Taylorsville鈥檚 Ty Keyes looking to shine even brighter in senior season
TAYLORSVILLE, Miss. (BVM) 鈥� In 2019, Taylorsville was crowned Class 2A champions after a 31-point rout of North Side, 49-18. It was the Tartars鈥� second state title in three years. At the center of this powerhouse program is rising senior quarterback Ty Keyes.
As a freshman in 2017, he led Taylorsville to the program鈥檚 sixth state title victory. In 2018, the Tartars were hoping to repeat as state champions. But in the MHSAA Final Four game, Keyes broke his ankle and was unable to play in the finale. Taylorsville would fall in the title game to Scott Central, 21-7. It was a devastating blow to a successful season.聽
鈥淚t made me want to go harder,鈥� Keyes said.
This past year, the 6-foot-2, 200-pound quarterback went on a dominating run, leading the Taylorsville Tartars to a 15-1 record. Keyes scored 42 total touchdowns while passing for 3,721 yards and rushed for another 400 yards on his way to earning his second Class 2A Mr. Football honor and becoming the 2019 Gatorade Mississippi Football Player of the Year.聽
Keyes has passed for 12,019 yards and has accounted for 126 total touchdowns over his three seasons with Taylorsville. The Tartars鈥� overall record while Keyes has been under center is 45-2. Leading the program to that level of success and performing at a high level day in and day out, Keyes is ranked in ESPN’s top 300 for the Class of 2021.
A transcendent athlete himself, Keyes has looked to a number of football players for inspiration. One of which happens to be current NFL MVP Lamar Jackson.聽
鈥淚 wear No. 8 because of him,鈥� Keyes said. 鈥淲atching him develop and watching films of him makes me want to be a great player just like him.鈥�
Another individual that serves as inspiration for Keyes is his grandmother.聽
鈥淪he has had one of the greatest impacts on my life,鈥� he said. 鈥淔amily is important and I鈥檓 trying to get my family into the best situation they can have. It makes me want to work that much harder when I鈥檓 out on the field.鈥澛�
There鈥檚 no doubt that Ty Keyes is a playmaker on the gridiron, but he鈥檚 also a playmaker off the field. He volunteers on a daily basis, helps at his church and serves at a local Boys and Girls club.
鈥淚 want to be a good example for kids,鈥� Keyes said. 鈥淚 would love to coach football someday.鈥�
Keyes has offers from nine Division I football programs, including four in-state, but remains undecided on where he鈥檒l play at the next level. What he does know about his college plans is that he wants to major in sports business.聽
鈥淏eing the sports person I am, I would love to stay around the game,鈥� Keyes said.
While most spring sports have been canceled and seniors around the country have had their final year of high school athletics taken away from them due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Keyes doesn鈥檛 believe his senior football season is in jeopardy.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think this stuff will impact our season,鈥� Keyes said. 鈥淭he season starts in August, so I think we will be good.鈥澛�
Some offseason plans have been put into question regarding the COVID-19 outbreak, but the team is moving forward as if they will have a regular season.
The only other time the Tartars had a Gatorade State Player of the Year quarterback was two decades earlier in Jason Campbell. He went on to have a successful college career at Auburn before playing nine seasons in the NFL. Ty Keyes will attempt to follow in those footsteps as he sets out to win another Class 2A state championship for Taylorsville this fall.
