The Crestview Lady Knights opened their 2025 season at home against the New Bremen Cardinals.
Two programs that are no strangers to state championships and deep playoff runs.
Both teams also starting a lot of underclassmen on their varsity teams.
The Cardinals only have two seniors, in #4 Mary Rindler and #9 Allie Bornhorst with 9 girls either freshmen or sophomores.
The Lady Knights only sport three seniors, #7 Emily Lichtle, #10 Lillie Best, and #21 Haley McCoy, with 7 girls being underclassmen.
The Lady Knights lost the 1st set 25-19 to the visitors. Coach Gregory called a timeout in the 2nd set trailing 10-3. It got some momentum for the home team started.
Both teams played a long volley back and forth in the 2nd set, which was won by Crestview to make it a 15-11 game. That would be the best for them in that set, as they eventually lost 25-16.
Down 2 sets to 0, the Lady Knights were hoping to recapture some of the magic they displayed against the Paulding Panthers on Tuesday. They went down 2-0, then came back to win 3 straight sets to bring home the victory.
The Cardinals weren’t going to make it easy on them, scoring the first 5 points of the set, before Crestview got on the board, and took 3 straight points in return.
The Knights student section was up and loud, cheering on the Lady Knights in the 3rd set.
It just wasn’t meant to be for the young Lady Knights on this night. Every time they got a bit of momentum, the Cardinals were quick to shut it down.
They fell in the 3rd and final set 25-17.
The Knights were led by #3 Kaci Gregory, who finished the game with 14/16 serving with 3 aces, as well as 8 digs and 6 kills.
I first caught up with New Bremen Cardinals head coach Diana Kramer.
It was the 2nd straight road win for the Cardinals; I asked her how she feels about the early season road wins and some positives coming out of it.
“We’re in the gym a lot. There’s a lot of inexperience, a lot of young girls here. You got to trust your preparation and trust what you got to do in moments like this. The blockers did a good job controlling the net, which frustrated their hitters. I felt like outside of only one or two rotations; we were in control of most of the match.”
She praised Coach Gregory, “With a great coach like Tammy on the sidelines, you have to bring your best.”
I spoke to Knights head coach Tammy Gregory shortly after the game, as well.
I asked her what were some positives the team could take away from the loss?
“Having good teams like this come here and compete is only going to teach our younger girls. We would get down, and we had to fight much harder to come back, because we were always down like five points. We had to waste a lot of energy to come back from that.”
I brought up that there seemed to be a lot of miscommunications during the game.
“We did just talk about that. I think we’ll have to take that with a more serious practice.”
The Lady Knights (1-1) are back in action at home against the Coldwater Cavaliers, on Tuesday August 26th, at 7:00 PM.
– by Sean McKenzie
Stats courtesy of…..Crestview head coach Tammy Gregory.
The Crestview Lady Knights girls soccer team opened the 2025 season at home against the Ada Bulldogs.
Game started with a lot of work at midfield by both teams. The Bulldogs got the first shot of the day at 38:18 of the first period. The Knights responded with a shot of their own at 36:35.
The first goal of the game came #11 sophomore Avary Acheson at 33:15.
The Bulldogs continued to put the pressure on Lady Knights goalie #96 Ella Lamb, but she stepped up and made stops at 28:51 and 28:26.
Finally, Ada got the second goal of the game at 26:21, by #3 Alex Gibson.
Ada got off five straight shots off at 21:10, 19:11, 16:33, 15:45, and 11:43, keeping up the offensive pressure that would be the story of the game.
Knights goalie Ella Lamb came up BIG with a double save while on the ground at 10:04 of the first half. She would finish the game with 22 saves.
The Bulldogs would add two more goals at 3:08 and 1:10, to have a 4-0 lead at the half.
(The 2:48 above is what was left at the halftime break when I snapped this picture)
Ada would strike again quickly, scoring their fifth goal at 38:35. The Lady Knights would get shots off at 19:03 and 14:11.
The Bulldogs would score their sixth and final goal of the game at 11:14 to take the victory and move to (2-0) on the season.
After the game, I asked Lady Knights head coach Cindy Lamb, what are some positives that she can take away from today’s game?
“We played a very physical and fast team. I think we know what we need to do against St. Johns because they play similar to Ada. So that’s going to help us prepare for the next game, knowing how we have to play, where to step up, where our holes are, and go from there.”
I asked her about goalie Ella Lamb’s aggressive playing style coming way out of the box to snag the ball. If that was coaching or just naturally how she plays.
“She is naturally just an aggressive player. She wants the ball. She’s willing to sacrifice her body. She typically comes away with a lot of bruises in a game. She has it in her head. That ball is hers.”
The Lady Knights (0-1) do it all over again tomorrow afternoon, at home, against the Delphos St. John Blue Jays.
Game starts at 5:00 PM (EST).
– by Sean McKenzie
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Player number information courtesy of…..maxpreps and crestviewknights.com
Van Wert County, Ohio is a rural county with strong agricultural roots. Only 1% of the counties 410 square miles has been deemed “urban”. The Lincoln Highway Byway is a beautiful driving route, with many land markers and stops along the way. America’s very first free public county library was built here (Brumback Library). The Van Wert County courthouse, built in 1876, is a Gothic and Romanesque architectural marvel. I’ve visited multiple times.
There is strong community support and spirit in the towns that dot the landscape. People greet each other by name. Know your family and help neighbors out in times of need.
There’s only one thing that could divide families, and put friendships on hold for a few hours, and that is high school football.
The two predominate football teams in Van Wert County are the Van Wert Cougars.
and the Crestview Knights.
Parents and children are often related to someone from the other team. Friendships formed from youth sports, church events, pancake breakfasts, and other community events.
So for that brief moment in time, when the helmets are put on. The chin straps are snapped on, and pads start popping, the trash talking starts. On this hot and clear, but beautiful summer evening, the friendly chirping was aplenty.
Knight Pride vs Cougar Pride.
The 2025 football scrimmage game had both teams looking to clean some things up, lingering over from summer practice. Both teams hoping that this would be the start, of a return to the playoffs.
The varsity starters played an entire first half of football.
On the first play, Knights HB Braxton Leeth busted through the middle for a 15-yard run. but it was to be short lived, as the Knights fumbled the football on the very next play.
The Cougars couldn’t capitalize, as the Knights stopped them on a 4th down attempt.
Van Wert QB #15, sophomore Zach Crummey missed a throw, to a wide-open receiver, that would’ve been a touchdown on Van Wert’s fourth offensive drive.
The defenses ruled, and after the first quarter of play, it was a 0-0 game.
Finally, with 1:31 left to play in the half; the Cougars put the first points up on the board, when QB Zach Crummey scored on a quarterback draw from the 1-yard line, on a 3rd and 1.
The lead would be short lived for the visiting Van Wert Cougars as a mere 25 seconds later, the Crestview Knights would tie the game when senior QB #4 Huxley Grose connected on deep pass to senior WR #5 Hayden Perrott, with 1:06 left on the clock.
That would be it for the varsity football teams from both schools. Ending up in a 7-7 tie at the end of the half.
The Knights outgained the Cougars in total yards 162 to 151. Both teams struggled on 3rd downs, going a combined 2 for 11.
Knights QB Huxley Grose finished the half completing 5/9 for 89 yards.
His counterpart Cougars QB Zach Crummey 9/14 for 60 yards.
I spoke with Crestview head coach Cole Harting first after the game.
“I thought both teams played really hard. Both offenses were able to move the ball at times. We had a couple penalties here and there, so we got to clean that up. We got to get our snap game a little better, we had some bad snaps, but we should be OK. Braxton had a really nice game. He had a couple tough runs, and a couple deep runs. Obviously, Hayden Perrott had a nice game, and I thought Huxley played really nice.”
I asked him specifically about the Knights defensive line getting lots of pressure on Cougars QB Crummey, mostly on the edge.
“We have a little bit more experience on the edges there, and our kids are pretty athletic, so that bodes well for us on the perimeter.”
Van Wert head coach Keith Recker has been leading the Cougars for 14 seasons, and led them to a state championship in 2020. I caught up with him after the game.
“Defensively we played well. We challenged them to really stop the run. They ran all over us last year with the same running back and a lot of the same offensive line. So, we challenged our linebackers to fill and keep their shoulders square. We did a really nice job against that.”
I asked Coach Recker about #11 sophomore WR/DB Xavier Kelly, who was a 2024 Honorable Mention as a freshman.
“Yeah, X does a great job and he’s only a sophomore. He can play a lot of different positions. We put him in at running back today because he can get a lot of touches that way.”
Van Wert’s starting QB Zach Crummey is a big kid, at 6’6″. He showed some scrambling ability for a kid his size. I asked Coach Recker about his ability to move around.
“Unfortunately, our pass pro broke down quite a bit and he had to be elusive, but I thought he showed that really well. We want to keep him healthy through the scrimmage and but he’s tough and he’ll do whatever he needs to when we get into the game.”
At the end of the day, there were hugs and handshakes by all. Players, coaches, and even the fans who came out to support their kids and teams. They’ll be seeing each other again. I know both teams will be represented at the Wren Homecoming Pie Eating Contest, in Wren, Ohio on Saturday at 2:15 PM.
I wonder if it will be as competitive as last night’s game.
As summer break for kids starts coming to a close, fall high school sports season is about to kickoff.
After a few weeks of those long, hot, dog day of summer practices against each other, teams are finally seeing how they stack up against other local area squads.
On late Friday afternoon, I made the trip up US-49 (getting lost thanks to those detour signs), to Antwerp, Ohio to watch the Crestview Knights take on the Antwerp Archers.
I wasn’t the only person who made the trip. I counted 69 parents and fellow students (including 5 members of the girls’ volleyball team), who all came out to support the football Knights.
The starters for both teams opened the scrimmage on both sides of the ball. On the first play of the scrimmage, Antwerp jumped offsides. That was something they unfortunately struggled with often on this day.
The 3rd offensive play, saw Knights HB Braxton Leetch score a TD on a long run over the right side.
On the 2nd drive, the Knights had back-to-back high snaps. This is something they’re struggling with, as they search for a new center. QB Huxley Grose threw a TD the next play.
Crestview started the third offensive drive by lining up offsides. That was a very brief setback, as the very next play, HB Braxton Leeth scored his second TD. This time a reception out of the backfield.
Leeth would score not one, not two, not even three, but four TDs in this scrimmage, as well as deliver a big hit, that forced an incompletion on Antwerp’s second offensive drive.
Knights WR/DB Braxtyn Couts would also get on the board with a TD.
The starters for the Knights dominated the Archers on both sides of the ball.
The Archers answered back though once the backups got in, with a great TD catch by #10 Kane Hines, and #12 Zack Salas bulldozing his way into the endzone.
To end the scrimmage, the starters played a full 12-minute quarter.
#8 Cash Hammons had a pick-6 for the Knights defense, and the afore mentioned #2 Braxton Leeth, as well as, #7 Liam Putman had scores.
I got a brief interview with Knights head coach Cole Harting afterwards.
“Obviously, I thought we did a lot of good things. We got a lot of kids’ reps tonight. Offensively, we found some stuff that could work. They played well and really executed well at times. We just let our athletes be athletes.”
“On the defensive side of the ball, we did a really good job of rotating guys in. They had a couple of long drives, but we did a good job of rotating guys in and out. There’s obviously things to fix, but you know, we’ll go back and watch film and see what we can improve on.”
He finished up the interview saying “I told the guys, I want us to be playing our best football Week 10. So, looking forward to watching the tape and seeing what we can fix for next week.”
The Crestview Knights will scrimmage against the Van Wert Cougars next Friday afternoon, at 6:00 PM (EST) in Convoy.
– by Sean McKenzie
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The small town of Convoy, Ohio is just 10 minutes from the Ohio/Indiana border in Van Wert County. With a population of only 1,002 (according to the 2024 census) it’s small town Americana. Mail is not delivered here. Instead, everyone in town is given a PO Box.
It has a flower shop “The Secret Garden Floral and Gifts”, run by Jason and Nate. A coffee shop “The Rebel Bean” run by Jennifer, Amy, and Ashley; and ice cream shop “Convoy Tastee Freeze”, share the same building. My daughter is in love with Daily Dose drinks. Cheers and Gears Bar and Grill has great mozzarella sticks. that I just smash on.
People are friendly, chatty, and always say “hello” when walking around and in the shops and churches.
There’s only one stoplight in the whole town, and it’s at the school.
It is home to the Crestview Knights.
3rd year head coach Cole Harting (in white shirt above) leads a team that returns 12 letter winners in total. 8 starters return on offense (mostly underclassmen) and 4 on defense.
I watched the team practice for 4 days and sat down with the head coach who granted me an interview.
With 2 of their first 3 games against their rivals, my first question was how he’ll keep his players focused on the games with all the trash talking that comes with these types of games?
“I’m sure there is more than I know about, but for the most part, you know, the kids are just interested in playing, and they want to go out there and compete. And you know the biggest thing for us is we just want to get better you know. From game to game. So, it doesn’t matter who we’re playing, whether it’s’ a rival or not.”
Between those two games, in Week 2, Crestview plays the 4-time defending state champions and a team on a 64-game winning streak, in the Marion Local Flyers in their home opener.
I asked Coach how he and the staff will scheme to match such a powerhouse school with personnel.
“We’re going to run our stuff. Obviously, we’ll scout them. We’ll probably get to their first game and then maybe a scrimmage or so. We’ll tackle them like we do everybody else. See what they run, and we’ll see what we can do to stop them. I’m actually really excited for that game. It’s going to be a great game. They are the gold standard. If we want to get where we want to get to, I think it’s important to play teams like that.”
Something that I noticed in my 4 days of watching them at practice was that they were rotating a lot of players at the center position. So, I asked him about that.
“Well, right now we’re returning 4 of our 5 starting linemen from last year. The one that was lost was actually our starting center. So right now, we’re just trying some different guys in that spot and see who can execute most consistently for us there.”
Senior TE/DE #7 Liam Putman led the team in receptions and sacks last season. I asked Coach Harting, how he plans on keeping him fresh throughout the season.
“You know, some kids just have the ability to play the whole game. We try our best to rotate guys in and out depending on certain circumstances. The biggest thing is keeping him fresh during the week. We don’t want to put too much on our two-way players throughout the week.
The Knights start the final month of the regular season with back-to-back road games, against Bluffton and Columbus Grove. Two teams that made deep playoff runs last season.
“You know, with high school kids the biggest thing is you go on these road trips, and once that bus leaves, the guys are focusing and thinking about the task at hand. Our kids aren’t messing around on the bus. They should be focused, locked in, preparing themselves for what’s ahead of them.” Coach Harting replied when I asked him about those games.
The 2024 Crestview Knights season was snake bitten by injuries. That led to a lot of young players getting pressed action. I asked Coach how that experience last season, benefited them coming into this season.
“Anytime you have injuries, that’s a huge blow to your team. And in the moment, it’s tough to overcome. But when you kind of step back a little bit, it’s kind of a nice thing sometimes, where it gives kids opportunities to grow. So last year, obviously dealing with all those injuries, that was difficult, but it did give a lot of our kids chances to play.”
(Starting QB Huxley Grose, was forced into action last season due to injury. Started 6 games as a junior. He had a ROCKET side arm throw on Day 4, into a tight window.)
Coach brought up the injury to star HB/DB #2 Braxton Leeth in particular.
“Braxton Leeth got hurt last year, which forced us to play one of our freshmen at safety, Cash Hammons. And you know, he had his moments where he struggled a little bit, but after he got a few games under his belt, he started playing really well. Now as a sophomore, he has almost a full season of experience, you know, has paid huge dividends.”
Speaking of Braxton, he was absolutely unstoppable on offense and defense. In my 4 days of watching practice, he was only stopped 2 times, and that was when he and Liam went head-to-head on a tackling drill. They split the 4 reps that I saw 2-2.
Listed at 6’0″ and 185 lbs. He certainly looks the part. He’s one of the fastest players on the field, and powerful enough to break the tackles of defensive lineman who weigh in at 235, 265, 230, and 245. There were multiple times where he was breaking through double and triple tackles.
As a sophomore, Braxton rushed for over 1,200 yards. Even though he missed 4 games last season, he still rushed for over 600 yards and 10 touchdowns.
I asked Coach Harting if another 1,200 yard and double-digit touchdown season, is the bar for Braxton.
“He holds himself to such a high standard. He thinks that he’s always going to get that. Every time he touches the ball, he thinks he’s going to score a touchdown. He refuses to be tackled. He’s got the speed, agility, and the vision. On your team, you have guys at different levels, and he’s just one of those guys. He’s all in when it comes to football. It shows in his work ethic. He’s been tremendous.”
He continued to sing his praises.
“When I got this job, I mean he never missed. He’s always here. He’s always looking to get better. The injuries last year were unfortunate, but he’s a tough kid and he battled back. I fully expect him to have a great year for us.”
(High point catch in the corner of the endzone on Day 4 of practice.)
To end my one-on-one interview with Coach Harting; I asked him what his and the coaching staff’s expectations are for the 2025 season.
“Our expectations are we’re going to continue to get better every single day. We’re going to chase excellence, and we’re going to do everything we can to put ourselves in positions to win games. There are a lot of great matchups throughout the season. We’re going to prepare every week, and we’re going to continue to grow week to week to week and be playing our best football come the weekend.”
Something I noticed in practice was just how well the entire coaching staff interacted with the players. Especially, when the players had questions about the schemes, proper forms, and lining up. They were eagerly asking questions and whether it was OL Coach Kory Lichtensteiger or STC/Linebackers Coach Dylan Hicks, or any of them. The coaches were clear and hands on with instruction. It was great to see.
During my 4 days interacting with the team, I also interacted with coaches from other sports. I went to the Crestview “Meet the Teams” Assembly, for the fall sports teams, held in the HS/MS gym. It was completely full. Not a seat to be found. It was a pleasure to see the community come out to support not just the football team, but the wrestling, cross country, cheer, golf, soccer, and the volleyball team. The volleyball team, led by Coach Tammy Gregory, has finished first in the conference the last 3 straight seasons, as well as deep playoff runs in those seasons.
The Knights have a deep and rich history in fall high school sports. I look forward to travelling and seeing them as often as possible this year.
– by Sean McKenzie
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Information packet provided to me, courtesy of……Head Coach Cole Harting.
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