OLIVESBURG — Crestview coach Steve Haverdill and his staff don’t need to scour the internet to find video of regional semifinal opponent Columbia.
A call to Mapleton coach Matt Stafford would suffice.
The second-seeded Cougars (12-0) and third-seeded Raiders (12-0) will square off in a Division VI, Region 22 semifinal game at 7 p.m. Saturday at Medina’s Ken Dukes Stadium.
Columbia opened its playoff run with a 42-22 win over Mapleton. The Cougars beat the Mounties 47-16 in the regular season finale.
Crestview punched its ticket to the regional semifinals for a second straight year with a 31-22 win over No. 10 Patrick Henry. Hayden Kuhn’s 97-yard interception return for a touchdown midway through the fourth quarter secured the victory over the upstart Patriots (7-5).
“Thankfully it got tipped to me and I was able to catch it,” Kuhn said afterward. “I waited for my blockers to get out in front of me. I was just going to follow them down the field.
“I was able to find a lane and make it all the way to the end zone.”
While he moonlights as a defensive back, Kuhn is better known for his play at quarterback. The senior, who recently committed to wrestle at nearby Ashland University, has completed 89-of-152 passes for 1,361 yards and 14 touchdowns while throwing just one interception. He’s also rushed for 219 yards and five TDs.
Crestview uses its high-powered running game to set up Kuhn and the passing attack. The Cougars average 219.3 rushing yards a game with Adison Reymer leading the charge. Reymer has run for 1,395 yards and 20 touchdowns on 196 carries despite battling nagging injuries much of the season.
Michael Mays has helped shoulder the running load, rushing for 664 yards and 10 TDs on 93 carries. Mays had a team-high 84 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries against Patrick Henry.
“Adison has got bumps and bruises. He has had them all year,” Haverdill said. “That’s where Michael Mayes stepped up. He has become a heckuva player on both sides of the ball.”
Crestview’s calling card this fall has been its defense. The Cougars allow just 8.9 points and 178.2 yards per game and have forced 27 turnovers. Kuhn has five of Crestview’s 19 interceptions while Caden Cunningham has a team-high six picks.
Reymer has a team-high 109 tackles from his safety spot. Defensive end Owen Barker has 11 sacks among his 28 tackles for loss.
Columbia advanced to the regional semifinal for a second straight year with an overwhelming 36-6 win over No. 6 Hopewell-Loudon. The 12 victories are the most in a single season in program history.
“It’s a team that has a tremendous amount of heart, and when you have that much heart, you generate a lot of love and a lot of trust and a lot of loyalty,” Columbia coach Jason Ward told the Elyria Chronicle Telegram after last week’s win. “They look forward to working together. They look forward to working for one another.
“They trust our staff, we believe in them, and that’s what you kind of have to have going this time of year if you want to keep moving on. There’s just a lot of belief right now.”
The Raiders boast a powerful rushing attack led by running back Marco Cirigliano. The junior rushed for 145 yards and all five of Columbia’s touchdowns on 24 carries last week and has 2,359 yards and 42 TDs on the ground this season.
“They are a very well-coached team, very disciplined, very good running back,” Haverdill said of the Raiders. “We will have our hands full, but you expect that at this point in the season.”
No. 8 Colonel Crawford (10-2) vs. No. 5 Columbus Grove (10-2): The Eagles will head to Findlay’s Donnell Stadium to take on the Bulldogs in the other Region 22 semifinal game.
Colonel Crawford stunned 2021 Division VI state champ Carey 21-14 in last week’s quarterfinal. Quarterback Kamryn Lohr completed 11-of-14 passes for 179 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 60 yards and a TD on 15 carries. Lohr has completed 87-of-146 passes for 1,666 yards and 22 touchdowns with just three interceptions. Running back Matt Clinard has rushed for 798 yards and 11 touchdowns on 127 carries. Micah Thomas scored what proved to be the game-winning touchdown on a 2-yard run in the fourth quarter last week at Carey. Trevor Vogt caught a 13-yard touchdown pass and had an interception against the Blue Devils and has 32 catches for 759 yards and 12 TDs on the year. Gabe Threw leads the defense with 152 tackles, while Parker Ketterman has a team-best seven sacks among his Northern 10 Athletic Conference-leading 36 tackles for loss.
Columbus Grove advanced with a 34-22 win over Northwestern. A.J. Schafer ran for three touchdowns, while Trenton Barraza rushed for 125 yards and a touchdown. Barraza also intercepted a pass that led to a Columbus Grove TD and returned a punt that set the Bulldogs up inside the Northwestern 10 yard line.
