OLIVESBURG — It’s the Firelands Conference game of the year — again.
For the second straight season, Crestview and St. Paul will meet for a share of the conference crown. Saturday’s winner will take over sole possession of first place in the conference standings and inherit a windfall of computer points.
A similar scenario played out in Week 9 last year. The Cougars dispatched the Flyers 28-7 at Scott Bailey Memorial Field en route to an outright league crown.
Crestview has won 19 straight regular season games dating to to the final week of the pandemic-altered 2020 season. The Cougars were ranked fifth in Division VI in the most recent Associated Press state poll.
St. Paul has won six in a row after opening the season with back-to-back losses to Huron and Ontario. The Flyers were ranked 14th in Division VII in this week’s poll.
Crestview (8-0, 4-0) at St. Paul (6-2, 4-0): The Cougars tuned up for Saturday’s game with a 39-13 win at Plymouth. Owen Barker ran for three touchdowns while Adison Reymer added a pair of rushing TDs. Reymer has rushed for 978 yards and 17 touchdowns on 149 carries. Quarterback Hayden Kuhn has completed 66-of-118 passes for 922 yards and seven touchdowns. Barker has a team-high 18 catches for 278 yards and four scores, while Caden Cunningham has 15 catches for 229 yards and a TD and Tyson Ringler has 14 grabs for 208 yards and a score. Reymer leads the defense with 75 tackles, while Barker has nine sacks. Cunningham has four interceptions and has broken up nine passes.
Longtime St. Paul coach John Livengood earned his 300th career win in last week’s wild 60-52 win over Edon. All-Ohio running back Quincy Crabbs broke St. Paul’s single-game rushing record with 408 yards and five touchdowns on 38 carries. The Flyers piled up 698 yards of total offense, with 635 yards and all eight touchdowns coming on the ground.
Ashland (4-4, 2-3) at Wooster (4-4, 3-3): Quarterback Luke Bryant broke the single-game passing record with 489 yards in last week’s 63-39 loss at West Holmes. Bryant matched the single-game record with 33 completions on 52 attempts. Jonathan Metzger had nine catches for 251 yards and two touchdowns and broke Ashland’s career mark with 1,930 receiving yards a week after breaking the record for career receptions. Cayden Spotts rushed for 120 yards and two touchdowns. For the season, Bryant has completed 121-of-213 passes for 1,703 yards and 15 touchdowns. Metzger has 45 caches for 877 yards and 10 scores, while Landon McFrederick has 53 grabs for 658 yards and four TDs. Grayson Steury has 28 catches for 458 yards and four touchdowns.
The Generals turned the ball over four times in last week’s 31-11 loss at Mansfield Senior. Quarterback Luke Snowbarger completed 4-of-12 passes for 95 yards and a touchdown with Michael Howman-Williams catching two passes for 67 yards, including a 52-yard touchdown early in the third quarter. Howman-Williams had 10 tackles, as did Tristin Walker. Jaymin Walker led the way with 11 stops.
Northwestern (6-2, 4-1) at Hillsdale (5-3, 4-1): The Huskies knocked off Smithville 22-7 as Nolan Hartsel caught a pair of touchdown passes and became the program’s career leader in tackles. The Huskies led 7-0 going to the fourth period before scoring a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns.
The Falcons roughed up Waynedale 36-0 thanks largely to Braylen Jarvis, who rushed for 94 yards and three touchdowns. Jarvis has gained 353 yards and five touchdowns on 54 carries, while dual-threat quarterback Jake Hoverstock has registered a team-best 610 yards and eight TDs on 87 carries. Freshman Owen Sloan has 318 yards and two touchdowns on 50 carries and Max Vesper has 278 yards on the ground and two scores. Hoverstock has completed 63-of-114 passes for 853 yards and nine touchdowns. His favorite target is Jack Fickes, who has 20 catches for 260 yards and a score. Jarvis has 17 receptions for 164 yards and two TDs, while Vesper and David Parker each have 13 catches. Parker has four TD receptions.
