By Mike DeVader, Reinhardt Director of Athletic Communications & Media
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - A 13-play, 98-yard drive in 1:49 was capped off by a 4-yard touchdown pass with 21 seconds remaining as Keiser (Fla.) upset No. 8 Reinhardt, 14-12, Saturday afternoon in the first meeting in history between the two schools.
The loss is the first blemish of 2019 for the Eagles as they drop to 3-1 on the year and 1-1 overall in the regular season as a program in the state of Florida.
The lone highlight on both sides in the first half was a 35-yard scamper for a score by Keiser with less than three minutes remaining in the opening period. From there, both defenses put the clamps down on the opposition â€" and both squads missed a second-quarter field goal â€" as the score remained 7-0 heading into the locker room.
The tempo stepped up a notch in the third stanza as Keiser tried an on-side kick to begin the second half, but it was unsuccessful. The Seahawks would avoid any danger, however, as the Eagles gave the ball right back on a fumble.
The Reinhardt defense would continue to hold strong and force another punt on the following possession, setting the stage for the Eagle offense to finally get on the scoreboard after a 60-yard drive was finished up by quarterback Billy Hall's legs on a 12-yard score â€" but the extra point was missed and the game remained, 7-6, in favor of Keiser.
The Eagle defenders would continue to hold up their end of the field, but the ball was turned over on downs inside the 10-yard-line of the Seahawks as Keiser kept Hall from getting the first down on a fourth-and-short. Hall got redemption early in the fourth with another rushing score â€" a 15-yard gallop to take the lead for the first time â€" but a failed two-point conversion kept the Eagles up by five at 12-7.
Keiser got the ball back at the 6:09 mark and went for it on fourth down at its own 27 yard-line, but the Eagles soared to the occasion and stopped their hosts short. Reinhardt would then have a chance to put the game on ice, but penalties forced the hometown squad to punt from its own 32-yard-line, which pinned the Skyhawks 98 yards away from the end zone.
Little by little, the Keiser offense would get closer to scoring the winning touchdown as it continued to get chunk plays â€" including a pair of passes to get the ball to the 8-yard-line and a fresh set of downs. Four plays would come and go, but Reinhardt was called for pass interference in the end zone, giving the ball back to the Seahawks when the game was wrapped up.
The hosts made the Eagles pay for their mistake by scoring a touchdown on the very next play.
Reinhardt was able to position itself for a Hail Mary attempt, but Matthew Holt's heave was knocked down as time expired.
Hall rushed for 88 yards and two scores and threw for 71 more. The yardage was nearly identical with a 358-355 slim margin in favor of Reinhardt as the visitors held the upper hand in a number of categories.
Sebastian LeGarra continued his strong season with a team-best 11 stops. Brandon Ballard was next up with eight tackles and a sack.
The team now looks ahead to a primetime matchup with the Owls of Kennesaw State at 6 p.m. next Saturday in a televised matchup on ESPN+.
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