OLIVESBURG — Crestview coach Steve Haverdill rallied the troops.
The Cougars, who dropped their first four games of the season, have won three straight and find themselves in the hunt for a Firelands Conference championship and another postseason berth.
Crestview, St. Paul and Western Reserve are 3-1 in Firelands Conference play, a game behind league leader Monroeville. The Cougars fell to Monroeville 31-16 in Week 4, but Haverdill knew even before then his team would be in contention before it was all said and done.
“We’re better than we have showed,” Haverdill said before Crestivew’s Week 2 loss to defending Division VI state champ Kirtland. “We will get it figured out.”
The Cougars could take a quantum leap forward in their search for a sixth straight playoff berth with a win Saturday at St. Paul.
Like Crestview, the Flyers have found their footing after stumbling out of the starting blocks. St. Paul dropped all three non-conference games by a combined score of 89-8.
The annual Firelands Conference showdown is the highlight of Week 8. Here’s a look:
Ashland (7-0, 3-0) at West Holmes (4-3, 3-1)
The Arrows will try to snap a four-game losing streak in the series. Ashland’s last win over West Holmes came in 2019. Ashland roughed up Mansfield Senior 35-3 last week as quarterback Nathan Bernhard rushed for 214 yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries and completed 13-of-23 passes for 159 yards and three TDs. Dakota Kruty hauled in a pair of TD passes. Bernhard has completed 98-of-174 passes for 1,507 yards and 15 touchdowns. Gabe Baith has a team-best 36 receptions for 453 yards and three touchdowns, while Killian O’Brien has 15 catches for 361 yards and four TDs. Gunner Lacey leads the defense with 72 tackles and 17 tackles for loss. Gavin Hoffman has eight sacks and a pair of interceptions.
The Knights gave up a late touchdown in a 19-13 loss at Lexington. Quarterback Morgan Smith tossed a 2-yard touchdown pass to Lynn Cline and a 24-yarder to Logan Zollars. Smith completed 11-of-21 passes for 138 yards, while Zollars caught five passes for 42 yards. Cline had three catches for 46 yards, while Brock Gallion had three catches for 50 yards.
Crestview (3-4, 3-1) at St. Paul (3-4, 3-1), Saturday
The Cougars have won three straight by a combined score of 148-6 after last week’s 34-0 win at Plymouth. The run-heavy offensive attack is led by Ayden Reymer, who has rushed for 415 yards and five touchdowns on 64 carries. Bransen Hider has run for 321 yards and three TDs on 53 attempts and Gavin Barker has 301 yards and a team-high seven TDs on 36 carries. Quarterback Liam Kuhn has completed 52-of-95 passes for 713 yards and four touchdowns and rushed for four TDs. Tyson Ringler leads the receiving corps with 14 catches for 210 yards and two touchdowns. Karter Goon has 11 receptions for 190 yards and two TDs, while Barker has 10 catches for 148 yards. Ringler leads the defense with 54 tackles. Barker has two sacks, seven tackles for loss and a pair of interceptions.
St. Paul has won three of its past four games after dropping thee straight to start the season. Landon Fries rushed for 90 yards and three touchdowns on six carries and caught a 26-yard touchdown pass from Grant Kuhnle in last week’s 55-0 win over New London. Kuhnle completed 4-of-7 passes for 55 yards.