By ERIC FORTUNE

sports@vindy.com

COLUMBIANA

Winning and tradition have been the norms at Crestview with seven straight playoff seasons.

There were concerns last season that the streak would have ended at six, but instead enough things went well and the Rebels finished 7-5. The experience figures to help them in 2015.

“I think last year we had a lot of young players, a lot of inexperienced players,” Crestview coach Paul Cusick said. “Overall, from a win-loss standpoint, it was probably better than what we expected — being able to tie for the [Inter-Tri County League] title, get into the playoffs, and win a playoff game.

“Any time you can do those things, it’s a pretty good year. So we were pretty happy with what happened, getting some wins like that and advancing in the playoffs. That was important moving forward to this year.”

Offense

Last season, quarterback Jesse Best threw and ran for more than 1,000 yards to complement running back Zach Hicks (1,552 yards, 19 rushing touchdowns and three TD receptions.

Hicks returns, but Cusick faces the challenge of replacing Best with Spencer DeSalvo.

“Unfortunately, that’s part of high school football,” Cusick said. “You are always going to lose good players and it gives someone else an opportunity. I think Spencer is in a position where he’s worked hard and got experience.

“He’s a good athlete and his teammates respect him. From that standpoint, he’ll be fine. From getting actual game reps, he’s going to have to catch up and learn in a hurry.”

If DeSalvo experiences any initial growing pains, he’ll have Hicks there to help lessen the load.

“I think Zach is a complete running back,” Cusick said. “He does bring a lot of different aspects to the position. He’s a complete player. That’s the kind of kid you want back there.”

Up front, the Rebels will have the services of Jarred Jones, who has started the last three years and received all-state honors last year. Crestview will run behind him when it needs tough yards.

Defense

If there was a sore spot for the Rebels, it came on the defensive side of the ball, where Crestview gave up 30.2 points a game.

“That was really hard because traditionally we’ve been a pretty solid defensive team,” Cusick said. “That was tough. We had to outscore people. You can’t do that week-in and week-out. I look for our biggest improvement to be on the defensive side of the ball.

“Our kids have really taken that to heart. They were embarrassed by what happened last year. They should be. They came in with the attitude that we’re going to get better on defense.”

The Rebels will rely on their front seven to help guide that improvement with Jordan Murphy and Jack Davis, who have started as freshman and sophomores.

“You can tell they get it now,” Cusick said. “They are playing fast. They are athletic. I think at linebacker, we’re going to be fairly athletic. We have some guys back and some new guys coming in. I think there is the potential there for us to have a great front seven.”

Special Teams

Hicks will handle punting duties. Danny Moore will do most of the extra points. The Rebels picked up another soccer player in Josh Bachelor, who will also seeing action in the kicking game.

Outlook

Playing for the league title and looking to advance to the playoffs is again the goal and the norm for the Rebels.

Scheduling became trickier this year with the ITCL expanding from two tiers.

“It’s a little unique with the three tiers and how you have to schedule,” Cusick said. “There were times when we were trying to find people to play and you have to worry about home and away games. It’s a little bit of a twist this year in our schedule.”

After starting the season with back-to-back rivalry games against Beaver Local and Columbiana, the Rebels will replace Liberty with Alliance and then play Warren JFK before hitting league play.

If things play out, Week 10 against Lisbon — despite not being a league game — could go a long way into deciding playoff seeding.

“That’ll be interesting to see how that plays out during the year,” Cusick said. “That can potentially be a big game. I look for them to be really solid. Columbiana is going to be very athletic offensively.

“South Range will be solid. They are every year. Springfield always has athletes. Throughout the league, it’s going to be a great challenge. That’s the way it’s supposed to be.”