By Eric Hamilton

The Rebels and South Range finished 6-1 in the league.

COLUMBIANA — Don’t let the final score fool you.

Friday’s season finale between Division V playoff-bound Crestview and visiting United will officially go down in history as a narrow 44-35 victory for the home team.

But make no mistake about it, the Rebels were easily the dominant team on the field.

After forcing five United turnovers and building a 44-7 lead after three quarters, Crestview’s reserves were outscored 28-0 in the final stanza to make things interesting.

The Eagles scored on two consecutive offensive plays to trim the deficit to 44-27 with 5:28 remaining. United drove 99 yards in just seven plays for another score, taking advantage of three Crestview personal fouls to get within 44-35.

But that scoring barrage – 28 points in 8 Ω minutes — wasn’t enough to deny Crestview from winning a share of its first ITCL Tier One championship.

“These seniors deserve this moment,” said Crestview coach Paul Cusick, whose team shares the league title with South Range. “They have worked hard for four years for this. To share it with a team as good as South Range feels good.

“Things got out of control there at the end when the JVs couldn’t hold things together. But I told the kids afterward not to let all that spoil this moment. This league is only in its third year, so it’s nice to get a championship in the early stages of things.”

In addition to the ITCL crown, Crestview earned the opportunity to play at home next Saturday when the Division V playoffs begin. The pairings officially will be announced Sunday, but there is the possibility that the Rebels will host a rematch against rival South Range.

“We always want to play South Range because it’s always a good game and a great atmosphere,” said Crestview running back Carter Hill, who rushed for 132 yards and returned a kick 85 yards for a touchdown. “If we get them next week, we’ll take it; if we get someone else, we’ll take that, too.

“We really wanted to win this league and we did it. I know it will go down as co-champs, but we know we beat South Range, so it feels great.”

Hill set the tone early for Crestview, returning the game’s opening kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown. The point-after failed and the Rebels led 6-0 just 15 seconds into the game.

United responded with a quick four-play scoring drive, capped by a 32-yard scoring strike from Josh McLaughlin to Mike McLaughlin. The extra point by Taylor Phillips gave the Golden Eagles a 7-6 advantage.

But Crestview took control by rolling up 32 straight points, including a scoring run by Carter Hill, a 70-yard bomb from Hill to Jacob Leon and a 30-yard interception return by Josh Dew. The Rebels led 38-7 at intermission.