It seemed like a long winter, spring, and summer. After weeks of practicing against your own guys for summer camp, and two scrimmages, it was finally football season again, in the small town of Convoy, Ohio.
Coming in through the north gate, you smell the buttery goodness of popcorn. The Deja Brew coffee truck was making sure to keep you awake and alert. The Knight Pride Club was selling design your own custom tumblers.
Parents were catching up with other parents about summer break, how the team looked, how well they think they would be this season.
The Paulding Panthers won the toss and received the ball to start the game. HB #23 Cooper had a 16-yard run on the opening play, then a 25-yard run of the third play of the drive. Knights DL #1 Beckham Putman would put an end to the drive with a sack on 4th down.
The Knights first drive would end in a three and out, after Panthers #23 would sack QB #9 Cooper Miller for a ten-yard loss on third down.
Both teams would have three and outs on their next possessions.
The Knights would have a bad snap on the punt. Snapping was a big problem for the Knights last season, and it continued not just here, but the whole game.
A defensive face mask penalty would put Paulding at the 2-yard line. An incomplete pass, then the Panthers would call timeout with 1:53 left in the first quarter. Paulding would score a touchdown, but it was negated by an offensive pass interference call, making it now 3rd and goal from the 19-yard line.
The Panthers would drop a pass, and now had a long 4th and goal. They’d use their second timeout with 1:42 left. Knights DB #3 Jacoby Gallimore would break up the pass in the endzone, ending the drive.
Once again, the Crestview offense couldn’t get anything going at all, and had their third straight drive stall, without a first down. That would end the first quarter, with the score knotted up at 0-0.
The Panthers next drive would end with a Knights INT by #4 Hayden Waltmire. Crestview would take over at the 25-yard line. An encroachment penalty would give the Knights a quick five yards, and make it first and ten. After no gain on first, QB Cooper Miller would hit #24 Harper Perrott for a 20-yard gain. The very next play, the Knights would fumble the ball, and the Panthers would recover at the 46-yard line.
Paulding would have four straight runs of -1, 6, 6, and 13 yards, to get the ball to the 30. The Knights would get flagged for defensive pass interference, and that would give them a first and goal at the 7. Losses would send them back to the 19, before Panthers HB #23 Avery Cooper would score a TD on a 19-yard run. PAT was no good, and Paulding had a 6-0 lead with 5:22 left in the 2nd quarter.
Knights QB #9 Cooper Miller would fumble the football on second down. The Panthers would give it back, the very next play, as Crestview LB #14 Tate Lichtensteiger would recover a Paulding fumble.
After a 1-yard run, the Panthers would get hit with another encroachment penalty. Back-to-back runs would give the Knights a first down. The Knights would connect on a 11-yard pass on first down. A holding penalty would put Crestview behind the chains on first down. Incomplete pass on first down, then Miller would throw an INT, which was returned to the 32-yard line.
The Panthers would hit a 13-yard pass on first down to the 19. A 2-yard run and, then hit a pass all the way down to the Knights 2. Crestview would get a TFL (tackle for loss). Paulding would use their final timeout with 36 seconds left in the first half. They’d connect with 5-yard TD pass from Ridge Hunt to Jason Manz. The 2-pt attempt was no good, and the Panthers took a 12-0 lead, into the half.
Knights WR #8 Cash Hammons would take the 2nd half kickoff back 68 yards, to the 19-yard line. That would be the highlight. A 4-yard run, a Panthers TFL, incomplete pass, and an 8-yard pass on 4th down, would end the Crestview drive.
Paulding would take over, but a very angry Knights HC Cole Harting would have to call a timeout, as the defense was confused and not set. Crestview would get a TFL, but the Panthers responded with back-to-back passes of 12 and 10 yards. That momentum was short lived, as a holding call on Paulding would back them up 10 yards, making it 1st and 18 at the 24. Two straight incomplete passes ended the drive.
Crestview would get runs of 3 yards, 5 yards, and 2 yards, for a first down.
OHSAA officials would botch would should’ve been a Knights TD pass, instead, calling it a fumble and touchback (it literally happened it front of me, as I was less than 10 feet away from the play).
The lucky break gave the Panthers the ball at the 20-yard line. A quick pass for 11 yards to the 31, followed by runs of 8 yards, 9 yards, and 8 yards, had them rolling with momentum. There was an official’s timeout (I was never told why, even when I asked them after the game). A Knights TFL made it third and long. Paulding would get a 20-yard run to convert.
An incomplete pass, then runs of 8 yards and 1 yard, brought them to a fourth down and 1. Paulding would call a timeout to discuss strategy with 2:23 left in the third quarter. The strategy did not work, as an incomplete pass lead to a turnover on downs with 2:17 left.
Once again, the Knights offense couldn’t do anything, and they were barely able to get the punt away, after their 2nd bad snap of the special teams.
The Panthers took over at the 38-yard line. An incomplete pass on first down, then a long run all the way down to the 34. A 24-yard pass had Paulding quickly down to the 10-yard line. Runs of 6 yards and 1 yard, then an incomplete pass, made it another fourth down. Panthers called another timeout with 11:08 in the 4th.
Knights DE #66 Will Sheets got a tipped INT, and returned it all the way to the 45 yard line.
Another Miller incompletion was followed by a Knights timeout with 10:47 left.
They’d get a short 5-yard gain, before QB Cooper Miller would hit WR Cash Hammons for a 40-yard TD pass. The PAT was no good, and the Knights were on the board, but trailing 12-6 with 10:02 left in the game.
Another special teams blunder by the Knights, as the kickoff went out of bounds, giving Paulding the ball at the 35-yard line. Back-to-back runs would quickly have the Panthers to the 47-yard line. Knights DE Will Sheets would get a 5-yard TFL, to make it a long third down and 12. A short run made it fourth down.
The Knights would make their 4th special teams mistake, by running into the punter, for a 5-yard penalty. The Panthers would run a fake punt and convert. Knights DB #23 Wesley Wit would get a 4-yard TFL. An incomplete pass would force a third down, and Paulding would use their final timeout with 6:03 left in the game. The fourth down attempt was incomplete, and they’d turn it over on downs.
Crestview would have a run of 0 yards, and an incomplete pass, before Cooper Miller would hit WR Beau Lichtensteiger all the way down to the 40. HB #22 Evan Brincefield would run for 14 yards on second down, and follow it up with a 10 yard run the next play, to the 30. A 17-yard pass on second down, made it first, but the Knights had another holding penalty.
Knights QB Cooper Miller would throw his second INT of the game, as Panthers CB #4 Emmet Barnes would return it 80 yards for a pick-six TD. The PAT was again, no good, and that would be the final score of the game, giving the Paulding Panthers a 18-6 victory.
The Crestview Knights leading stats
QB Cooper Miller was 10 of 22 for 180 yards 1 TD and 2 INTs.
WR Beau Lichtensteiger had 4 catches for 96 yards.
HB Evin Brincefield had 15 carries for 63 yards.
I spoke to Crestview Knights Head Coach Cole Harting after the game.
I asked him what positives he could take away from this loss.
“That’s a really good offense, and we held our own. Holding those guys to only 12 points on offense, was a really good job, and I thought our defense did a great job. If we were to play that game again, and held them to 12 points, I’d be happy. We limited a lot of their big plays. Unfortunately, our offense turned the ball to many times, and gave them a lot of short fields. We can’t do that. If we want to win games, we can’t turn the ball over”.
I asked him about Junior QB Cooper Millers’ first start.
“He’s just got to play with confidence. Things didn’t go well in that first half. Things didn’t go his way early on, and he struggled to overcome those. They have a really talented secondary, so he’s just got to stay positive and keep working at it, and just play with a little bit more confidence”.
I asked about how well the defensive line held up, made plays, giving the young secondary time to grow.
“Absolutely. Having those guys up front, just creating havoc every single play. I wanted to create pressure with three or four guys, and we were able to do that consistently”.
The Crestview Knights (0-1) are on the road to take on the Minster Wildcats (1-0) on Friday Night.
– Sean McKenzie
Stats courtesy of…..Chris Lutz.
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