger ways than his size would indicate. So far in 2018, he has been crucial to the Wildcats’ 3-0 start, scoring seven touchdowns to lead an offense that has scored 28 points per game.
As opponents search for ways to limit his effect, they find that his impact stretches well-beyond what happens when he has the ball in his hand. By attracting the attention of multiple defenders, other weapons in the offense have more favorable matchups.
“Sometimes when I’m playing I can hear (defenses) say watch 32 or watch the run,” said Keeling. “I like that because it shows that they’re prepared for you. We feel like we were one-dimensional a couple years ago, but now with (Benjamin) Skinner and a couple of other kids, it opens up more which allows me to do more also.”
The desire to slow down Keeling gives coach Panos an opportunity to fully open up the playbook. And due to the selfless, team-first attitude of his star player, Panos also has the freedom to call the right play. That may mean a 60or 70-yard drive sustained by the run but finished off by other means.
And typically, Keeling is the first to congratulate his scoring teammate.
“I always thought it was a team game and that’s what I love about football. Whenever one of my teammates score it is just as good as if I scored. Even if I worked for it, the whole team did too,” said Keeling. The senior will put that team-first mentality into action tomorrow as he looks to prevent a second-consecutive class from going winless against Mayflower League rival Nantucket. Last season, the Whalers stood directly in the path of a postseason berth for West Bridgewater.
“I love playing good opponents that strategize well, prepare well and are well coached,” Keeling said. “We haven’t beat them in a long time so that is the motivation for me. I have seen a class go and not even beat them, so I would like to beat them for those guys.”