Britton, Hill rally Crestview to 31-28 win over Raiders to remain unbeaten

By Chuck Housteau

NORTH LIMA — Crestview coach Paul Cusick had plenty of reasons to worry as his Rebels prepared for a Inter Tri-County League rivalry matchup with South Range Friday night.

The Rebels were coming off an emotional win over highly regarded East Palestine last week and the upcoming South Range game was a contest that Cusick knew would be tougher than it appeared on paper.

So when Crestview fell behind 8-0 and 14-3 early to an improving Raider team, Cusick’s fears were seemingly coming to fruition.

Then Carter Hill and Adam Britton came to the rescue.

The duo combined for several big plays and Crestview (7-0,4-0) rallied in the second half to hold off South Range, 31-28, and remain atop the ITCL Tier 1 standings.

Britton rushed for 162 yards on 12 carries and scored a touchdown while Hill completed 11 of 16 passes for 199 yards and a touchdown. Hill also ran for another score.

“I expected a game like that,” said Cusick. “People talk about [South Range] being down. I knew that they would be tough. There is no way in this series that we won’t have a game like this.

“I was really worried throughout the week because emotionally our kids are pretty drained right now. I think they might have been reading all the hype and thinking they were all that but you have to be level-headed.

“I think the kids learned a lesson tonight.”

Britton said the Rebels definitely didn’t come into this week’s matchup ready to play.

“I don’t think we had the right mindset exactly this week,” Britton said. “It showed early in the game but we got it right in the second half.”

South Range (2-5, 1-3) stopped the Rebels on their first drive and immediately went to work with a long scoring drive

South Range marched 70 yards in 11 plays before quarterback Vince Miller connected with James Nell on the first of three touchdown passes, this one a 15-yard strike. The Raiders Dave Buzzacco ran in for the two-point conversion.

Crestview managed a 27-yard field goal by Tristan Reynolds after a long drive to cut the South Range lead to 8-3 but Miller and Nell again found magic three plays later.

Nell hauled in a Miller pass down the middle and raced 68 yards for a 14-3 lead for the Raiders.

Crestview got back in the game before halftime when Adam Coppock scored from 4-yards out and South Range looked good at the break holding 14-10 lead. That score was made possible because of the first of Britton’s big plays.

Britton took a pass from Hill and went 38 yards to set up the Coppock score.

The Rebels started to take control in the second half but never could put the Raiders away.

Crestview took its first lead in the second half on Britton’s 35-yard run.

Hill then scored early in the fourth quarter on a 2-yard run which gave the Rebels a 24-14 lead.

But South Range, who had been improving steadily this season after a slow start, kept fighting back.

Floyd Kenney scored on a 1-yard run to cut the Rebels’ lead to 24-21 before Hill and Coppock connected on a 10-yard scoring pass that was set up by a 58-yard run by Britton.

“I’m glad I was able to contribute,” Britton said. “It shows that we are a team and that Carter doesn’t have to do things himself. It takes 11 guys and that was evident tonight.”

Nell and Miller connected one last time on a 63-yard scoring play with 1:32 left in the game but once again Britton came to the rescue by falling on the football on an onside kick attempt by the Raiders.

“Everything fell into place but we had a tough third quarter,” said Raiders’ coach Dan Yeagley. “We did some things well but Crestview is a great football team.

“We knew it was going to a good ball game. We know we are going to come ready to play and our kids performed very well and I’m proud of them.”