OLIVESBURG — Brevin King may not have set any speed records, but the Crestview quarterback found his way to the end zone nonetheless.
King broke loose for a career-long 75 yard touchdown run and the Cougars knocked off South Central 21-12 in Firelands Conference action on a cold and windy Friday at Scott Bailey Memorial Field.
King’s game-breaking run came early in the fourth quarter with the Trojans (6-3, 3-3) clinging to a 12-7 lead. King found daylight down the near sideline and leaped one would-be tackler on his way to paydirt.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen open field like that. I’ve got to gives props to the line. They did a great job,” said King, who also threw a pair of touchdown passes. “It seemed like it took too long. I needed to unhook the trailer and just run.”
The score came just moments after the Cougars (4-5, 3-3) recovered a fumble at their own 2 yard line late in the third quarter. The Trojans looked like they were ready to extend their lead when a botched snap restyled in the turnover.
“That was the ball game,” Crestview coach Dan Mager said. “They had second down and six inches and they fumbled and we recovered.Then we had third and long and went down and scored. That was big.”
The Trojans still had plenty of time to put together a drive but on SC’s ensuing possession, Crestview’s Colton Kissel picked off an Evan Legg pass and returned it to the Crestview 42 yard line. King took care of the rest, hooking up with Dylan Balcarcel on a 34 yard touchdown strike to give the Cougars a 21-12 lead with 6:08 remaining. King found Balcarcel earlier in the game for a 36 yard TD on the very same play-action pass.
“When we do pass, typically it’s play-action,” Mager said. “You set that up by running. We wait for it and wait for it. We only throw those three or four times a game so when we do throw those passes we expect a touchdown.”
Crestview had a first-quarter touchdown pass nullified by penalty late in the first quarter and eventually turned the ball over on downs at the South Central 32 yard line. Legg made the Cougars pay immediately, slicing through the heart of the Crestview defense for a 68 yard TD run with 2:09 to play in the first quarter.
Crestview claimed the lead on its ensuing possession when King found Balcarcel behind the South Central defense for a 36 yard TD late ion the first quarter.
The Trojans answered midway through the second quarter when Legg found speedy receiver Cristiano Murphy behind the Crestview secondary for a 75 yard touchdown. The score gave SC a 12-7 lead that would stand until King’s nifty jaunt early in the fourth.
“With this kind of weather you just have to control the ball and we did that until that turnover,” South Central coach Corey Fickiesen said. “We gave them that and they went all the way down and scored.
“That was a big turning point. If we punch it in there, and we’re feeling a lot different.”
Crestview will close the season at Plymouth next week.
“The thing that makes me the happiest is these seniors get to leave this field for the last time with a win,” Mager said. “To stop that team and only give them (12) points, that’s a big deal.”
