Team

Crestview

Record	Div.	Conf.
6/4	Div. V	Independents

By Greg Gulas

sports@vindy.com

EAST FAIRFIELD

The Crestview High football team showed Berkshire what playoff experience can do with Friday’s 56-36 comeback victory.

Crestview’s Zach Hicks rushed for 203 yards and tied a school record with six touchdowns.

Berkshire was making its first postseason appearance since 1981 in the Division V showdown at Crestview. It was the Badgers’ third playoff berth. The Rebels have qualified for the playoffs for eight straight seasons.

The Badgers raced to a 28-14 second quarter lead when the Rebels (9-2) responded with 35 unanswered points.

“At the half, Coach [Paul Cusick] told us that we needed to execute,” Hicks said. “My offensive line really stepped it up.

“In the first half, we kept shooting ourselves in the foot, couldn’t find our spots and where we wanted to go,” Hicks said. “In the second half we made some adjustments and got bodies on bodies.

“In the second half, we had a lot of intensity,” Hicks said. “In the first half, it was like we were daydreaming.” The Rebels racked up 455 yards of total offense, 386 coming via the ground game on 54 carries.

In the early going, it was the Badgers (6-5) displaying the offensive magic. Berkshire’s quarterback Gordy Cossick found Emil Hess from 15 yards away for a 6-0 lead.

Hicks’ first touchdown, a 12-yard run, put Crestview ahead, 7-6.

Jarett Young scored on runs covering 1 and 49 yards to put the Badgers ahead, 21-14. The lead grew to 14 when Cossick found Will Blechschmid from 14 yards out.

Then the Rebels surged. Spencer DeSalvo connected with Tyler Stratton on a 20-yard strike right before halftime.

“We talked about it not being about them, and being about us,” Cusick said of his halftime speech. “Zach is a dynamic back. He can catch the ball, block when he has to but he’s the best when the ball is under his arm.”

Hicks’ third touchdown tied the game. His fourth — a 6-yard run — put the Rebels ahead for good.

Our guys believe in him and they work hard for him,” Cusick said. “He’s unselfish and our guys get after it for him.

“He made some big cuts tonight and made some big plays when we needed them.”

A DeSalvo 25-yard strike to Jared Hayden increased the Crestview lead to 42-28.

In the fourth quarter, Hicks scored twice and Young once.

Stratton rushed for 94 yards and DeSalvo 89.

Cossick finished 11 of 24 for 185 yards with two touchdowns for Berkshire while Blechschmid caught seven passes for 113 yards.