On Aug. 24, Southmoreland High School defeated rival Mount Pleasant Vikings in a 18-14 comeback victory. This was the first football game Southmoreland won since their victory over Waynesburg nearly two years earlier on Sept. 30, 2016.

Prior to that victory, Southmoreland won two football games under the direction of previous head coach Mark Adams. Under coach tenure Dave Keefer, Southmoreland won four games.

“He is what we needed really,” said senior football team member Chase Calhoun. “He made us work harder and play better.”

Coach Keefer begins football conditioning in January, followed by a summer football camp and a daily practice schedule Monday through Thursday in preparation for the Friday night football games.

“He knows what he’s doing; we really are playing our best now that he’s here,” said senior Chad Miller. “We do so much more than we used to. (weight) lifting is all the time now. It’s all about building our endurance.”

“I’m pretty intense, I expect a lot of effort and time from them, they don’t just go with the motions, it’s very immersive,” said coach Keefer. “I think I get the kids to want to play. I respect them and they respect me, they feed off of my enthusiasm.”

Coach Keefer, however, acknowledges he isn’t the only factor.

“The kids are the ones on the field,” he said. “They’re the ones playing, I’m just coaching them. They’ve only improved because they want to improve. I hope this is the start of a tradition. We won four games, it’s  a step in the right direction.”