Keeley – Berks Sports Report

Rick Keeley Retires

Paul Roberts — Thu, 16 Nov 2023 11:01:00 +0000

Rick Keeley met with the Berks Catholic football team on Wednesday morning and told his players that he’s retiring. Keeley is a member of the Pennsylvania Scholastic Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame, Berks County Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame, Berks County chapter of the PA Sports Hall of Fame, and the Holy Name Hall of Fame. Here’s a look at his remarkable career by the numbers.

48-Total number of years spent coaching high school football

38-Number of years as a head coach

280-Career wins at Berks Catholic, Holy Name, and Hamburg

118-Career wins at Berks Catholic over 13 seasons

74-Winning percentage at Berks Catholic (118-41)

79-Winning percentage in the District 3 playoffs while at Berks Catholic (19-5)

5-District 3 championships (4 at Berks Catholic and 1 at Holy Name)

72-Wins at Berks Catholic from 2012-2017 (72-9)!

22-Years as the head coach at Holy Name

3-Years as the head coach at Hamburg

1971-Graduation year at St. Pius X High School where he was later an assistant for 2 seasons

1975-Graduation year at Kutztown University where he was an all-conference pick as a junior and senior

1978-First year as an assistant at Holy Name

1986-First year as head coach at Holy Name

70-His age as of this Saturday

Happy Birthday and Happy Retirement Coach Keeley!

Rick Keeley-Berks Catholic

Paul Roberts — Sat, 22 Oct 2022 01:05:00 +0000

Berks Catholic knew what was coming, but the Saints couldn’t stop it. Cocalico fullback Sam Steffey got a whopping 42 carries in a 31-10 victory over the Saints. The 5’9, 185-pound junior rumbled for 234 yards and three touchdowns. “I don’t think I’ve been this tired playing football in my life,” said Steffey with a smile. He’s up to 1,034 rushing yards this season. The (5-4, 4-2) Eagles only average five pass attempts per game. When you execute the Flexbone offense as well as they do, there’s no need to throw the football. Sophomore quarterback Josh Myer was just 1-of-3 for six yards and an interception, yet Cocalico came out on top. The Eagles piled up 309 yards on the ground. Their first possession took 14 plays and nearly eight minutes off the clock. Steffey’s 1-yard plunge ended a 71-yard drive. Cocalico’s next series took 13 plays and resulted in a 25-yard field goal by sophomore Talen Popolis. “They’re disciplined. They ran that offense pretty much to perfection. We struggled to stop it,” lamented Berks Catholic head coach Rick Keeley. The Eagles outscored the (3-6, 3-3) Saints 21-0 in the second half. Steffey’s 30th carry of the night was a 9-yard score with 2:12 remaining in the third period. After forcing a three-and-out, Cocalico ran more than five minutes off the clock. Steffey capped that 60-yard drive with a 4-yard touchdown which gave the Eagles a 24-10 advantage. On the ensuing possession, William Hess was sacked and fumbled on fourth down. Cocalico took over at Berks Catholic’s 24-yard-line midway through the final quarter. Backup fullback Owen Weaver, a 210-pound junior, powered his way into the end zone from 1-yard out with 1:17 left. “We couldn’t get the ball back…They controlled the line of scrimmage and they didn’t fumble,” stated Keeley. Steffey takes pride in the Eagles’ physical style of play. “They know what we’re doing, we just give it to them. A lot of teams try to trick them, but we just go straight at them and show how tough we are,” he replied. Steffey broke off a 50-yard run in the second quarter. He had 119 yards at the break. “[He’s] very durable. He must spend a lot of time in the weight room to take that team and carry them on his back. His linemen were moving us off the ball. My hat’s off to them,” acknowledged Keeley. JayJay Jordan was a bright spot for the Saints on senior night. The 170-pound running back had a team-high 73 yards on 13 carries. His 23-yard touchdown knotted things up at 7-7 with 32 seconds to go in the opening quarter. Jordan started to the right and then cut back to the middle. The cornerback also came up with an interception and returned it 25 yards to Cocalico’s 40-yard line with one minute remaining in the first half. “JayJay always gives a great effort. I have nothing but good things to say about him. I wish this team could’ve got more wins for him,” said Keeley. After a pretty 23-yard pass down the left sideline from Hess to Jaxon Geddio, Andrew Kurtas drilled a 22-yard field goal to even the score with 15 seconds left. However, the second half belonged to the Eagles. They were looking for revenge after losing to Berks Catholic 21-7 in the District 3 quarterfinals a season ago. Cocalico allowed just 129 total yards this time around. Saints’ fullbacks Devin Garcia and Nafis Blythe were held to 35 yards on eight combined touches. The Saints managed just 25 yards in the second half. “I didn’t see any quit out there. I thought our kids played to the end and that’s all you can ask for. Sometimes the other team is just better,” noted Keeley.

Rick Keeley-Berks Catholic

Paul Roberts — Tue, 09 Aug 2022 20:06:00 +0000

Rick Keeley has retired as a teacher at Berks Catholic, but he’ll still be roaming the sideline with the Saints’ football team. Keeley is preparing for his 37th season as a head football coach, a Berks County record. We talked about his new life outside of the classroom. When asked what he loves most about coaching, Keeley answered immediately. “The kids. The kids keep me young. I enjoy coming in every day and working with the kids. I do it because of the kids,” he said with his trademark smile. Keeley is (270-148-3) overall and a remarkable (108-29) over eleven years at Berks Catholic. He’s guided the Saints to four District 3 championships. Their streak of seven consecutive trips to the District 3 final came to an end two years ago. Keeley also captured District 3 gold with Holy Name in 2010. Berks Catholic finished (7-5) last season and reached the District 3-4A semifinals. The Saints have to replace two-thirds of their Wing-T backfield. Halfback Christian Cacchione and 225-pound fullback Luke Hughes graduated. Cacchione ran for a team-high 1,196 yards and 13TD. Hughes added 554 yards and seven scores. JayJay Jordan (807 yards) will be joined by speedy junior Marvin Armistead. Devin Garcia, a 190-pound junior, will get the first crack at fullback. Keeley said, “He’s been faithful in the weight room here. He’s made himself stronger. Those two positions, fullback and linebacker, you really have to be tough. He has a bright future ahead of him.” Garcia’s older brother, Luis, was a standout football and basketball player for the Saints. William Hess is expected to get the nod at quarterback. “He’s certainly someone who’s been around the program his entire life. He’s been running the Wing-T since he’s been old enough to call a play. He has moxie about him. You know you’re going to get the best effort out of him, and he really works hard at throwing the ball,” Keeley said. William’s father, Bill, played for Keeley at Holy Name. Bill Hess served as athletic director at Holy Name and Berks Catholic. The longtime assistant football coach is currently the Head of School at Berks Catholic. The Saints return a handful of starters on offense and four on defense. Pat Sisk left Exeter to become the new defensive coordinator at Berks Catholic. Keeley is looking forward to joining the Lancaster-Lebanon League. He told me that it was very difficult to find non-league matchups when the Saints were in the Berks Football League. Berks Catholic will be part of Section 4 along with Wyomissing, Conrad Weiser, Cocalico, Lampeter-Strasburg, ELCO, Donegal, and Octorara. The Saints and Spartans will renew their rivalry on September 16th. They haven’t squared off since 2019.

Rick Keeley-Berks Catholic

Paul Roberts — Sat, 13 Nov 2021 01:04:00 +0000

The Saints didn’t get off to a terrific start in the District 3-4A quarterfinals. #5 seed Cocalico drove 56 yards on 14 plays for a touchdown on the opening series. The Eagles took seven minutes and 37 seconds off the clock! Quarterback Blayke Taddei scrambled on 4th and goal from the 5-yard line for the score. That was the only time that Cocalico reached the end zone. Berks Catholic head coach Rick Keeley told me that his defense had to get used to the tempo of the Eagles’ flexbone offense. Keeley called this the best defensive effort of the season for his squad. Fullback Anthony Bourassa ran for 1,863 yards and 23TD in the regular season. He averaged 8.6 yards per carry over those ten games. The Saints limited Bourassa to 112 yards on 30 carries (3.7). Keeley explained who was responsible for slowing him down. He also compared Tyler Givens’ interception to a play made by former Berks Catholic star Luke Painton who’s now at Columbia. JayJay Jordan ran for 86 yards and 2TD. Both scores came with less than four minutes remaining. One was from 53 yards and the other was from 32. Christian Cacchione ended up with 78 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries. Keeley pointed out that his running backs are underrated blockers. The (7-4) Saints will be on the road next week against top-seeded Bishop McDevitt. Keeley elaborated on his belief that coaches need to enjoy the victories more. This was win #270 overall for Keeley in 36 seasons as a head coach.

Rick Keeley-Berks Catholic

Paul Roberts — Thu, 28 Oct 2021 19:49:00 +0000

Rick Keeley is in his 36th season as a high school head football coach, a Berks County record. I asked him if he still enjoys it as much as when he started coaching. Keeley has won 269 games overall and five District 3 championships. His record at Berks Catholic is an outstanding (107-27). The Saints will have their hands full on Friday with Nick Singleton and the Gov. Mifflin Mustangs. Singleton is a 6’, 218-pound PSU commit who bench presses 405 pounds and squats over 500! He’s up to 101 career TD’s and 5,661 rushing yards. Keeley had high praise for Singleton on and off the field. The longtime coach stressed that Gov. Mifflin has plenty of other talented players as well. Keeley told me that his senior quarterback, Mitchell Gatz, hasn’t received much attention, but he has played very well. We also discussed the transition from guard to fullback for 225-pound senior Luke Hughes. Plus, Keeley talked about what the Saints learned from their recent loss to Exeter. Berks Catholic is on top of the District 3-4A power rankings. The Saints are just barely ahead of Bishop McDevitt and Lampeter-Strasburg.

Rick Keeley-Berks Catholic

Paul Roberts — Sat, 02 Oct 2021 00:24:00 +0000

The Saints bounced back from a tough loss to Malvern Prep with a 40-7 victory at Daniel Boone. Rick Keeley, who’s in his 36th season as a head coach, was very pleased with his special teams. Christian Cacchione took the opening kickoff 91 yards for a TD! Keeley was also happy with the decision-making of senior QB Mitchell Gatz. He finished 8-9 for 174 yards and 3TD to Jay Jay Jordan. Keeley knows that they’ll need an effective passing attack in the postseason. This was win #267 for Keeley. He gave credit to Daniel Boone for playing despite being short-handed. Berks Catholic improved to (4-2). The Saints have prevailed in 23 of their last 25 league games.

Rick Keeley-Berks Catholic

Paul Roberts — Sat, 21 Aug 2021 19:46:31 +0000

Rick Keeley is entering his 36th season as a head football coach; a Berks County record. He’s won 263 games and five District 3 championships. Over the past decade, Keeley has guided the Saints to a record of (101-24). Berks Catholic is (18-4) all-time in the District 3 playoffs under Keeley. The Saints have won 22 of their last 24 league games! We talked about what he loves most about football. Keeley gave his thoughts on the upcoming merger with the L-L League. He explained moving Luke Hughes from guard to fullback. You’ll also hear how quickly Keeley can name all 12 of his grandkids.