Taylorsville鈥檚 Ty Keyes looking to shine at USM after winning back-to-back GPOY awards
TAYLORSVILLE, Miss. (BVM) 鈥� Earlier this year, Taylorsville was crowned Class 2A champions once again after a 42-point shutout of Calhoun City. It was the Tartars鈥� third state title in four years. At the center of this powerhouse program was 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
鈥淸Hurting my ankle like that, it] made me want to go harder,鈥� Keyes said.
But, following his sophomore campaign, the 6-foot-2, 200-pound quarterback continued to dominate the competition. He helped lead 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
鈥淭y Keyes is a once-in-a-lifetime player,鈥� Bay Springs High School head football coach Dan Brady said in a . 鈥淗e is the complete package鈥攁 great leader with exceptional character and a playmaker on the field.鈥�
In his final high school season, Keyes would be aiming to go out on top. And that鈥檚 exactly what he did. He led the Tartars to a 10-1 record and a second-straight Class 2A state championship. In his senior season, he passed for 2,546 yards and 30 TDs. He also rushed for 560 yards and six TDs. When it was all said and done, Keyes finished his career with three Class 2A Mr. Football awards, 14,565 passing yards and 155 TD passes.
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�
The only other time the Tartars had a Gatorade State Player of the Year quarterback was when former NFL quarterback Jason Campbell took home the award. He went on to have a successful college career at Auburn before playing nine seasons in the NFL.聽
Now, with his prep career behind him, Ty Keyes will attempt to continue his successful athletic career at Southern Mississippi. The competition is sure to be more challenging, but under the direction of Will Hall, Keyes can have a tremendous impact on the gridiron.
