Crestview rallies past United to set up TCL title showdown

Senior quarterback Jordan Reynolds scored four TDs as the Rebels won 29-14.
BY ERIC HAMILTON
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
HANOVERTON -- The smallest player on the field makes the biggest impact for the Crestview High football team.
Senior quarterback Jordan Reynolds (5-foot-7, 152 pounds) put his team in position to defend its Tri-County League championship, accounting for 280 yards of offense and four touchdowns as the Rebels rallied from a 7-0 deficit to turn back United, 29-14, Friday night.
The victory sets up next week's TCL championship showdown between Crestview (8-1, 6-0) and Columbiana (9-0, 6-0) at Firestone Park. The Clippers remained perfect in the league with a 27-19 win over East Palestine. The winner will emerge as the last TCL champion in the history of the league, as it merges with the ICL before next season.
"That's the game everyone has been talking about all season and it's going to be a great game," said Reynolds. "Tonight's win was big because a lot of people thought we might overlook United and be thinking about next week. But we came out and did what we needed to. Now we can think about Columbiana."
Reynolds beat the United defense for 139 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries and threw for 141 yards and a pair of scores. He also kicked three extra points.
Despite his solo efforts, Reynolds deflected the credit to the guys who do the dirty work.
"You can't be a good quarterback if you don't have a good offensive line," he said. "I just follow the big men up front and take what I can get. All my life I've been told I'm too small to play quarterback and I can't get the job done. I just do whatever it takes to win."
Streak-snapper
The Golden Eagles (4-5, 3-3), who had won three straight, had their sights set on playing spoiler against the Rebels.
United took advantage of a Crestview fumble on the game's opening possession to jump out to a 7-0 lead. Bryan Phillips hit Brandon Kekel for a 15-yard scoring toss with 6:08 remaining in the first quarter.
But Reynolds and the Rebels' offense recovered from the miscue in a big way, scoring 29 unanswered points to seize momentum.
Reynolds tied the score at 7-all with an 8-yard run with 3:25 remaining in the first.
Taking control
In Crestview's 22-point second quarter, the senior added a 15-yard scoring scamper, a 15-yard scoring toss to Justin Coie and a 25-yard TD strike to Colby Henderson. The latter touchdown padded the Rebels' lead to 29-7 at the half.
"Jordan is a gamer and an intense kid," said Crestview coach Paul Cusick. "A lot of people look at his size, but his heart is bigger than his size. He's an animal in the weight room because he knows he's going to get beat up every week and he gets ready for that."
With the win over United in hand, Crestview's Adam Thompson thought it was safe to start thinking about the biggest game of the season next week.
"The TCL is one of the oldest leagues in Ohio and this is the last championship, so we want to win it," said Thompson, who rushed for 115 yards on 20 carries against United. "We're the defending champs and we want it back. The team that doesn't make the little mistakes and shows the most heart will win."