Rebels rout rival to claim TCL title

Crestview jumped out to a 28-6 halftime lead against Columbiana.
By ERIC HAMILTON
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
COLUMBIANA -- The Tri-County League trophy won't have to travel far to reach its final destination. In fact, it won't even have to leave the trophy case it has been in since the 2004 season ended.
Crestview (9-1, 7-0) claimed the TCL's final championship -- and the Rebels' second straight -- by virtue of a 35-14 victory over cross-town rival Columbiana (9-1, 6-1) Friday at Firestone Park.
The Rebels did it with defense, forcing five Columbiana turnovers and shutting down the Clippers' potent offense.
"We like it when we don't get the publicity," Crestview defensive lineman Andy Walton said. "It just gives us a chance to go out there and show that we're so much better than we get credit [for].
"This TCL title is so special to me because I'll never get to play for it again because it's the last one," Walton said. "It meant a lot to hold that trophy one more time and make sure it stays in the trophy case at Crestview High School."
Strong defense
The Rebels' defense has been stellar all season, despite not getting much attention. Crestview finished the regular season with a plus-13 turnover margin. The Rebels have 19 interceptions this season and gave up 9.3 points per contest.
"Our offense is so good that our defense gets overlooked, but our 'D' really stepped up to the challenge tonight," Crestview coach Paul Cusick said. "We knew we had to make them throw the ball and create turnovers and we did that tonight and took advantage of those on offense.
"We talked before the pre-game meal about this being the last TCL championship and about how special it was. It's nice for these seniors to go from 1-9 as freshmen to back-to-back TCL championships. It's really special."
It was clear from the start that it was Crestview's night. The Rebels scored on their opening possession in just five plays. Adam Thompson gave his squad a 7-0 lead when he raced 23 yards for the score.
The Rebels' defense stole the show in the first half, forcing three straight Columbiana turnovers, including two fumbles and one interception. Crestview scored 14 points off those opportunities, jumping out to a 21-0 advantage.
Not enough
Columbiana gained some momentum just before halftime as Mike Welce connected with Corey Guy for a 9-yard touchdown. The conversion run failed and the Clippers trailed 21-6.
But just when the Clippers climbed back into the contest, Crestview's defense came up with another big play. Shayn Danks picked off a Welce pass and returned it to the Columbiana 25 with 1:12 left before the half.
On the next play, Crestview's Jordan Reynolds ran past the Clippers' defense for a 25-yard touchdown to put the Rebels up 28-6 at halftime.
The Crestview defense took over from there. Columbiana could only muster one more score, coming with 4:12 left in the game. But by then, the Rebels were ahead 35-14 and the Crestview crowd had already started to celebrate.
"Crestview was as advertised," Columbiana coach Bob Spaite said. "They are a great football team and just one play away from being 10-0. Turnovers have really been our bugaboo all season and we just couldn't survive those mistakes tonight against Crestview.
"This loss hurts, but if we can make a run in the playoffs, it will hurt a little less," Spaite said. "We deserve to be the No. 1 seed in our region and we're looking forward to playing here again next week."
Columbiana will host a first-round Division VI playoff game next Saturday at Firestone Park.
Crestview clinched a playoff berth in Div. V and likely will open on the road on Friday.