ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Cooper Keen
Cooper Keen (81) prepares for kickoff vs. West Branch
Cooper Keen has been a key player for the Bellwood-Antis football team for 3 seasons now, but no performance of his held as much weight as last Friday night, when Keen totaled 2 catches for 85 yards and 2 scores for the Blue Devils. Cooper also added 3 tackles and a tackle for loss on the defensive side of the ball. This big performance helped Bellwood secure a huge 25-8 win over Claysburg-Kimmel and earns Keen Athlete of the Week from the Blueprint.
Keen has been a three-year starter for the Blue Devils as a tight end and defensive end, and has improved production and progressed very nicely as a player over his career. This season Keen has 15 receptions for 297 yards and four touchdowns. He has also recorded 6 sacks.
“I’ve worked very hard over the years to perform at the level I do now,” he said. “I hope my success only opens up room for more success for the team as a whole.”
The Blue Devil football squad heads into the playoffs as the 2-seed with a 9-1 record and Keen is very optimistic going into the postseason.
“The most important thing for right now is to stay healthy and keep the intensity high,” he said.
Coach Nick Lovrich said Keen’s play this season has been huge, and it’s a big part of the team’s plans moving forward.
“Cooper had a really good game last week for us,” Coach Lovrich said. “He made some big plays for us in the passing game and did a good job of helping seal the edge in our running game. We expect a lot out of him and he played a big game last week.”
Keen has very high standards for himself on the field with who he models and studies his game after. His role model on the offensive side of the ball is star 49er tight end George Kittle; on defense, Keen tries to study the play of Pittsburgh Steeler T.J Watt.
Cooper aspires to take his talents to the next level and play college football next year, and he certainly has the talent to do so gaining interest from schools such as Slippery Rock and Saint Francis.
Keen is also a track star for Bellwood-Antis, participating in 4×100 and 4×400 meter relays, while also running the 100 meter dash.
