Nick Klein's last run of the game was a 17-yard touchdown, capping a dominant afternoon for the Morrissey captain who finished with 18 carries for 141 yards and two second-half touchdowns in the Manorites' victory.
Klein and the Morrissey offense ran early and often, racking up 184 yards rushing as a team and slowly withering Keough's stout defense. Their powerful rushing attack put distance between them and Keough when it appeared the Kangaroos had gained momentum.
After leading 7-0 at the half, Morrissey appeared to be in control of the tempo, but Keough's defense had kept them in range.
Morrissey lost the momentum when Keough wide receiver Matt Belton broke free from his man and caught quarterback Faustin Weber's deep pass in stride, running 80 yards to the score.
Looking to snatch the lead, Keough went for two but came up empty when halfback Mike Anello was knocked out of bounds just as he tried to reach the ball towards the pylon.
The referee's ruling that Anello was out of bounds was a great source of controversy, but it soon became irrelevant when Klein scored touchdowns of 14 and 17 yards to put Morrissey up 21-6 and seal up the game.
Morrissey established the running game early with a touchdown on its opening drive.
The drive consisted entirely of running until quarterback Mike Spencer caught the Keough defense off guard with a 7-yard play action pass to fullback Steve Klein in the front corner of the end zone.
Keough looked to answer when Weber completed a deep pass, but as the receiver raced to the end zone, Morrissey defensive back Dan Keyesa ripped the ball away, possibly saving a touchdown.
Keyesa later added an interception in the second half.
"We only made one mistake on defense all game, and our offense made up for it, the offensive line in particular," Klein said.
The loss puts Keough's playoff hopes in jeopardy as they fall to 0-2-1, and Morrissey has opened with a 2-0 start.
Keough believes there is reason to keep hopes alive, with the manner in which passing game succeeded early against a tough Morrissey defense.
"We made a few mistakes," Keough player-coach Brian Lange said. "But the passing game was good today. We have to get the running game back on track though."
Keenan 21, Stanford 0
As expected, "the Battle for the Chapel" was hard-fought again this year. But in the end, Keenan prevailed over Stanford in a 21-0 decision that was closer than the final score indicated.
The Keenan dynamic duo of quarterback Rob Coly to wide receiver Dan Zenker accounted for all three touchdowns.
"[Dan Zenker was] unstoppable, he was amazing," Stanford captain Phil McNicholas said.
Keenan's running back Alex Staffieri ran well early to open the passing game.
A banged up Keenan defense also did a great job of stopping the attacking Stanford offense, with players such as Joe Pappas filling in for injured starters.
Throughout the game, Stanford was able to move the ball, but it was unable to put any points on the board.
On the final drive of the game, Stanford was moving the ball when receiver Dave Sonderman suffered a serious leg injury that caused a game stoppage.
Sonderman broke two bones in his leg, and although Stanford decided to continue the game, the Griffins could not score - they were stopped on the 4-yard line with no time on the clock.
Both teams came out with a large level of intensity, but it was Keenan who was able to ultimately pull out the win, moving the Knights to 2-1 on the season.
Stanford drops to 1-1 after winning its season opener and will look to rebound quickly in order to put its playoff hopes back on track.
The great competition this game provided left the spectators dreaming about what kind of team they would have if these dorms connected by a chapel combined forces on the football field.
