Kelly happy to get back on field

Before Thursday night’s match-up between the St. Mary’s-Colgan Panthers and the Girard Trojans, the Panthers were a little over-excited. Some of the players tried to run out on the field before the national anthem before they were corralled back into the group.
But while the Panthers might have jumped the gun, no player on the field Thursday night was more excited to be there than Darian Kelly. It’s been about 11 months since the senior running back/defensive back broke his leg in last year’s Colgan game after he was tackled in the backfield.
“It was really hard to sit on the sidelines and watch my friends play without me,” Kelly said. “It was a long time, just waiting to get back out onto the field. I just had to keep working to get stronger, to try and come back as well as I could.”
Kelly more than made up for time lost Thursday night, when he rushed for 197 yards on 19 carries and added a 26-yard catch, though his team fell short in Colgan’s 33-12 victory.
“It was really nice to be out there,” Kelly said. “I love being out there. It’s definitely a bonding experience, but it’s also great to get out and compete. I obviously would have liked if the result was a little different.”
Coach Leon Miller said Kelly had a nice season debut.
“He really looked good at times,” Miller said. “I thought we were a bit out of synch, but when he started to see what was in front of him, he did pretty well.”
Kelly didn’t quite have an injury free day — cramps stopped the runner from breaking another long touchdown run in the third quarter. Kelly broke to the outside and rumbled 39 yards before he was tackled at the 10.
“I got to about the 20 or 30, and I thought I had it and I just cramped in both legs,” Kelly said. “It was a little disappointing.”
Kelly eventually returned to the game, though he only had two more carries the rest of the way. He also excelled on defense, making several big stops and covering Colgan wide receiver Stuart Jeck in some key situations.
Kelly said he’s worked hard to get back to this point. He’s upped his weight from 185 pounds to nearly 200 pounds, and has kept the breakaway speed that allowed him to spring free for a 66-yard touchdown in the second quarter. He’ll take both to the University of Kansas, where he has committed to play next fall.
“All these kids have really worked their tails off, and (Kelly) is no exception,” Miller said. “That’s why I think we’ll be a lot better over the course of the year.”
Kelly agreed.
“It was our first game, and we were probably a little rusty,” Kelly said. “We’ll bounce back.”

Kevin Flaherty can be reached at kevin.flaherty@morningsun.net or by calling 231-2600 Ext. 134