By Brian Dzenis

bdzenis@vindy.com

EAST FAIRFIELD

Crestview wants to win the Inter-Tri County League, just like any of its peers, but the Rebels have some additional bulletin board material.

This is the final year of the 16-school league and 14 of those schools have scattered to the Mahoning Valley Athletic Conference and Eastern Ohio Athletic Conference.

The two schools left looking for a league? Crestview and South Range.

The Rebels would like to stick it to their soon-to-be ex-conference foes on their way out.

“We’re trying to win the league every single year, but maybe there is more emphasis on it,” Crestview coach Paul Cusick said. “It’s disappointing to see the league go away.

“I think it’s a great small-school league, but the neighboring schools feel like they have to do something else.

“I personally don’t understand it. It’s wrong and it shouldn’t have happened, but it’s going to happen,” he said.

Cusick said the school is actively searching for a new league, but declined to specify which ones have been approached.

“We’re talking to some different leagues and hopefully it can work out, but there will probably be a time period where we have to be independent,” Cusick said. “It’s unfortunate, but that’s the way it is right now.”

The Rebels have made the playoffs for nine years in a row. To get to 10, they’ll have to do it with a younger squad. Only four offensive and five defensive starters return.

“The first goal is always to compete and try to win the league. I think when you do that, Week 11 kind of takes care of itself,” Cusick said. “Our kids want to strive to get there and our community expects that, so we have high expectations no matter who’s playing Friday night.”

OFFENSE

In addition to finding a new conference, the Rebels had to find a new quarterback, running back and top wideout in a single offseason. In 2015, Zach Hicks led the area in rushing touchdowns with 34 and ran close to 2,000 yards. A single back is not replicating the feat, so it’s running back by committee.

Junior Danny Moore and sophomores Devin Turvey and Andrew Yancy will rotate, while senior Brandon Sherill is the H-back that gets involved with the passing game.

“I’ll be blocking and one guy will run past me and I’m like ‘oh hey, Danny’ and the next play someone else will run past me,” senior left tackle Jacob Scheller said. “It’s different, but it hasn’t affected how we play as a team.”

Scheller and senior guard Jacob Crawford are joined by three sophomores on the offensive line. Dominic Perry is a returning starter and Wyatt Woofring and Josh Simmons lettered as freshman.

Caleb Hill steps in at QB for the graduated Spencer DeSalvo. Senior Tyler Fitzsimmons and sophomore Dylan Huff are the team’s wideouts. The Rebels will continue to run a spread with no huddle.

DEFENSE

Defense is Crestview’s more experienced half.

The Rebels run a 3-4 and all three defensive line starters are back in seniors Jordan Murphy and Jack Davis and junior Landon Talbert. Junior Jacob Crawford is a returning starter at linebacker and Fitzsimmons and Moore are the most experienced players in the secondary.

OUTLOOK

Crestview is one of the area’s steadiest programs under Cusick, who enter’s his 18th season in charge. That time includes 14 playoff appearances and six ITCL titles. A potential seventh might be the one the team wants the most.

“It’s our goal to smash every team in the ITCL this year, I can tell you that,” Scheller said. “It’s our goal to win the league for the last time there is a league.”