"He's smart, has a lot of heart, and he's not afraid to let it loose," Roman coach Joe McCourt said. "And he can make plays with his feet. He's not just a drop-back quarterback."
The 6-foot-3, 210-pounder opened the game with a 47-yard strike to William Howell. Two plays later, he connected over the middle with Taishan Tucker for a 34-yard gain. Keir's 2-yard keeper gave the Cahillites the early lead.
In the second quarter, Keir's dump pass to senior halfback Marcus Kelly resulted in a 23-yard TD that made it 13-0.
"Marcus isn't just a great running back," Keir said. "He's athletic enough to do pretty much what he wants out there, including making big catches out of the backfield."
Roman's final possession of the first half began at the West 41-yard line, with just 48 seconds remaining before intermission. Keir went right back to work, first with a 19-yard completion to Tucker and then a 3-yard throw to Mike Boccelli.
On the third play, Keir fired across the middle and hit Kelly for a 19-yard touchdown. The Cahillites led, 19-0, at the break.
"I was just taking what the defense was giving me," said Keir, a second-year starter. "I have the best receiving corps in the league."
Said McCourt: "We came out in a spread set and were ready to take whatever was there. Mike made some nice throws to get us going."
In the opening 24 minutes, Keir converted 11 of 14 throws for 220 yards. Overall, the 17-year-old, who lives in the Grays Ferry section of Philadelphia, was 13 for 22 for 232 yards.
Over the summer, Keir went to QB camps at Alabama and Mississippi. He made an unofficial visit to Pittsburgh.
"The Mississippi coaches said they wanted to see some game tape," he said. "When I get interest from Division I schools like that, it only makes me want to work that much harder. I want to show I'm deserving of it."
Keir's top targets were William Fuller (four catches for 65 yards), Howell (three for 64), Kelly (three for 47), and Tucker (two for 53). Kelly rushed 19 times for 55 yards.
The Burrs were held to 31 yards rushing and 7 passing in the first half. The defending PIAA Class AA state champions finally found the end zone early in the fourth quarter, on a 3-yard dash by junior tailback David Williams (19 carries for 123 yards).
Roman, a 23-14 winner over West last year, leads the Shore series, 7-4.
West Catholic 0 0 0 7 - 7
Roman Catholic 7 12 0 0 - 19
RC: Keir 2 run (Isaac kick)
RC: M. Kelly 23 pass from Keir (kick failed)
RC: M. Kelly 19 pass from Keir (run failed)
WC: D. Williams 3 run (Amara kick)
Contact staff writer Rick O'Brien at 610-313-8019, robrien@phillynews.com,
or @ozoneinq on Twitter.
