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Focused Crestview impressive
South Range vs Crestview
Gallery
By Greg Gulas
NEW WATERFORD
Crestview coach Paul Cusick said that he had an iffy feeling earlier in the week about their game with South Range, adding that he began to feel much better the last two days when his team seemed to grab its focus.
He was just happy that Clipper quarterback Carter Hill never lost his focus.
Hill threw for 263 yards and four touchdowns, adding two more rushing touchdowns, as he led Crestview to a 47-7 victory over the Raiders on Friday in a game for sole possession of first place in the Inter-Tri County League’s Top Tier.
Hill also accounted for 333 of his team’s 479 total yards as the Rebels ran off 80 plays to South Range’s 32 in the game.
“Our coaching staff put together an excellent game plan and that was what got us ready. We feel that our receivers match up with anyone and when you have receivers that can catch everything that you throw in their vicinity, then that helps a quarterback out.
“Give credit to my offensive line as well because when they give you three and four seconds to stay in the pocket, that can make a world of difference.
“South Range is an excellent club; a team that we respect and a team that respects us,” Hill said.
While the Rebels’ offense looked like a well-oiled machine, their defense made sure that they put the brakes on every South Range drive.
They were able to accomplish that goal all but once the entire game.
Crestview (7-1, 5-0) held a 301-91 total yard advantage at halftime, running off 48 plays to just 17 for the Raiders.
In the second half, the South Range offense continued to sputter as the Raiders had the ball for seven possessions with six resulting in a three-and-out, and the other resulting in an interception when Crestview defensive back Jacob Danks picked off an errant David Buzzacco pass on the drive’s very first play.
“Our defense got our offense back on the field fast tonight and that allowed our offense to execute.
“Our guys did a great job of focusing and when they do that, everything just seems to click for us.
“Carter [Hill] is like a coach on the field. He made a lot of checks at the line tonight and most of those were the right checks,” Cusick said.
Adam Coppock caught a 20-yard pass from Hill at 4:31 of the opening frame for a 7-0 Rebels advantage.
Crestview’s Collin Gilbert recovered the ball on the ensuing kickoff and just two plays later, Hill found Cody Simpson from 29-yards away as the Rebels increased their lead to 13-0 heading to the second quarter.
Andrew Mayer’s 3-yard run made it 20-0 in favor of the Rebels at the outset of the second quarter and when South Range’s David Buzzacco found the end zone from a yard away a little over a minute later, the Raiders were able to cut the Crestview lead to 20-7.
Buzzacco’s score was set up Phillip Arsuffi’s 57-yard run.
Hill’s 2-yard plunge at 4:20 then made it 27-7 heading to the intermission.
“You need to play your best against a team the caliber of Crestview and tonight we just didn’t do that,” said South Range coach Dan Yeagley.
“Whether you get beat by one point or 40 points you just cannot make mistakes and expect to get away with it. Tonight, they made us pay for our mistakes.”