Friday Flashback: Knights make history

Note: The latest installment of the Friday Flashback takes us back to Week No. 1 of the 2013 high school football playoffs. The Crestview Knights made history that night by earning the school’s first-ever postseason win. Below is the story as it appeared on the VW independent Sports page.

DAVE MOSIER/independent sports

LIMA — After years of getting pushed around by Lima Central Catholic, the Crestview Knights got a measure of revenge with a 48-34 victory over the Thunderbirds in the Division V football playoffs on Friday at Lima Stadium. It was the first playoff victory for the Knights and the first-ever win over LCC for Crestview.

The Knights compiled 516 yards of total offense, while limiting LCC to 211 yards, although many of those yards come from big plays that made the game closer than it might have been otherwise.

The T-Birds had, not one, but two touchdowns off special teams play, with a punt return for a TD in the second quarter and a 90-yard kickoff return for a score in the third quarter. LCC quarterback Colin Stolly also had touchdown passes of 68- and 75 yards in the game to keep things close.

The T-Birds scored first when Kalito Lasenby ran the ball in from the Crestview 4-yard line with 5:18 remaining in the first quarter. Crestview then scored twice, the first touchdown coming on a 56-yard pass from Preston Zaleski to Isaiah Simerman at the 3:37 mark and the second on a 15-yard run by Malcolm Oliver with 55 seconds left in the first quarter. Kameron Grubaugh kicked both extra points and it was 14-7, Knights.

LCC wasn’t done yet, as Stolly threw his 75-yard TD pass to Mykale Roger with 32 seconds remaining in the quarter. Stolly also kicked the PAT and it was all tied up at 14-all at the end of the first stanza.

Crestview scored the first of five touchdowns in the second quarter when Jake Lippi ran three yards to paydirt with 8:48 left on the clock. Grubaugh kicked the point-after and the Knights led 21-14.

LCC then scored twice, the first time on a 68-yard pass from Stolly to Cameron White and the second time on Stolly’s 40-yard punt return for a TD. Stolly hit both PATs and the T-birds led 28-21 with 5:43 remaining in the first half.

But Crestview rallied to score twice more in the half, the first TD coming on a 10-yard run by Oliver and the second on a 2-yard run by Zaleski. Both PATs were good and the Knights took a 35-28 first-half lead into the locker room.

Crestview scored what would be the winning touchdown at the 7:20 mark of the third quarter when Oliver ran the ball in from the LCC 10-yard-line. Grubaugh kicked the point-after and Crestview led 42-28.

The T-birds scored 12 seconds later when Lasenby ran 90 yards for a touchdown on the ensuing kick-off, but Crestview scored again five minutes later on a 6-yard run by Justin Overmyer. The point-after failed that time and the final score was 48-35.

Oliver ran for 209 yards on 30 carries (7 yards per carry) and three touchdowns, while Zaleski added 88 yards and a TD on 19 carries for Crestview. Lippi had 64 yards on four carries and a touchdown.

The game was remarkably mistake-proof, at least on offense, as neither team had a fumble or an interception.

Simerman had two catches for 98 yards and a TD, while Zaleski was 3 of 5 for 107 yards and the touchdown to Simerman.

With the win, the Knights go to 9-2 overall and will play again next Friday.