The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Keystone impressive in opener
Lampron rushes for 229 yards, scores three TDs
In a year where nothing has been normal, where everything is upside down, Keystone proved that some things are unchangeable.
If you can run the football and stop the run, you can win football games.
The Wildcats did just that as junior Gideon Lampron ran for two touchdowns and scored a third on a pick six as Keystone knocked off Clearview, 27-6, on Aug. 28 in the opener for both teams.
Lampron, who was a secondteam all-Ohio selection a year ago as a linebacker, finished the night with 229 yards on 21 carries.
Just getting on the field in the midst of a pandemic that has brought so much suffering and pain to so many was a thrill for Lampron.
“I can’t describe it. Not knowing if we were going have a season. Being with all the boys again and getting a win was awesome,” he said.
Lampron scored on runs of 35 and 60 yards and returned his interception 16 yards for another score.
His 35-yard second-quarter scoring run was a thing of beauty as he hurdled one tackler and shed another who tried to drag in down at the goal line.
“Gideon Lampron is a
man,” Keystone coach Don Griswold said. “He stands out, doesn’t he?”
The game was delayed for 30 minutes late in the first half after an apparent lightening flash. And most of the first half was played in a driving rainstorm.
New protocols set up to combat the novel coronavirus mandate the refs not touch the ball before each down, which slowed the game to a crawl at points. But the pace picked up as
the players became more familiar with the spotting of the ball between downs as the game progressed.
Keystone quarterback Konnor Rodick drilled a touchdown pass through a maze of hands and into the grasp of Deghan Rigdon to give Keystone a 6-0 lead with 2:58 left in the first quarter.
Lampron’s 35-yard TD run to gave the Wildcats a 12-0 lead early in the second quarter. Rodick ran in
the conversion to increase the lead to 14-0.
Robert Davis, the Clearview quarterback, got the Clippers back in the game late in the first half when he scrambled in from 5-yards out for a score to close the Keystone lead to 14-6.
Davis connected with Hiram Carreras on a 45-yard pass play to set up the score.
Keystone dominated the first two quarters. The Wildcats controlled the line of scrimmage on both sides
of the ball.
Their defensive line kept constant pressure on Davis and the Wildcats line consistently opened up gaps that Lampron was more than willing to burst through and churn out yards.
Griswold said just getting to line up and take snaps on a Friday night was a “blessing.”
“It was a weird day for sure. Any bit of adversity we could have faced we did.
Whether it was the weather or not being sharp or whatever,” said Griswold. “It’s awesome, It’s a blessing and it’s a little bit weird, I’m not going to lie.”
Clearview senior receiver Hiram Carreras said playing in front of so few fans made it feel like a backyard football.
“It was like a dream come true. Just getting to play on Tom Hoch Field on more time,” he said. “You’ve got to love it.”