Sports
Freshman MRH Running Back Keely Makes Key Plays
Elijah Keely had five touchdowns Friday during the Maplewood Richmond Heights football game against MICDS.
running back Elijah Keely surprised himself, his coaches and the MICDS defense with his 161 rushing yards and five touchdowns during . It was the freshman's debut high school game.
But he’s been playing football since he was 6 years old, most recently in the St. Louis Junior Football League for the Herbert Hoover team.
"I’ve just got a passion for it and someday want to go pro," Keely said.
His play on Friday also shocked MRH head coach Brandon Gregory. “I didn’t see this coming, to be honest with you,” he said.
“I knew he was a great athlete when he was young and he was going to eventually emerge,” Gregory said. “But I didn’t think it was going to happen in that game.”
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Very few freshmen are able to respond well in a close game, but that's exactly what Keely did.
“He took on the challenge and did what he had to do,” Gregory said.
That's because Keely works out a lot at home.
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“My coach wants me to lift weights more, and study my plays, and look out for other people the way they look out for me,” Keely said.
Keely runs track, too, something he said he and Gregory, who also coaches track, have talked about. Keely was one of the top 110 and 400 hurdlers in the country last season.
But right now, Keely is focused on football. He said it feels good to be a Blue Devil.
“They protect me,” he said. “I know they got my back in a game, and I got their back in a game. It’s just like a big family thing when we play football."
He wanted to give a shoutout to the receiving, kickoff and punting teams for their performance on Friday night.
"Defensively we made a few mistakes. We’ve got days to make it better, and it’s just going to come fast,” Keely said. “And the offensive line did a good job, but I know we can do better.”
Gregory hopes Keely will be rested up in time for Friday. The Blue Devils will host the rival .
“All the coaches on the sideline say he’s a freshman, but we got to run our offense right now through this kid,” Gregory said.
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