Keswick holds off Patriots for win

On the biggest play of the game, two of Keswick Christian's smallest sophomores stepped up.

By JOE SMITH
Published May 25, 2007

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ST. PETERSBURG - On the biggest play of the game, two of Keswick Christian's smallest sophomores stepped up.

The Crusaders held a 16-point, third-quarter lead over Pinellas Park in Thursday's spring classic before a furious - and at times, fancy - Patriots' comeback.

But with just less than two minutes left, Keswick Christian sophomore defensive backs Doug Sanson and Isaac Huntley stuffed Patriots quarterback Jesse Redden two feet short of a game-tying two-point conversion, sealing a dramatic 23-21 win.

"We saw Northside Christian beat Seminole, " said Keswick junior Tarvin Jones, who snatched a spectacular one-handed interception in the third. "So we had to show them."

The Class B Crusaders showed they could hold their own up front with the Class 5A Patriots. Keswick junior tailback Jared DiMaggio had two touchdown runs, including a 14-yard cutback on the second quarter's opening drive (JV teams played the first, with Crusaders up 2-0).

Redden was effective off bootlegs and rollouts, connecting with receiver Carlton Green for a score. But it was Green who completed a crafty double pass, a 53-yard score to Ricky Hunter, to bring the Patriots within two in the waning minutes.

Joe Smith can be reached at joesmith@sptimes.com or at (727) 893-8129.