TRI-COUNTY LEAGUE Crestview rushes past Columbiana

The Rebels' four wins match their entire total from a year ago.
By GREG GULAS
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
COLUMBIANA -- Jordan Reynolds scored three touchdowns and rushed for 120 yards, while Dave Myers added 181 yards and two scores as the Crestview High football team defeated Columbiana 35-18 in a Tri-County League game Friday.
The win marked the third in a row for the Rebels as they improved to 4-1 overall, 2-0 in league play. The Clippers had their two-game win streak halted, falling to 3-2 overall and 1-1 in the TCL.
The four wins by the Rebels at the mid-point of the season matches their entire win total of a season ago as they earned the right to keep the Traveling Trophy until next season, emblematic of the winner between the two schools in this grid series.
"You have to account for [Jordan] Reynolds on every play," Crestview coach Paul Cusick said. "I feel that he is the most complete quarterback in the area and I wouldn't trade him for anyone.
"We have no junior varsity team because all of our sophomores are playing varsity. We feel that we are a year away, but it sure is nice to control your own destiny. This was a big win for us tonight."
Clippers score first
After a scoreless first quarter the Clippers got on the board first when quarterback Drew Wagner, who rushed for 142 yards and two touchdowns, scored on a 51-yard run. After the missed extra point, the Clippers led 6-0.
Wagner then found Cory Guy from 74 yards out, and after the conversion pass failed, the Clippers had a 12-0 advantage.
With just 55 seconds remaining until intermission, Reynolds scored on a 5-yard run, and after his first of five successful placements, the Rebels trailed 12-7 at halftime.
"We talked to both our offensive and defensive lines at halftime and told them that they must dig in if we were to execute in the second half," Cusick said. "That is exactly what they did as they took control of the line in the second half of play."
A 43-yard run by Wagner at the 9:46 mark of the third quarter increased the Clippers' lead to 18-7, but that was the last time Columbiana seriously challenged the rest of the way.
A 15-yard run by Myers at the 8:34 mark cut the Clipper lead to 18-14, and when Reynolds scored from 10 yards out at the 3:05 mark of the period, the Rebels took the lead for good at 21-18.
"This was a game of missed opportunities for us," Columbiana coach Bob Spaite said. "We blew two chances for scores and that cost us."
Pulled away late
A Reynolds 15-yard run just 53 seconds into the final quarter increased the Rebel lead to 28-18, and after the Rebels stopped the Clippers on fourth down late in the game, Myers added the insurance marker on a 2-yard run with just 1:14 remaining.
The Rebels racked up 339 rushing yards and 415 yards of total offense, while the Clippers had 399 total offensive yards, Wagner accounting for 355 of those yards with 213 passing and another 142 on the ground.