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Knights get win in regular season finale

DAVE MOSIER/independent sports

PAULDING — The Crestview football team scored four unanswered touchdowns to take a 28-8 Northwest Conference win over the Paulding Panthers in its final regular season game.

The Knights compiled nearly 300 yards of offense (296), while holding Paulding to 136 offensive yards in the game. Crestview also dominated in the area of ball control, with the Knights’ having a total time of possession of 27:07, compared to 20:53 for the Panthers.

Trevor Gibson led the Crestview rushing game with 96 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries. Quarterback Drew Kline had 66 yards and three TDs on eight rushes, while Luke Gerardot carried the ball six times for 41 yards. Preston Ingol led Paulding with 72 yards on 23 carries.

The Knights reeled off the first four scores of the game against Paulding, starting with a 24-yard run by Kline with 2:14 remaining in the first quarter. Dylan Hicks kicked the extra point and Crestview led 7-0.

The Knights scored twice in the second quarter, with the first TD coming on a 1-yard run by Trevor Gibson with 2:55 remaining in the period. Hicks kicked the PAT for a 14-0 lead. The other second-quarter Crestview score came on a 3-yard run by Kline with just seven ticks left in the first half, with Hicks (who was perfect on the night) splitting the uprights again as the Knights took a 21-0 lead into the locker room.

Crestview’s final touchdown came with 6:45 remaining in the third quarter. This time, Kline ran 26 yards for the score, with Hicks putting the finishing touches on a 28-0 Knight advantage.

Paulding finally got its one and only score with 1:13 remaining in the third quarter when quarterback, Drew Lumpkins hit Austin Howell on a 6-yard pass. The Panthers went for two and Preston Ingol ran it in for the final 28-8 score.

Crestview (7-3, 4-3 NWC), which made it into the playoffs for the third year in a row, will likely pair up with Hicksville (7-3, 6-1 GMC) next Saturday for the county team’s first 2016 post-season game. The Knights, who beat Hicksville 34-20 in a non-conference game earlier this season, won’t be taking the Aces lightly, though.

POSTED: 10/29/16 at 2:53 am. FILED UNDER: Sports